The central idea of PARAMETRIX MUNDSTÜCKE is based on the assumption that, in the best case, the entire course of the instrument - mouthpiece edge to bell exit - draws an smooth geometry. Only a form free of any disruption offers best conditions for the sound wave propagating through the instrument. 

In mouthpiece manufacturing, the transition from the mouthpiece to the actual instrument is of central importance because the backbore and shank geometry can be tailored very precisely to each individual horn. The sketch shows how this transition is designed in the best case.

Figure 1
The mouthpiece meets the leadpipe at the very same diameter. At the same time, when the mouthpiece is firmly attached at the receiver, the resulting gap between mouthpiece and leadpipe should be as small as possible.

Due to the air pressure originating from he player's body, a conversion of energy takes place between the upper and lower lip, and consequently excites a certain frequency. This frequency must match one of the frequencies of the overtone spectrum (or a fraction thereof) in order to create the desired sound quality. The overpressure escaping through the lips initiates the actual sound wave, which travels through the entire instrument, from the mouthpiece to the bell exit, there being transformed to the actual sound a listener can perceive. 

By 'gap', in the context of trumpets, we understand the gap between the end of the mouthpiece and the beginning of the leadpipe. The design of the gap is a topic discussed quite frequently and perhaps controversially. This very gap in the geometry causes an interference in close vicinity of the origin of the sound wave. The width of the gap can vary substantially, depending on the instrument, mouthpiece, receiver and mouthpiece shank and is within the range from approx. 1.5 mm up to 6,5 mm. This wide range is the result from the lack of a standard for shank dimensions. In the case of trumpets, this is clearly a conceptual error at the interface between the mouthpiece and the actual instrument.

Figure 2

Figure 2 shows the jump from the mouthpiece diameter to the leadpipe diameter and the gap between the end of the mouthpiece and the beginning of the leadpipe. The greater this irregularity in the geometry, the better the musician's instrumental technique must be in order to compensate for the resulting disturbance. This creates an apparent incompatibility between two conditions:

1) The gap is necessary to ensure the interchangeability of mouthpieces for trumpets worldwide.

2) With the goal of developing their instrumental technique and creativity, musicians would like to spend as little effort as possible on making up for construction-related disturbances.

The Bb trumpet must have a total length of approximately 1300 mm. Depending on the length of the mouthpiece, the disturbance caused by the gap happens approximately 80-90 mm away from the origin of the sound wave. At this point, the wave has traveled only about 6% of its overall way through the instrument. So any disturbance caused at the source is carried along the entire length of the horn.

From a physical point of view, the shape of the rim of the mouthpiece has no significant effect on the production of the sound wave. In practice, however, the same rim can be perceived quite differently by different players. This is easily understood when thinking of the individual physiognomy, such as lip tissue, position of the teeth, shape of the jaw, etc.

Figure 3

We deliberate refrained from developing a modular system with alternating rims that can be screwed on and off. Doing so, PARAMETRIX MUNDSTÜCKE can offer maximum flexibility in shape of and transition between rim, the shape of its inner surface leading into the cup, and the opening angle of the cup itself. Using the cup angle as a variable in addition to the various nominal diameters would require an enormous range of rims in such a screw-based modular system. It is much easier and more resource-efficient to produce a rim of non-standard shape along with the mouthpiece. The high-tech manufacturing process is of great help here, too.

Our trumpet and flugelhorn mouthpieces usually come with the 'e' type rim, developed by ourselves. The 'e' rim, a variant of the initial stage, has a wide rim shape, comparable to the Yamaha E4, but with a slightly smaller high point diameter and a 1.5mm radius inwards (bite-radius). This particular choice of radius offers the lips a good grip as well as quite wide and comfortable support. Our mouthpieces for trombones are equipped with a widely applicable standard rim geometry that offers the greatest possible playing comfort. 

The backbore is a good example of how sensitively the whole instrument can react to slight changes in the geometry of a certain section. Not only does the backbore influence the speed of the sound wave response, the overtone spectrum that determines the timbre, the locking of the notes in the "slot" and the intonation.

Figure 4

When designing a backbore, one is forced to operate in the rather narrow space between a point with full tonal advantages due to a rapidly expanding opening and the point where the intonation quickly deteriorates. Already small changes can have a major impact on the playing characteristics of the instrument. This underlines the importance of a detailed geometric design, in order to be able to systematically control specific properties. The high sensitivity of the backbore is amazing, when realizing that we talk about a section being only a few centimeters long (starting right after the mouthpiece core, at the point between cup and backbore where we can measure the minimal inner diameter). Compared to the total length of a Bb trumpet (approx. 130 cm), this is a quite small part.

