Posted by ken k on September 06, 2001 at 21:42:55:
In Reply to: beginner mouthpiece posted by Ed on September 05, 2001 at 10:06:09:
Ed,
I use a Helleburg 7B with my students at school. I teach elementary band and start 9 and 10 year olds every year. Assuming he is average size, he should be fine. A bach 25 or 30 would work fine too. The "E" refers to the cup depth which would be shallow. That probably would help him center in his buzz a little bit too. And they would work fine on a 3/4 size BBb tuba.
I personally use a small Denis Wick 4L sometimes when I play high parts in tuba quartets and that would work very well for a young beginner also.
The biggest problem I sometimes find with young students is that they can not always hear the low pitches properly and can't tell if they are playing an F or a Bb, for example. They can usually hear the high notes when I play them on a piano or other instrument. But I believe their ears are not accustomed to the low register yet. Now if you play tuba as I believe you mentioned and he has heard tubas all his life it probably would not be a problem.
If you have any other questions feel free to email me directly.
good luck, ken k