Gap questions answered.

Gap The Gap is a very critical area of the match between player, mouthpiece and instrument. Variation in this system due to the taper in the receiver, age of the instrument, size of mouthpiece shank, and poor tolerances by manufactures can be an area for trouble.

 At GR Technologies we have defined the Gap components and their working relationship. These components are the Mouthpiece Shank, Receiver, and Leadpipe. Measurements: 1. Distance from the end of the receiver to the leadpipe venturi. 2. Engagement of the mouthpiece shank into the leadpipe. 3. Exit diameter of the mouthpiece shank. 4. Leadpipe venturi. 5. Exit wall thickness or the mouthpiece shank. 6. Internal diameter of the receiver.

 We use a formula to set gap. A change of .001" on the diameter of the shank will cause a difference of about .020" in the gap distance. You may need to take your horn and have a professional measure it. If you do it at home make sure you do it several times and your numbers repeat. If these numbers are set exact to this formula you will have the optimum or Zero Gap. If the gap is greater it is a positive (+) gap measurement and the result will be a bit more resistance, although, the horn will slot and speak well. If the gap is less it is a minus (-) gap measurement and the result will cause less resistance, as well as, difficulty slotting. Some players like this condition and prefer the gap to the minus side. If your gap is measured correctly and you find it within .030" of the Zero positions you should be fine.

 Formula: Exit wall of mouthpiece (#5) multiplied times 5. Example, exit wall of mouthpiece = .025" X 5=. 125" . Next take Venturi (#4) and subtract it from the Receiver ID (#6). You will need to divide this number by “2” to find the” effective wall thickness” of the leadpipe, and finally multiply the” effective wall thickness” by 1.5. Example, Venturi is .345" and Receiver ID is .385. Subtract .345 from .385 and divide it by 2, you get an effective leadpipe wall of .020, multiply it by 1.5 =.030" . Now add the .125 and .030 and you get a Zero Gap of .155. We find this formula to work very well. If you are getting good results there is no need for change. If you make a change measure the gap and calculate the change. It is not expensive to have the Gap adjusted. We recommend you set your gap and leave it alone. Constant change in this area will cause your playing to be insecure.

 From The Trumpet Herald Forum: “Even if the shank was standardized, GR has shown that the optimum gap also depends on the exit diameter of the shank, the entrance diameter of the leadpipe and the relative thickness of the two walls.” GR: The optimum gap works when all the parts are made correctly. Therefore, if you have a leadpipe that the front end has a burr, worn and tapered from a shank that was too small, solder build up, or some special cause will throw this right out the window. If I inspect a horn and find and issue between the receiver, venturii, leadpipe front end, something... it won’t work and you need to manipulate to get the sound wave to set up. Rarely will it work; rather the player will become more and more fatigued over weeks, months, and years due to fighting the equipment.

 We have a protocol that inspects this area closely. Funny, one guy told me with a GR mpc his gap was off so he was going to try sleeves. Over the phone I had him do a test and something was really wrong so I told him to send me the horn. When I got the horn it was really funky. He said is just returned from the West Coast for a valve alignment so he knew it was perfect. I pushed all 3 valves down and blew in the horn really hard and a shipping wafer came out of the bell. You could play most notes but some would not set up and you felt a vibration.

 Before you start messing around get it checked out. I use Charlie Melk and often after a trip to Charlie you are back in business. If the match is so far off or the player had been manipulating for many years the player may need to correct the damage from years of manipulating due to the mis-match. Sleeves cut with the straight section will not seal unless you have a very tight fit or soldier it. The o-ring solves the leak issue but acts as an insulator. Sleeves are an option not a solution. A solution would be match between the horn, mouthpiece, and player (gap is included). Bottom line is that there must be a match between player, horn, and mouthpiece. This match must include the gap. Intelligent play testing will tell if that match exists.

Trumpet Playing and Weight Loss by John Almeida

Weight Loss and its effect on my Trumpet Playing By: John Almeida

 Deciding to become healthy was a major life change for me. At age 61, I weighed 266 lbs. and my height is 6’ 1 ½’ tall. My excess weight grew into a burden upon my health and I decided to alter my food consumption and eating habits. One year ago, my wife and I joined Weight Watchers Online and this decision has helped me to shed 81 lbs. and I feel so much better about my health. I have increased energy, especially when physically active. Who would have thought that becoming physically healthy would have an adverse effect upon my trumpet playing?