The process of choosing the right mouthpiece is subject to the individual perception and evaluation by the particular musician. Experienced instrumentalists, who work with the instrument on a daily basis, usually know the relevant criteria when trying mouthpieces in order to obtain a fortified decision. Less experienced musicians quickly reach the point of being overwhelmed by the excessive range. In such a situation it turns out to be rather difficult to categorize and reasonably evaluate the perceived differences. This produces an uncertainty about what is good and what not, which can only be compensated using much more time. Often, such players have a biased opinion, for example about how big a cup or bore must be in order to sound good. Obviously, this prevents checking out new stuff free from any preconception. This being said, we must add that it is almost impossible to make reliable statements about a mouthpiece when only looking at a single parameter. In a good design, all the geometric parameters must be brought into balance with one another.

With small and shallow cups, it is easier to excite higher frequencies, which is why they are mainly used by specialists in the high register. However, a smaller cup, throat, bore and backbore geometry also has an effect on the sound. The sound: it gets thinner, sharper and less rich.

The idea that "the bigger the dimensions, the bigger the sound" is a widespread dogma. What is often meant by this is the lowest possible playing resistance in combination with a "full, large, broad" sound. Playing resistance exists as a factor that can be used constructively and is by no means fundamentally bad. It must be proportionate, can be integrated into the playing technique and used to support it (see figure 5).

Sensing the resistance through the instrument and mouthpiece naturally triggers reactions in the player's body: A smaller resistance is a signal to apply less pressure, whereas higher resistance asks for more force. These are automated processes of playing technique.

Figure 5

Air is pushed outwards between upper and lower lip. The adjustment of the optimally vibrating lip tissue must be built up by muscles and through lip tension. The outflowing air is compressed owing to the tapering in the mouthpiece, i.e., a shrinking diameter through the bore up to the core. This compression creates the counterbalance to the internal pressure. The balance of the forces applied from the inside and outside supports the lip muscles. The actual trick is to let the resistance work for oneself. In the context of wind instruments, we may therefore define economics by the following question: is the resulting sound in reasonable proportion to the applied force? 

For less experienced mouthpiece testers, we have compiled a list of criteria that one could pay particular attention to. This list can help with some orientation in the wide and diverse range of mouthpieces being offered. Over and above all, attention should be paid to the acoustics in the "test room" one is used to. However, rooms with strong reflections due to large and parallel walls or rooms with stone floors are less suitable for perceiving tonal differences and nuances.  
 
1) How quickly does the sound wave build up in the instrument when notes in the middle register are played with air only, without tonguing, at a dynamic level of "mezzo piano"?
2) How clear is the "slotting" or how clearly do the notes of the natural overtone series lock in place one after the other?
3) How do I like the sound?
4) How is the sound projection in quiet dynamics? A comparison against a familiar mouthpiece may provide a useful orientation.
5) How is the intonation (5th overtone)?
6) Do the notes "flow" effortlessly from one to the next when played pianissimo and legato in a chromatic tone sequence in the middle register? This aspect seems to be particularly interestingat the transition between two overtone 'slots'.
7) Can I use a decrescendo to make a long tone so quiet that it disappears into complete silence, or is there a point at which the sound wave breaks off?
8) How does the mouthpiece rim fit me?

About trying to explore the high register in the first place, it must be said that such attempts hardly serve any relevant information for decision-making. This is because the high register has to be worked out regardless of the mouthpiece. There are no known mouthpiece manufacturers who ship easy playing in the high register together with the mouthpiece.

When testing, one should rather start from the middle position and explore the "comfort zone" according to one's personal playing skills. Trying to bring up different qualities within this range can lead to meaningful results at any level.

The individual coordination of the three components
1) Player
2) Instrument
3) Mouthpiece
requires great care and sensitivity. Playing a brass instrument underlies a dynamic process. Every human body - with its lips, the position of its teeth and jaws and its respiratory system - is a dynamic process, acts and reacts very differently, also depending on its age. The individual specifications of the instrument play an important role when choosing a mouthpiece.

Figure 6

Particular requirements on the equipment may also result from the intensity of practice and performance in a musician's life. But one thing applies to all musicians: the mouthpiece is a link between instrument and player that can make a significant contribution to the balance between instrument and body in order to develop or improve the player's self-confidence. The balance between these three interacting components is equally important for beginners and professionals. The common prejudice that the pure equipment is only of minor importance when starting to learn a brass instrument and that students must learn first of all a reasonable playing technique is simply wrong. Especially in the early years of studying, a well-balanced equipment is of utmost importance for sustainable enjoyment of the sound.

