Retro MOdel CORNET mouthpiece
The exterior shape of the Retro model cornet mouthpiece has slimline skeletal walls designed to maximise positive ‘feedback’ to the player and a higher degree of responsiveness.
The Retro style Rim is medium-flat in contour facilitating and optimising greater resonance and response.
The contour of the rim is also designed to distribute a more even contact across the entire lip surface, assisting both flexibility and stamina by minimising and alleviating any excess pressure being applied to the lips during performance.
* The circumference of the rim (known as the outer tread) is flat in contour to facilitate a positive contact point and ‘easy grip’ between the mouthpiece and the surrounding outer lip tissue which covers the obicularis oris region of the embouchure.
(The orbicularis oris is the muscle made up of several layers of fibers passing in different directions that encircles the mouth and controls most movements of the lips including compression and flexibility).
* This design concept is inspired by French Horn mouthpiece designs which utilises the concept of ’setting in’ (German: einsetzen) in an endeavour to provide greater contact and control of lip movement.
To further assist the ‘easy grip’ lip contact, the rim is not polished and is produced in a matte ‘brush silver’ finish.
The cup diameter (16.65 mm) lies midway between more generic present day British mouthpieces (16.5 & 16.75) and is designed to initiate a resonating air chamber of medium-large physical volume without overtly impacting on stamina or lip fatigue.
The semi bowl-shaped style cup is designed to provide increased ‘pooling’ of the air in the lower cup area and to increase the sense of positive resistance needed to attain ‘maximum tonal output for minimum effort’ in all dynamics and registers.
The open throat formation is designed to provide a medium degree of back pressure proportionate to the anatomy of the cup and backbore combination.
(Care has been taken to avoid exaggerating the throat size by either ‘too small’ a throat that restricts the blowing experience by excessive back pressure, nor creating the all too familiar ‘falling in’ endurance sapping experience resulting from mouthpieces with an over large throat size).
The backbore shape and contour is designed to maximise projection without overtly impacting on the compact sound world attainable on this short shanked retro style mouthpiece.
The medium-large backbore is V-type and designed to produce a very focused and projected sound with specific emphasis on the upper harmonics.
While the outer extremity of the backbore is not overtly large in diameter, the short shank (1.5mm shorter than most mainstream and present-day British style cornet mouthpieces) provides a faster gradation of taper from the throat to the point at which the air enters the mouthpiece receiver.
The shank is smaller in outer diameter than most other generic modern cornet shank tapers and fits further into the mouthpiece receiver resulting in a reduction in ‘the gap’ between the mouthpiece and the Venturi point of the instrument. Consequently the blowing experience is one of less resistance at the point at which the air passes from the mouthpiece into the instrument.
The Retro short shank is also designed to compliment the resilient yet compact tonal warmth and personality achievable on this mouthpiece and to balance the authentic Retro characteristics of this exceptionally lightweight mouthpiece of 49 grams.
The overall anatomical proportions of this mouthpiece design is such that ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts’, achieving a compact yet highly projected solar sound characterised by both warmth and brightness in equal proportions.
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Both the Retro & Artist Model mouthpieces are available WorldWide, find your nearest supplier.