Steve M offered
Having done just about every modification you could think of, including a few "terminal" experiments (oops), to hundreds if not thousands of horns over the last many years, Here's what I'd do. As has been wisely said, first make sure the horn is mechanically sound.? If you have leaky valves and leaky tuning slides, nothing else is going to help much. Second, as has also been mentioned, make sure the mouthpiece fits the leadpipe correctly.? If it doesn't, you will have to work harder for pitch, response, range and sound.? Don't worry, everything else will still be ok.? Ha Ha! Well, step 2 is the cheapest and will help even if your horn is a bit leaky.? Step 1 could cost quite a bit of money, which means maybe step 3 actually isn't such a bad idea. Step 3 I think was suggested tongue in cheek, but if you're thinking about laying out a bunch of money for a valve rebuild ....... ********* Those of us with extravagant body piercings are well aware that a pierced cheek may tend to vent a little bit, especially during those loud bits in a Tchaikovsky Symphony. Under these circumstances, the tongue in cheek technique you suggest can have some genuine benefits, even though it degrades the tone quality and the precision of your staccato articulations. Gotta go, Cabbage _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