A crucial point in the musical work of artists is their personal imagination of sound. In the artistic creational process and with the urge coming along with it, one will intuitively follow this imagination of sound. In the aesthetically motivated artistic act of a musician, everything will be physically geared towards approaching the individual sound ideal, and one will refer to one's inner sound conception with every note played. Indeed, one could go so far as to say that the sound ideal is the foundation of an independent artistic signature. Coming as close as possible to one's own idea of sound is so important for the artistic development because it generates spontaneous inspiration and motivation. For this reason, mouthpiece models are not on bound to specific musical genres or styles. Rather, the equipment should create the conditions for a fast response, and enable a resonating sound - continuously through the entire tonal range - being rich in overtones. The sound quality should be as consistent as possible and accessible across the entire range. Artists need a tool that opens up the space in which they can create and spontaneously use all the different timbres, nuances, and shades of their playing technique.

Basically, it can be said that large cup volumes tend to produce a smooth and rich sound quality with an emphasis on the lower partials. Small cup volumes, on the other hand, bring out the higher partials and will sound less smooth and rich, but tend to produce a brighter and more compressed sound. However, as the cup volume increases, the tone also loses brilliance and focus, and the endurance is also reduced. As the cup volume decreases, the space for the lips to vibrate gets smaller and from a certain point on, the response will start to suffer. When modifying an individual parameter, there is usually a clear tendency in the corresponding change of sound and playing technique. However, it is impossible to make an 'absolute' statement about the overall resulting sound. Every musician will sound different with the same equipment, which can be traced back to the inner sound perception mentioned above. Every instrument also behaves differently. How one sounds and how the instrument feels during playing simply results from the interaction of the three components
1) Player
2) Instrument
3) Mouthpiece.

Too many factors of the musician's personality affect on the entire "playing system" to be able to speak of "absolute sound results" for a particular choice of a mouthpiece. At a state where the lips are allowed to sink deep into the cup, the cup volume is naturally reduced. Lips that do not dip as deeply due to their condition make the small cup appear larger. As one can see, the resulting overall sound and how the instrument feels, on the one hand depends on a wide variety of influences, and on the other hand is subject to personal preference.

Our mouthpieces are produced in Austria, in Henndorf am Wallersee (province of Salzburg). Digital models developed by us are parametrically controlled via data tables. This enables the finest, numerically controlled differentiation of the geometry and precise reproducability. Thanks to modern process management, we can use automated manufacturing techniques in individual production. The mouthpiece remains in a fully computer-controlled chain, from the raw material feed to finish, without being temporarily removed or turned by hand. This eliminates a potential source of error.

Two kinds of development in machining technology allow us to reach highest quality:

1) Tools are used that already produce a high-gloss surface finish during machining.Time-consuming post-polishing is therefore obsolete at large.

2) With particularly designed tools, being cooled from the inside, e3.5 mm can be turned to a depth of up to 80 mm. Such a ratio of diameter to machining depth was unthinkable for a long time due to the cutting forces involved.

The advantages of turning over conventional processes with custom-made, wear-resistant forming tools are located in the high surface quality, the possibility of differentiated shaping and exact repeatability.

Our model variants already offer many options for customizing the mouthpiece such that it fits the instrument and musician. Various cup types with different nominal diameters are grouped into series. Within an individual series, the cup volume itself can still be varied.

Individual wishes going beyond these variations require a special design. Such individually customized mouthpieces may be well-suited even for excellent trumpet players as they give way to more resources for the actual artistic process and leave more room for shaping and creativity.  

In order to achieve even better results through special designs, we involve our customers from the beginning. Adequate, individualized improvements can only be found through personal dialog with the customer. For this purpose, we have developed special measuring tools.

Taking the geometry data of the mouthpiece receiver into account makes it possible to reduce the gap to a minimum. Note that we will never apply any irreversible changes to the instrument. These are not necessary since we simply adjoist the mouthpiece shank instead of the instrument. While such adaptation comes with clear advantages in terms of playing quality, one must be aware that a custom-made mouthpiece can only exploit its full potential in relation to the instrument in question. A direct comparision will eventually show the musician whether and how effective such an optimization actually is.

One possibility may be to start from a standard model, but design it with individual requirements on the rim. In the backbore area, precise adjustments can be applied as well.

Any custom-made moushpiece we manufacture will get engraved a special (serial) number in addition to the model type, e.g., #0023. By keeping records of the entire production data for every serial numner, we are able to reproduce custom-made models 1:1 at any time.