Push in your tuning slide.

When using Monette mouthpieces, most players will need to push their tuning slides in more than they are accustomed to if they want to really play down into the “center” of their equipment. Playing down to the center of the pitch allows an easier, more relaxed approach to playing—the key to enjoying our mouthpieces. Pushing in the tuning slide is simply a mechanical compensation in the instrument for the lower, centered, and corrected pitch center in the body of a properly aligned and relatively open player.

Tips:

• If you find that you have to pull your tuning slide out more and more as you play for extended periods of time, try using less pressure and effort in your physical approach to playing, or try a larger mouthpiece! The exercises on checking pitch before and after playing in the upper register (mentioned in #2 above) are a great way to “check in” to see how swollen or how tight one has become while playing.

• Notice that there is a “sweet spot” for your tuning slide that will provide the best sound, response, and intonation on a given instrument. If your tuning slide is out too far, the instrument will feel lethargic and sound dead—with “slots” that are too large for easy flexibility. If your tuning slide is in too far, the instrument will feel unstable and sound too bright, with slots that are too small to provide a full sound or a comfortable, stable response. Monette instruments are each custom-made for the exact pitch (440, 441, 442, etc.) the player requests, as well as for the exact mouthpiece size the player most commonly uses.

Proceed to Use your valve slides >>