When preparing to perform a solo or a whole recital, there are a lot of factors that motivate our practice. To have a polished end product we meticulously learn notes, rhythms, and technique, with metronomes, recording devices, and more. And, if you are like me, I practice getting through the complete solo or program to make sure I have enough endurance.
What is the right answer! For me, I always let sound lead. Are you ready for the big HOWEVER?
When we think about cup depth of a brass instrument mouthpiece, we generally think about how they will affect the sound. Generally, a large cup will provide a dark sound, where a shallow cup will produce a brighter more projecting sound. Is sound the only thing that the cup affects, though? We recently polled our Denis Wick community with this question: Does the cup depth affect articulation? Each player is different, and while we here at Denis Wick have some specific ideas about how the right cup contour can assist your performance, we also realize each player has their own experience with this, and feels support from a mouthpiece in different areas.
Playing by ear and working in groups form the foundations of both my teaching and practice. In this article I look to explain why I think it holds so much value and how I think anyone can improve their enjoyment of playing with some time spent playing without music each week, with even more success if you can find others to play with too.
Learn about what triggered Denis Wick to #transform2perform throughout his life as a student, teacher, performer, and manufacturer in this interview with denis, hosted by Ian Bousfield.
As every teacher knows, a good tone on any brass instrument needs a properly set-up embouchure; these days one may assume that the young player will have a reasonable instrument and a sensible mouthpiece. To this one could add what many teachers would regard as the most important of all – good breath control.
Reflecting on the many discussions I’ve had, I’ve come to realize that there is a moral code to trying
Your mouthpiece is a relationship of measurements, joined together to support you. Understanding the terminology and relationship is key to finding the right mouthpiece.
"Why would you choose to play an instrument with a mouthpiece the size of a coin...?" asks Denis Wick Products' Mary Galime. Here is Denis Wick artist Chris O'Hara's answer.
Should a trumpet player just use one mouthpiece for everything, or do we need a different mouthpiece for each style of playing? The answer is not a clear cut yes or no. Here are 3 different perspectives on this from 3 of our trumpet artists, Arnetta Johnson, Chris O'Hara, and Preston Bailey. Let us know how you approach this in the comments!
Friday 4:30pm CST / 02.11.2022 / Register for link, and enter to win a free mouthpiece!
Directing your customer to make a choice in 4 easy steps:
Are you a musician? Your New Year's resolution might include practice disciplines, range goals, technique goals, career goals, etc. Resolution planning can be tricky; too easy and you feel like you cheated, too lofty and half-way through the year you feel like a failure. If only there was one thing that you could resolve to do that would keep you busy the whole year while improving everything. And there is!
In this #transform2perform interview with Christopher Bill, Chris discusses the power of practice we learn as a musician, and what that has taught him, for better or for worse, in his career.
What is winning, and how do I get it? The most appreciated parts of winning tend to be the beginning inspiration and the prize at the end, but what do you call all the stuff that make up the middle? In the end it tends to be all those middle parts which define winning more than the prize. The Denis Wick Artist and Ambassador groups are made up of professional musicians who have all experienced all the glory and humiliation that winning has to offer. Here is some great advice from Aaron Tindall on how to navigate your road to winning.
Get a tour of the Denis Wick factory and a peak into how Denis Wick creates performance ready mouthpieces and mutes for beginner to professional brass musicians.
My first contact with Malcolm Arnold was in 1947 and was a memorable one. Although I had played with several amateur orchestras in my hometown, Luton, it was at the age of 16 that I saw and heard a professional orchestra for the first time. It was the London Philharmonic Orchestra, in the nearest local approximation to a concert hall, the Vauxhall Motors works canteen.
Heritage mouthpieces carry the mass of the mouthpiece in the lower region of the cup which provides the focus of a HeavyTop mouthpiece. To compensate the extra weight in the cup, Denis Wick thinned out the upper walls of the cup and underparts of the rim. This creates one of the most responsive and projecting mouthpieces you will ever try. They share sizing with the American Classic 1.5C & 3C, the Maurice Murphy 2C and 4C, and Classic 4X and 5X. What are those sizes? Find out below.
The Heritage mouthpiece for Trumpet is Denis wick's newest installment to a long list of amazing tone-producing products for trumpet players. Both the HeavyTop and Heritage utilize additional mass to provide focus to the sound, but in much different ways. While the HeavyTop provides extra mass throughout the mouthpiece, the Heritage localizes the mass of the mouthpiece to the base of the cup, and then thins out the upper walls and rim to add sparkling projecting and response to a focused foundation. Check out Denis Wick Artist Victor Haskins in this demo of both mouthpieces to get a better idea of what both can do.
What is the general age/level range of your students?
