The Real Instrument—The Player

It is fundamental to our approach that the real “instrument” is always the player. We understand that the metal forms we design and fabricate can only amplifywhat the player puts into them, and that instruments and mouthpieces do not have sounds—players do!

For this reason, we have devoted over half of this guide to information cover-ing musical issues not usually found in mouthpiece or instrument catalogs. Our sections on pitch center, body use in performance, sound concept, and resonance are unique to our approach to instrument making. The information in these sections is the key to realizing all of the advantages our equipment offers.

The Difficulties of Working with Conventional Equipment

For centuries, wind players have been using instruments and mouthpieces that are inconsistent in pitch, timbre, and resistance as they play from soft to loud and from low to high. Almost universally, we have had to play “high on the pitch” and muscle the instrument around, or we have had to use alternate fingerings to play in tune. Various physical techniques, such as the “pivot sys-tem” have been used by players to shift the pitch-center of their bodies to com-pensate for the inconsistent pitch-center of their equipment. This affects not only range and endurance, but also sound, response, and intonation. The instrument feels and sounds as if it is being “lipped up” or “lipped down,” rather than being played on its most resonant “center.”

The Monette Mouthpiece and Constant Pitch Center

Monette mouthpieces, each of which is made for a specific key of instrument, provide an acoustical innovation we refer to as “constant pitch center.” This means our mouthpieces are consistent in pitch, timbre, and response when played from soft to loud and from low to high, thus eliminating the need for most of the physical adjustments we all have had to learn, consciously or subconsciously, in order to play in-tune on conventional equipment.

Playing Monette mouthpieces and instruments with the same physical adjustments that are a part of virtually every player’s muscle memory will negate many of the benefits that our mouthpieces offer. By using Monette mouthpieces with a more relaxed, aligned and neutral physical approach, your instrument may be played more consistently on its “sweet spot,” resulting in a more resonant sound and improved response, range, and endurance.