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Mouthpiece Selection Guide, found in our 2015 Brochure


If you want to have better intonation, an easier upper register, and a bigger sound in all registers, try a new Monette mouthpiece. Our main goal at Monette is to help brass players sound better and have more range and endurance with less work. Using Monette mouthpieces enhances every aspect of performance...from the first notes. Sound, intonation, endurance and exploring musical expression are all so much easier if the player is not fighting the equipment. In the last 30+ years we have worked with many of the best brass players on the planet. Our mission is to bring the innovations they continually inspire in our equipment to players of all ability levels— from beginners to professionals. We look forward to working with you!

Why Play a Monette Mouthpiece? Our Constant Pitch Center mouthpieces are designed to play with consistent sound quality and intonation in every register and at any dynamic level. Conventional mouthpieces tend to compress the octaves, making the high C flat and low C sharp, forcing the player to compensate with tension and manipulation of the body. Over time, people learn to play tight and high on the pitch, which compromises breathing, sound quality, endurance and just about every aspect of performance. This is why Dave Monette needed to re-invent trumpet mouthpieces. A Monette mouthpiece allows the player to let go of these compensations and align their body so they can take a full and effortless breath every time.

 

Three Different Weights

XLT

This weight mouthpiece is designed primarily for lead trumpet playing. Lighter weight = the brightest sound and a very easy extreme upper register. These are also the easiest for the player to hear behind the instrument when playing in extremely loud environments or “dead” rooms.

LT ***UPDATE*** The modern version of the LT weight is called the Resonance LT.

Our “middle” weight mouthpiece, these are popular with Broadway players who need stability in response and refined articulation while still being light enough for playing lead trumpet parts. This mouthpiece is heavy enough to help a lead player sound full and clear enough to pass for a classical sound while still allowing bright, brilliant and exciting high notes.

STC-1 (STC) ***UPDATE*** The modern version of the STC weight is called Resonance.

Often imitated but never duplicated! Since its introduction in 1987, this mouthpiece has become our most popular among classical and jazz players. The extra weight and special quality of metal used allows the players sound to be thick, rich, and full, while retaining brilliance and sparkle at all dynamics. The locked-in, secure response makes performance easier under extreme or stressful circumstances.

 

Three Different Configurations

Entry-Level Production Silver Series

The four most popular all-around sizes we make, these mouthpieces are made to be a big improvement over conventional designs on any key of trumpet and silver plated to keep the cost down for entry level players.

Classic Series

These are the standard Monette mouthpieces we have been making since the 1980’s. They are now most often made in our new SLAP cup designs, but are also available in any previous rim and cup size we have ever made. They are “key specific,” meaning they are designed for use on only one key of trumpet.

PRANA

Series The PRANA series are the best of the best. Their projection, intonation and ease in the upper register are well known to anyone familiar with our equipment. They are used by 100% of the top players we work with.

 

Classic or Prana

Classic Series Mouthpieces are great for people who are new to Monette equipment. They are forgiving of some body tension and misalignment that is commonly left over from years of playing conventional mouthpieces. Players with unresolved tension and breathing issues usually feel comfortable immediately on our Classic mouthpieces, and notice improved sound quality and intonation. These mouthpieces help the player let go of old habits of playing tight, and can actually guide them to healthier, more efficient trumpet playing. Many players eventually upgrade from our Classic mouthpieces to a Prana mouthpiece.

Prana Series Mouthpieces are the "high performance" version of Monette mouthpieces. While the Classic mouthpieces feel like driving a luxury sedan, Prana mouthpieces are sports cars! The response is faster, the sound is bigger and the upper register is free and easy. Pranas are less forgiving for players who play "tight" and are still holding on to compensations from playing old fashioned, out-of-tune mouthpieces. Players who play aligned and breathe with their entire bodies love Prana mouthpieces! If your upper register is noticeably flat on your old mouthpiece (or when trying a Classic Monette mouthpiece), then a Prana mouthpiece is for you!

 

Q+A: Monette Mouthpieces

Q. Should I play a Classic or PRANA Mouthpiece?

A. This is the mouthpiece question we hear more than any other. A customer knows the rim and cup size that works for them, but isn’t sure whether to play a Monette Classic or PRANA mouthpiece.

Q. What is the Classic mouthpiece?

A. Our Classic series mouthpieces are great for people who are new to Monette equipment. They are forgiving of some tension that is commonly left over from years of playing conventional mouthpieces. Players with unresolved body tension and breathing issues usually feel comfortable on our Classic mouthpieces right away, and notice improved sound quality and intonation. These mouthpieces let the player start to let go of old habits of playing tight and can actually guide them to healthier, more efficient trumpet playing.

Q. What is the PRANA mouthpiece?

A. PRANA mouthpieces are the “high performance” version of a Monette mouthpiece. While the Classic mouthpieces feel like driving a luxury sedan—very comfortable and forgiving—the PRANA mouthpieces are like a fast sports car. The response is faster, the sound is bigger and the upper register is easier. These mouthpieces do NOT work well for players who play “tight” or are still compensating in their body muscle memory from playing old fashioned mouthpieces that play with inconsistent pitch and timbre. Aligned players who play with their entire bodies love PRANA mouthpieces! It is common for players switching to PRANA mouthpieces - on any brand of instrument - to immediately experience an improvement in their upper register of a third or more. PRANA MOUTHPIECES are used in nearly 100% of the thousands of Monette videos found on Facebook and YouTube.

 

Trumpet Mouthpieces

SLAP designs are indicated by an “S” in the size description, such as the “B2S3” and “B6S1.” Non-SLAP sizes are available by special order only.

We make flugelhorn, cornet, C, D, Eb and piccolo trumpet mouthpieces in all popular Monette rim sizes.

Lead-appropriate mouthpieces are indicated with an asterisk (*).

 

Low Brass Mouthpieces

Monette low brass mouthpieces offer trombone, bass trombone and tuba players the same acoustic advantages of “constant pitch center” as our high brass mouthpieces!

Trombone players no longer need to endure extended first slide positions in order to compensate for a flat upper register.

Tuba players no longer need to rock back and forth in their chairs as they change registers to compensate for compressed octaves.

 

The “SLAP” Mouthpiece

Many years ago, our dear friend and client Maynard Ferguson asked us to improve his mouthpiece design so that it would have an even bigger sound, a larger, more forgiving “sweet spot” on each note, and make it easier to play in all registers—especially the upper register. We did it, and the MF III model was born. Since then, we have adapted our other rim sizes with corresponding “SLAP” cup designs to improve all Monette mouthpieces in the same way we improved Maynard’s. SLAP cups rapidly became the new standard, and today nearly 100% of our mouthpieces have “SLAP” cup designs.

  1. The larger, more bowl-shaped cup at the top of the mouthpiece makes for a bigger sound and more room for the chops to swell up without degrading performance.

  2. The middle of the cup comes in faster than old designs, allowing a faster response

  3. The bottom of the cup has a wider funnel shape, to open up the “target size” of each note and make the mouthpiece more forgiving to play.

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