Epoxy = Talent?

I am starting to suspect that the embouchure drives a lot of horn players insane.

Today I started trying to play my favorite song, D-E-F-G-F-E-D (look for it on Sony Records soon), and I made a strange and disappointing fuzzy sound. I decided to do what I always do when I have a problem. I Googled.

I found a site with some good stuff on it. A guy named John Lynch makes a product called the Asymmetric Mouthpiece, and his promotional site features some material applicable to all horn players. He says you shouldn’t situate your mouthpiece so half of it is on each lip. Instead, move it so 2/3 of it is on the bottom lip.

I gave this a shot, and it really seems to help. I’m not sure why everyone else says to do it the other way. Presumably, they’re not stupid.

His mouthpiece has a thicker bottom rim on it. He says this will extend your upper range by up to seven semitones. But he doesn’t make cornet mouthpieces, and he advises cornet players to simulate the effect with plumber’s putty.

The obvious problem here is that anyone who can stand the feeling of plumber’s putty against their lips can save the $73 cost of a mouthpiece.

A horn player named Nick Drozdoff has a Youtube in which he shows a cornet mouthpiece with a glob of putty in it. He didn’t like it, so he ended up buying a Harrison Wedge cornet mouthpiece. My guess: he never heard of Devcon, JB Weld, or Marine-Tex. Any of those products should be much more satisfactory.

I may get another mouthpiece and glom some Devcon onto it. What the hell.