Chasing Sound

Mike Zonshine

Gary Radtke has this phrase he uses and I hate it:  He says that one can't "chase the sound" when choosing a mouthpiece.  I fought this concept with him for years.  After all, sound is the first thing people hear and notice in a performance, in an audition, or in a section.  We judge people's playing based on their sound...INSTANTLY! 
           

However, I have finally realized that Gary and I don't always speak the same language, we don't always have the same priorities, and we certainly have different ways of getting a great result.     I think this must be why he has spent so much time defining the various aspects of the mouthpiece: not everybody speaks the same language.  Gary has actually taken the time to define each arc, angle, radius, etc.  Really, it is quite impressive. Together we can look at a graph and point to the various areas we are looking to improve upon.
          

Not everybody shares Gary's enthusiasm for Alpha Angles and Radiuses...I certainly don't.  I am a mathematical retard and I don't understand MOST of the stuff that Gary uses in his regular arsenal of words.  Hearing him speak about Beta Angles feels and shape factors is slightly more tedious than a public enema.
           

This is where the frustration begins and ends with me and my relationship with GR Tech.   I have learned to speak his language...OK, I learned to speak Gary's language a little bit.   I have given up some of my steadfast beliefs, and most importantly, I have decided to really trust him and see what would happen with my playing.  Let me tell you my story:
            

When I first met Gary, I wasn't looking for a mouthpiece.  I played one mouthpiece through college and high school.  I played that mouthpiece when I won my job with the Honolulu Symphony and I played it for my first season with that organization. However, I get curious like every trumpet player does and contacted him.  He seemed to have a very unique approach to making mouthpieces and I certainly was intrigued enough to call him to sample his product line.  
            

He made me various mouthpieces...all of which played better than my original.   However, those mouthpieces did not have "that sound," and even though they were better-a lot better-than my mouthpiece, I didn't feel the compulsion to switch just then.  Gary kept telling me that I had to stop chasing the sound and start addressing specific details in the mouthpiece that I wanted to improve. 
            

That sounded like the most insane thing in the world to me at the time.  My teachers and colleagues were telling me that I was sounding "bright."  Sometimes I would record myself,  hear the sound on the play back and be a little uncomfortable.   Sometimes I would feel uncomfortable with the sound when I was performing on stage...and here was this guy saying (or at least I thought he was saying) not to worry about the sound when working on my equipment.  That sounded inane to me.  I didn't realize what he was really trying to say.
            

All of his mouthpieces played well and with incredible consistency in all the registers.  I thought they were technically perfect.  They were certainly better than any of the mouthpieces I had ever owned before.  So what could possibly be improved in his designs for me?
            

From the get go, Gary wanted to alter the rim I was using.  I was not in favor of that.  Why would I want to do that?  I have been playing this rim for years and it was comfortable.  So for two years, I resisted Gary's plea to change the rim. 
            

Finally, after a few years, I let Gary change the rim and WOW!  My initial attacks were improved, the articulation remained consistent in all the registers, and most importantly the sound got a little "darker."   Now I hate to use the terms "bright" and "dark," but the sound was getting richer.  It had a lot of upper overtones and a lot of lower overtones...It had a much more complete/balanced sound.
           

So I started thinking about his concepts about "chasing the sound" and decided that even though his mouthpieces seemed perfect, perhaps there were still things I could address...technical things.  Things that I needed help with in my own playing, all the while hoping that the sound might get better.
           

I always assume that when there is something wrong in my playing, it is my fault.  And it is my fault, but why wouldn't I want a little help with the things I really struggle with?  So for the last year, I decided to really take note of the things that I was uncomfortable with in my own playing.  I also tried out other people's GR Mouthpieces, most notably Steve Haefner's mouthpieces.  I really started asking Gary lots of questions and at the end of the season, I had a lot of specific questions for Gary.
           

Gary listened to me talk, he listened to me play, and he explained what he was hearing in my thoughts and in my playing.  He also explained to me and showed me how he can change the mouthpiece, telling me what changes would occur and how these changes would affect my playing.  For the first time, I did not protest, contest, or interfere with his process at all. 
            

With each mouthpiece he made that day, all the changes he said would occur did. But the interesting thing is that with each change he made, the better the mouthpiece played and  more importantly (for the purposes of this article anyway), the closer I got to my ideal sound.
             

So can we chase sound?  The answer in the case of Gary Radtke is NO, but yet you can find your ideal sound through his process even though Gary may not talk about it with you.  The deeper you dig into what you want from your mouthpiece technically, the better the mouthpiece will play for you and sound for you in the process.  The more comfortable the mouthpiece, or the better the mouthpiece matches your specific needs, the closer you will get to your ideal sound.  From there, it's just a matter of how diligently and how intently you practice.
            

On a final note: Whether or not you use a GR Technologies Mouthpiece is not an issue for me.   (Although this is certainly an endorsement for GR Technologies and the services of one Gary Radtke, this author does not care what equipment you use.)   However, the more advanced a player gets, the more specific this player's equipment (not just mouthpiece) needs to be for the player's playing preferences, player's environment, player's section, and player's growth.
            

There are many manufactures that offer quality products.  When choosing a product, make sure you are also choosing an artisan who can work with you and help adjust the equipment to your specific needs.  This will make the job of picking an instrument or a mouthpiece easier, quicker, cheaper, and ultimately more satisfying.   I have known many manufactures who when something doesn't sound right or feel good, simply hand another product to the customer.  These people don't seem to be interested in problem solving; they seem more interested in selling a product...ANY PRODUCT!
            

Even though I have been very resistant to Gary, I finally let go of my own ideals and allowed him work the way he is most comfortable with.  In doing so, I got the mouthpiece I have been looking for all along.  "Chasing the sound" may not work, but if you find a mouthpiece that really fits you, it will get you closest to producing the sound you want to be making.
 

Mike Zonshine