Nothing significantly changed in my playing until I lost approximately 50 lbs. About that point in the weight loss, I began to notice that my playing endurance started to decline a bit sooner than usual and that I was working a bit harder while playing in the upper register. It seemed that my sound had begun to lose a considerable amount of color and resonance. These issues became more pronounced as I lost more weight, especially as I grew close to my goal weight of 185 lbs. It seemed as if I had lost cushion in my upper lip. In addition, my lips would spread as I played at loud volumes, which resulted in no sound coming out. I couldn’t determine what might be causing these issues – maybe I had changed something in the way I was playing or had somehow developed some incorrect playing habits. But I just couldn’t figure out what the problem was.

I had lost 81 lbs. PLUS a Perfect 4th of my upper register – no High F’s or above! High D’s became uncertain, as did playing for a number of hours before becoming fatigued. In May 2013 I was scheduled to perform two solos with a high school band. One of the pieces was the first movement of the Neruda Concerto for Trumpet. I always perform this piece on Eb trumpet and NEVER have difficulties getting through it. I had reached a point where I could no longer be sure of playing any of the higher pitches with consistency. The second piece was Leroy Anderson’s Trumpeter’s Lullaby and the same issues presented themselves in this piece; which only ascends to a High A. I was within two weeks of the first rehearsal and was considering canceling the appearance. I turned to Gary Radtke and Brian Scriver at GR Technologies for help.

I’ve been playing Gary’s custom mouthpieces for close to twenty years and he knows my playing and teaching ideologies very well. I explained the predicament I was in and Gary understood right away. As it turned out, he knew of players that had experienced the same problems as a result of considerable weight loss. In fact, Brian Scriver, who is a fabulous lead trumpet player, had experienced the exact same issues as I. After discussing the problems and undergoing a “Face Time” video conference with Brian, he and Gary determined that some modifications needed to be made to my 66.5M GR mouthpiece.

Gary made the new mouthpiece immediately and shipped it over night. When it arrived the next day, I played my regular warm-up routine on it and I instantly noticed a huge difference in response and sound quality. When I began playing the Neruda, it was just like the “old me”. No problems with attacks, response, endurance, or upper register playing.

The same was true with the Leroy Anderson composition. I knew that this was not going to be the only step in recovering what I had lost, but with Brian and Gary’s understanding and guidance, I knew that I was going to OK. I went to Key West the next week, where I played four rehearsals and a concert – all without any problems what so ever!!!

 At Gary and Brian’s suggestion, I have begun weekly sessions with a qualified personal trainer whose husband happens to be a wonderful trumpet player. She totally understands my predicament and works on building my core strength, as well as my overall physical strength. She agreed with Gary and Brian that as I lost weight, I also lost muscle strength and tone. As a result, my breathing and my ability to move air correctly had weakened significantly. My trainer says that my physical health and strength is improving each week. I can’t believe that I am able to perform each exercise so consistently and with greater ease as each week passes.

I am happy to report that I am definitely on the mend and those diminished abilities are consistently improving. I have Gary Radtke and Brian Scriver to thank for helping me to find my way back.

Bright vs Dark Trumpet Sound

The "Bright vs. Dark Issue Regarding the Bright vs. Dark sound issue, I asked a number of professional level players their thoughts.

Practically none of them could define bright or dark. Most described "bright" as being a misconceived word which really defined a sound full of core and overtones. Those same players described dark as a "diffused" sound lacking in core. Remember that these are all players in major symphony orchestras saying this. Bert Truax: "I have a pink pocket trumpet. I think that's pretty bright.............. Man, I thought these thoughts went out in the 70's.

I tell my students to play with a full, rich, vibrant sound. To me, that pretty much sums it up. I don't get into discussions about bright or dark. Your sound is your sound, and no one else's. I just love guys who say, " I want to sound like Jens Lindemann", or " I want to sound like Jon Lewis", or " with the right mouthpiece I can sound just like Phil Smith". I love the last one. After fitting over 400 players with GR mouthpieces, and trying explain the new way of thinking about mouthpieces, I still get those comments!

It's all subjective anyway, and your "idea" of bright or dark is influenced by the type of music you play most often. What seems normal to big band lead trumpet player might seem "bright" to a symphonic trumpet player. When that lead player hears an orchestral player, he might consider that sound "dark". Jon Lewis: "The bright and dark issue always seems to keep many different meanings to many different people. I tend to think of bright being less of a positive description but not necessarily a 'bad' thing. I see it mostly caused by people playing on the top edge of the pitch and not in the center.

