I have been playing horn for a year or so now, and last week my tutor asked what my mouthpiece was. This got me thinking, as I have heard that mouthpiece size affects sound. I tried my friend's E schmid 85 and it ended up being easier to play higher notes, giving a darker tone, and hitting notes much more reliably. My mouthpiece was bigger, an E schmid 10.


I am not sure if it was just my imagination, but I felt it was easier to change notes when slurring, and I did not need to reposition my lips when playing high notes. The sound felt warmer and more gentle if that makes sense, while I sounded more like a trumpet with my old mouthpiece. Switching between the two did result in a clear contrast, but it is hard to tell which is really "better", and if my mouthpiece is indeed too big.

Any thoughts? What are the signs of having a mouthpiece that is too big? And what mouthpieces would you recommend? I have been told to have pretty small lips

Welcome to why many horn players have a whole collection of mouthpieces.

Your mouthpiece is a 1/2 mm wider but much shallower than your friends. I don't know that I would call it bigger, it's volume is probably actually much smaller.

Anyway, as you noticed yours sounds more trumpet like and that would be because of the shallowness it is more trumpet like.

Now as far as the easier to slur and not needing to readjust. That might be because the shallow mouthpiece you are using makes you do a rather bad thing to play high vs. low. In general a shallow mouthpiece helps high notes so yours being wider and shallower and his a bit smaller and deeper, I wouldn't expect much difference on the high end.

There is quite a tendency to start students with relatively narrow mouthpieces and then as we age the general direction is towards wider mouthpieces.

One thing that happens a lot is that one plays with a new mouthpiece and it's great and then over time it's not so great. I think when it's brand new, you are maybe thinking about it more and maybe don't do some of ones bad things, but over time, the habits come back and they are more the problem than the mouthpiece.

You really aren't too wide if playing in Britain but very few students in the US would ever see a mouthpiece 18 mm wide for a horn. Hard to say why, haven't played in Britain.

One thing in order to get that darker tone is it really would help to go to a deeper cup.

Now a lot would depend on whether you actually do have thin lips for a horn player, but if you do, and you like the brand, I'd probably say go to the 5.5 which is 17 mm with a medium deep cup or you can go to your friends size which is an 8.5 and be 17.5 with a medium deep. You may find though even if you stay at the 18 with a medium deep cup (a 11.5) would let you play easier if you don't have that break in form.

Definitely go deeper cup, try to get rid of the break in form. I don't think the width will be as big of a deal but a bit narrower if playing high is a problem is worth trying. Good luck.