How it Works

The Wedge mouthpiece differs from conventional mouthpieces in several important ways. The rim is unlike any other mouthpiece, producing some very unique results.

1. The parts of the rim touching the corners of the embouchure slope away from the center of the mouthpiece. This shifts the high point of the rim toward the inside, and makes the sides narrower than the upper and lower parts of the rim.
2. The parts of the rim touching the middle of the upper and lower lip are the same width as a conventional rim. The original Wedge rim has the high point shifted to the outside. The combination of rim contours produces a slightly oval shape in the upper part of the cup. Standard Brand DOC mouthpieces have a top and bottom rim contour more similar to a conventional rim. but the shape of the entire rim and cup is an accentuated oval from top to bottom.
3. The sides of the rim touching the corners of the embouchure dip down when viewed from the side.

Sloping Shoulders and Lateral Dip

The sloping shoulders and dip in the side rim decreases the amount of contact and pressure on the embouchure at the corners. The mouthpiece therefore interferes less with the movements of the lips. With less pressure at the sides of the mouthpiece the player is forced to use the corners to produce a more efficient, forward focused, closed aperture.

Freed Corners

The improved range of motion at the corners and solid contact with the top and bottom lip make it easier to open the corners and to return them to the optimal playing position when taking a quick breath. Decreased mouthpiece pressure at the corners also improves blood flow in and out of the central part of the lips, improving endurance and decreasing swelling. The slight slope of the upper and lower rims produces top to bottom lip compression and improved range, rather than cutting off the note as moderate pressure is applied.

Oval Shape

The vertical oval shape of the mouthpiece has a very important effect. The embouchure formed by the lips forms what may players call a “lip aperture”, though this is not truly an aperture in the sense of being a tiny hole. In fact the spot thought of as the aperture opens and closes at the frequency of the pitch being played on the horn. The resonance of the horn allows a standing wave to be formed at the pitches we all know are available on a trumpet. There are two things that drive the trumpeter’s ability to control pitch: the tension or force in the lips and the mass of the vibrating portion of the lips. Ultimately, it is the vibrating mass that really controls things. The player controls the aperture size (hence the vibrating mass) and will need flexibility to do this.

The Wedge rims allow for both good flexibility to control the aperture and a good grip to hold the aperture in place for a given note/volume. A smaller cup will have a higher Helmoltz resonance and this can help accentuate the upper register on a lead player’s mouthpiece. Ultimately, though, it is the oval shape and rim contour that will allow for an excellent balance between flexibility and control. With these rims one can cover the full range of the horn with ANY cup depth. The shallower the cup, the more brilliant the tone. However, with a conventional rim the trade off is often a lower register that sounds nasal and lacking in resonance. One unique feature of the Wedge design is that it produces a richer lower register, even from shallow cups.

Disadvantages of Smaller Mouthpieces

While smaller mouthpieces do enhance upper register response a bit by virtue of the smaller cup, they can also be constrictive and make it a little more difficult for the player to adjust the aperture size as needed to cover the range in a smooth fashion. This often means a limited and stuffy lower register. With the Wedge rim the player has more flexibility as result of the rim contour and the oval shape, so one can make the mouthpiece a bit narrower from side to side, thus getting a smaller cup with the added upper register enhancement. However, with a longer axis vertically, one can still retain a larger cup feel. Again, more flexibility, better control of the aperture in all registers; this is a very versatile base for mouthpiece design.

Increased Dynamic Range

The Wedge mouthpiece in most cases increases the range available to the player. It does not do this the way a shallow or small mouthpiece does by producing a bias towards upper register performance. By giving the trumpeter a rim and cup contour that allows for a balance between freedom of motion of the corners (thus controlling the center) and grip of the mouthpiece rim (thus allowing the player to keep the center focused on the air stream as volume increases or decreases), a smoother and increased dynamic range can be achieved.   Both lower register and upper register performance is enhanced, producing a bigger sound throughout the entire range of the horn. The spread between the lowest, fattest note and highest note that can be played can be increased.

Shift of Midpoint

Depending on the characteristics of the Wedge mouthpiece different aspects of the mouthpiece performance are improved. In some cases the lower register is fuller and easier while the upper register is unchanged or more challenging. This almost always means that a change to a smaller or shallower Wedge will shift the mid point of the range up and return lower range performance to the same level as a conventional mouthpiece while providing improved upper range performance.

After extensive testing and interviews with our customers we have found that the effect of using a Wedge is improved comfort, endurance, range, articulation and flexibility without sacrificing any other aspect of mouthpiece performance. The Wedge is an extremely efficient efficient design.

For more information about adjusting to the Wedge check the Playing Instructions page.