With that position of the note the 'core' (which is a whole other discussion topic, what is core?) of sound loses some of the resonance and gets to a more edgy sound, what I consider bright. What I look for in a sound is more of a clarity of sound, lots of resonance and in the center of the pitch. That clarity of sound is also called bright by some people, but I prefer to call it centered and clear-sounding. Dark sound I think of as a more diffused sound, with less clarity of overtones. Dark can happen when there is simply less lip engagement in whatever mouthpiece people are using. More than not a deeper mouthpiece lends itself to be a darker sound than a cup with less overall volume, whether 'shallower' or an alpha angle that brings the lips closer to the bottom of the cup. With more volume and less lip engagement, I think there are less overtones and less clarity to the sound. I hear more diffusion and therefor the sound, I believe, is a darker sound. Some people call this a 'covered sound' which I think of as a similar idea.

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Steven Emery One Trumpeter’s Tome on Tone

" Discussing the aesthetics of tone quality is definitely a daunting business. Words fail when we try to describe the ineffable, so thanks for bearing with me as I make one more attempt. From the standpoint of physics (sound waves traveling through air) and biology/psychology (how our bodies and minds receive and react to those vibrations) what we hear as “bright” and “dark” is simply the predominance of certain overtones within the sound. “Highs,” especially in the 5000Hz range (i.e. piccolo or orchestral bells) “highly” stimulate the eardrums. On the other hand, “lows” are not only heard but felt and give the impression of weight (bass drum and tympani.) The splash of a gong presents an extreme range of overtones but without the focus and coherence that we expect from what is traditionally considered “musical” tone.

 If one makes an analytical study of tone and tone production (Disciplines that may apply are physics, acoustics, fluid dynamics, biomechanics, the psychology of perception) it is possible to discover much helpful information. For performing musicians however, our ultimate goal is emotional communication. The aesthetic effect of tone is much more complex than what can be measured in the sound. An artists’ intention is to communicate meaning and to evoke deep emotional response. As musical artists, we use sound as our medium of expression. In this artistic context, the words “bright” and “dark” are just too simplistic. Let’s consider the aesthetics of tone. A few words brass players commonly use to describe desirable qualities of sound are: round, focused, warm, brilliant, deep, ringing, resonant, solid, fluid, stable, agile, broad, compact, commanding, rich, singing, strong, flexible, lyrical etc.

 Many of these terms represent contrasts and are an attempt to express paradoxical realities. That can leave us frustrated if we want only simple answers. It is also important to consider our own prejudices. For example, a pejorative use of the word “bright” could mean, shrill, lacking depth narrow, nasal, tight, edgy, thin, shallow, metallic, hard, etc. On the other hand, if “bright” is considered a desirable quality, then perhaps we mean glorious, brilliant, shining, ringing, radiant, shimmering etc. By “dark tone” I could mean tubby, heavy, thick, dull, veiled, foggy etc. or, on the other hand, warm, rich, muscular, velvety, deep, chocolaty, golden, etc. Of course these adjectives refer to highly subjective and sensual realities.

 Another issue to consider (as anyone who plays in an ensemble knows) is that we tend to rely heavily on what our ears tell us as we play. We use this information to make aesthetic judgments during performance. Experienced players are keenly aware of musical balance and blend, which require precise control of sound intensity and flexibility of tone color. This is especially apparent in orchestral performance. To do the job well, we simply must have sufficient and “accurate” feedback to our ears. The situation is complicated by the fact that what we actually hear as we play can never be considered an accurate representation of the musical effect that reaches the audience, the conductor or the microphone. Dale Clevenger’s response, when complimented on “that signature Clevenger sound” was appropriate in this context. He said, “Yeah, too bad I’ll never hear it!” Fortunately, we can continue to develop the musical quality of our sound by seeking help from trusted colleagues, conductors and mentors, by studying quality recordings of our work, and by allowing ourselves to be influenced by the finest players.

Ultimately what most of us respond to is beauty and character in the sound. So, what is beautiful sound? Humans instinctively react to musical sounds of all kinds. Apparently, musical tone “means something” to us emotionally. It is evocative. It strikes a sympathetic resonance in our hearts. The same thing happens when we taste excellent food, breath in a pure scent, view a majestic scene or see a lovely face. Our response is not logical, analytical or reasonable. It is however, strongly influenced by our individual “taste,” which may explain why there is so much confusion and disagreement surrounding this subject.

