Choose your Donat mouthpiece

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Kristopher Knight
5 years ago
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Choose your Donat mouthpiece The key piece of the instrument, the mouthpiece will be selected according to the repertoire, the level and the style you are looking for.

1 Choose your Donat mouthpiece The key piece of the instrument, the mouthpiece will be selected according to the repertoire, the level and the style you are looking for. Adapting your mouthpiece is a simple and effective way of improving your playing without changing your instrument Contents page Choose your mouthpiece The numbering system Donat/Bach conversion table Flugelhorn shanks "I had the pleasure of trying mouthpieces that Dimitri Donat had made and I was very satisfied with the quality of their sound and their playability. I would very much encourage trumpeters to try the same experience and love these new mouthpieces." Guy Touvron

Choose your mouthpiece The size or diameter of the cup Large: Increases volume and suppleness Small: delays fatigue The depth of the cup Deep: darkens the tone Shallow: brightens the tone The throat

Small: increases resistance and endurance, brightens the tone, reduces the tonality of the higher register (the influence of the throat lies in its diameter but also in its length; if it is too long

2 Choose your mouthpiece The size or diameter of the cup Large: Increases volume and suppleness Small: delays fatigue The depth of the cup Deep: darkens the tone Shallow: brightens the tone The throat Large: makes for freer blowing and more volume, increases the tonality of the high register* (too large a throat will also affect the lower register). Small: increases resistance and endurance, brightens the tone, reduces the tonality of the higher register (the influence of the throat lies in its diameter but also in its length; if it is too long it will produce a decrescendo sound) The rim Wide: increases endurance. Narrow: improves flexibility Flat: recommended for a musician who plays "on stream" Round: for those who have a tendency to stress notes The backbore The backbore can vary in shape, so here we will refer to an average conicity. A narrow backbore increases resistance and projects sound (Big Band). A wide backbore produces a sound that fills an auditorium but increases tonality (here it is compensated for by a deep cup which lowers it). The Alpha Angle This is the angle between the axis of the mouthpiece and the wall of the cup, measured at the tipping point of the cup's curve. Our standard cups are designed to have an Alpha angle of around 15. A large Alpha angle will limit the vibration surface of the lips; if it is too small the lips will receive less support so a robust embouchure is required. 2 *By "tonality" we mean the frequency picked up by the tuner.

The numbering system The number indicates the diameter of the cup, measured 0.039 from the rim. The letter indicates the depth of the cup, "A" being the deepest. Exemple 170 C Ø17.0mm medium deep Ø.

3 The numbering system The number indicates the diameter of the cup, measured from the rim. The letter indicates the depth of the cup, "A" being the deepest. Exemple 170 C Ø17.0mm medium deep Ø.669 So 170C is a slightly smaller mouthpiece than the Bach1-1/2C* Its cup is rounded at the bottom and it has a wide rim. It has a flared backbore similar to a Bach #24. *The cup diameter of a Bach 1-1/2C is given as roughly

"After playing on the same mouthpiece for

After a short adjustment period, I found a

4 "After playing on the same mouthpiece for many years, the difference was instantly noticeable upon switching to a Donat mouthpiece. After a short adjustment period, I found a greater ease of achieving consistency throughout all ranges of the horn. I am very happy and proud to be playing Donat!" Justin Stanton 4

Flugelhorn Shanks Even if the factors of instruments adopted a common standard for the receiver, the diameter and the conicity of the receiver vary from one manufacturer to another for the flugelhorn.

Morse taper) You can read on the mouthpiece: «Standard Shank» Adopted by Yamaha, Getzen, Benge, Blessing, Holton, Callet, Zeus and others American manufacturers.

5 Flugelhorn Shanks Even if the factors of instruments adopted a common standard for the receiver, the diameter and the conicity of the receiver vary from one manufacturer to another for the flugelhorn. There exist 4 principal cones types of hafting: The Couesnon Flugelhorn mouthpiece shank (cylindrical) You can read on the mouthpiece: «French Shank» The standard Flugelhorn mouthpiece shank (large Morse taper) You can read on the mouthpiece: «Standard Shank» Adopted by Yamaha, Getzen, Benge, Blessing, Holton, Callet, Zeus and others American manufacturers. The Bach Flugelhorn mouthpiece shank (small Morse taper) You can read on the mouthpiece: «Bach Shank» Adopted by Bach, Courtois, Selmer, Besson, new Couesnon, Leblanc and others European manufacturers. Trumpet shanked Flugelhorn (exceedingly rare) You can read on the mouthpiece: «Trumpet Shank» The Medium Flugelhorn mouthpiece shank (medium Morse taper) You can read on the mouthpiece: «Medium Shank» Adaptable on all modern flugelhorn, a shank half away between Standard & Bach shank "Donat is a brilliant new fresh voice in mouthpiece design. The attention to detail is astonishing. If clarity and ease of sound is what your looking for, Donat mouthpieces are your best bet. I'm honored to play his mouthpieces" Russell Gunn 5

Wedge Mouthpiece Fitting Manual

Wedge Mouthpiece Fitting Manual This manual is based on my experience fitting thousands of players with a Wedge mouthpiece by email, fitting surveys, over the phone, and in person over the last 10 years.