Beyond simple personal preference, our response is also strongly conditioned by what we are accustomed to and influenced by the unique sound of other players who we admire. All that being said, it can also be well argued that, in the perception of beauty, there may be universal human constants at work. My own observation is that when all the ingredients that comprise tone are excellently proportioned, dynamically interactive and relationally harmonious we recognize that tone as beautiful. Keep in mind however, that it is not beauty alone in which we are interested, but also the communication of meaning. We’ve heard the phrase “Don’t take that tone with me!” and we know that our “tone of voice” can be employed not only to express sublime sentiments but horrific emotion as well. The dramatic potential of the sound of the human voice is immense. Actually, the expressive capability of the human voice is what we should emulate and as Mr. Herseth once told me, “You know…. it doesn’t always have to be beautiful!”

Experienced players have learned to allow their tone (among many other things) to adjust to accommodate the stylistic differences of the wide variety of composers whose music they interpret. I recommend to my students that they play their “routine” exercises (such as scales) in such a way as to portray the characteristic style of various composers. Play one exercise in the style of Wagner for instance and the next in the style of Ravel, the following scale in the style of Stravinsky and the next in the style of Mozart. Not only must the colors in the tone be flexible but also, it is necessary to be fluent in the execution of a wide variety of other musical elements that comprise style. Some “ingredients” to listen for are, timing within the tempo (in regular or flexible pulse), a sense of “pace,” quality of attacks and releases, verticality and/or linearity, weight of the sound, texture of the sound, shape of individual notes, shape and gesture of complete phrases, flexibility and/or stability of sustained pitch, precise or loose intervallic relationships, vibrato, dynamic inflections within individual notes and throughout phrases, and many more.

 All these elements must work in complete harmony with each other in order to successfully express the authentic character of the music If the goal is great musical expression, one must consider much more than “color” of tone alone. Every serious musical artist will continue to educate his or her aesthetic palate. We can enjoy all kinds of tone, from all instruments in all genres in order to fully develop an excellent sense of taste. Then we will be better equipped to discern what styles and artistic qualities of “musical food” are appropriate to prepare and serve to our audience. Finally, players must strive to discover, develop and maintain their own simple and natural manner of tone production. Much of our work is to cultivate, nurture and appreciate our individual “voice” through the instrument. It is also necessary to develop a wide pallet of color, texture, dimension, shape and density of sound that will afford the expression of a much greater range of musical meaning.

 When listening to great performers on any instrument (especially vocal artists) it should become obvious that there is no single “dark” or “bright” tone that is sufficient for the range of human experience we strive to communicate. So, is a “bright” tone bad and “dark” tone good? Let’s decide not trap ourselves in that very small box labeled “bright” or “dark.” The world is full of stunningly interesting and beautiful tone. Open your ears, taste the sounds and enjoy!"

Steven Emery © 2010

Confessions of a trumpet geek.

Hello. My name is Brian and I am a trumpet geek.

 Let’s just say I know what most of you are going through. I have owned or played them all…horns and mouthpieces. Thanks to GR and Charlie Melk, I have finally arrived with my gear and hopefully will never need to change again. Here is my story. I am sure most of you can relate. Horns I started out on a school trumpet, a new Yamaha. Played it with the piece that was in the box. I was 13 years old at the time and having fun in the school band. The first horn that I owned was a Couesnon flugelhorn that I purchased for $300.00. Shortly after I got it, I sold it and purchased my first trumpet, a King 600.

 A year or so later I heard Maynard Ferguson for the first time and of course had to own an MF Horn. I played that through high school and college till I found that I could focus better on a friend’s Schilke B1. Sold the MF and Bought a B1. Found it to be stuffy (since I was over blowing it) and sold it. Got another MF Horn, this time the .465 bore. Got tired of it and found another Schilke B1, tunable bell. Got rid of it and yes, got another MF Horn. Right around that time I quit playing for about 6 years.

When I came back I purchased a King Silver Flair. That didn’t do what I wanted and I heard of this new “Shew Horn”. I bought one, a Yamaha 6310Z. Used it in my CHASE tribute group “Primal Therapy” till I felt that the horn played too thin for me. I bought a used Callet Superchops. It was right around this time that I met Gary Radtke.

Gary heard me play the Superchops and knew that the horn was too open for me. Someone had reamed the venturi to some ridiculous diameter. GR found me a French Besson that really kicked butt and was a better match for me. This is when I finally got some direction. Up until this point I was aimlessly purchasing horns looking for some “magic”. I have no clue as to why I changed horns so often. Could have been a chop problem at the time, but most likely just a simple mouthpiece / horn / player mismatch. I had the chance to lead the tribute to CHASE at the New York Brass Conference. I played it on my Besson and it went well. Fred Powell was sitting in the front row and invited me to the UMI factory and that is when I started on the Conn Vintage One.

This horn did just fine for me but I felt that it was a hair too open as my articulations were sluggish and endurance suffered. That is when GR and Charlie Melk stepped up. Charlie installed a GR leadpipe and the horn took on a whole new feel. More focused, better core, faster articulations. A few months later, GR said it could be even better with a tighter bell. Charlie changed the bell to his #1 bell and the horn got better yet. This horn got smashed at a gig when a mic stand fell over and I sent the horn back to Charlie. He and GR had an idea that they said would knock me out. They installed a slightly tighter GR leadpipe and Charlie’s #2 bell (tighter flare) and that is what I played for a good year.

For some reason, this configuration has started to feel tight to me so I may just go back to a more open bell. Well, then I decided to lose some weight. Lost 20 lbs. That changed everything. I no longer had that “jacket of fat” to support my core and lost some meat off of my chops. I started pushing too hard on the face and not supporting my playing by not engaging my core. I got a personal trainer a few years ago who kicks my butt pretty good.

She has me doing kickboxing, strength routines, a lot of core exercises, and some killer workout called “Insanity”. Needless to say my core is working well for me now and trumpet playing has never been easier. The photo was taken in Charlie's shop. GR and Charlie are working on Bri's horn.

GR Consultant Pierre Allard is lending his expert advice. I am monkeying around.  

 I went to Charlie Melk’s shop because I consider him the best brass repair guy and best trumpet builder on the planet. He and GR sat there tearing me up while I played the GR Playing Tests on various combinations of Melk trumpet bodies, bells, and leadpipes. The winner was a wonderful horn that Charlie calls The Primal Trumpet. I play this today and can not ever see switching. 

Contact Charlie for info on this horn. www.charliesbrassworks.com 

 

 Mouthpieces:

If it is commercially available, I have played it. Started out on 7C. Heard MF and tried an MF Jet – Tone. Bought a Schilke 6A4a instead. Bottomed out all over the place. 13A4a was next. Bottomed out. Then 13A4, 14A4a, 12A4a, 11A, 11. Went to Jet-Tone: Studio B, Symphony B, 6B, 7B, 2B, 3B, DS, Dave Stahl, Shavers. Bach 9D, 10 1/2C, 2C, 3C, 7C, 7CW, 5C. Warburton 3M, 6M, 7M, 5M…numerous backbores. Curry 10 1/2M, 7M. 

During this time I tried numerous other mouthpieces, not knowing how to test a piece or what to even look for. Then I met Gary Radtke. GR and listened to me play and determined that the 62M was the one for me. 

For one reason or another I changed. Lost the weight, played incorrectly etc. Then I had GR make me a bunch of mouthpieces that I THOUGHT would work. None did. Gary knew they wouldn’t work but he wanted me to learn on my own. One day I had had enough. I put masking tape on all of my mouthpieces so I could not see the model numbers and I wrote #1, #1, #3 etc. on them. 

Then I started playing one against the other and eliminated those that did not work. I was using the GR Playing Tests to determine the proper match. Well a few days later there was one that was outstanding. I kept the tape on for a few days so I didn’t know which it was. When I was convinced that this was the piece for me I removed the tape and just laughed. It was the 62M. Instead of telling me to play it, Gary just waited till I figured it out for myself. I got my ass kicked. 

 The bottom line here is that for years I could not find what worked for me. I would go into a music store and blast away in search of a piece that would give me the highest note known to mankind. I had no direction. GR says that even a great surgeon can’t do surgery on himself. It is very difficult to diagnose your own playing problems and equipment mismatches. Seek out professional help. I highly recommend Charlie Melk if you have any horn issues or questions. I will never again play a horn that has not been improved by Charlie, or completely built by Charlie Melk. 

 For mouthpieces, you must have a specific testing procedure. You must know what to listen for to determine proper match and to avoid costly problems down the road. Visiting a trained GR Consultant is your best bet. If you can’t do that, contact us and we can go through the GR Mouthpiece Questionnaire with you. Don’t do what I did. 

 Brian Scriver www.grmouthpieces.com