David G. Monette Corporation

MOUTHPIECE SELECTION GUIDE

Why play a Monette Mouthpiece?

Our Constant Pitch Center mouthpieces are designed to play with consistent timbre, resistance and intonation in every register and at any dynamic level.

Click for full chart

Conventional mouthpieces compress the octaves, making the upper register flat and the low register sharp. They also change pitch when changing dynamic levels. This is undesirable as it forces the player to compensate unnaturally with their body simply to play in-tune When you see a trumpet player leaning back, locking their hips, raising their shoulders and/or pivoting their head up and down as they play, you are seeing them physically compensate for intonation problems inherent in their conventional mouthpiece. Over time, players using old fashioned mouthpieces learn to play tight and "high on the pitch" all the time, which compromises sound quality, endurance, intonation and every other aspect of performance.

Choosing your Monette Mouthpiece

Three different weights

XLT The lightest mouthpiece we make, the XLT mouthpiece is designed primarily for lead trumpet playing. Lighter weight = the brightest sound and a very easy extreme upper register. These are also the easiest mouthpieces for the player to hear behind the instrument when playing in extremely loud environments or in unusually "dead" rooms.

LT Our "middle" weight mouthpiece, the LT weight mouthpieces are popular with many Broadway players we work with. This mouthpiece is heavy enough to help a lead player sound full and clear, passing for a classical sound when needed while still allowing brilliant, exciting high notes all night long. This is the weight we picked for our new entry level production silver mouthpieces.

STC-1 We introduced this mouthpiece weight in 1987, and it has been the mainstay of our classical and jazz clients ever since. The extra weight allows a thick, rich sound while still retaining brilliance and sparkle at all dynamics. As a bonus, the response is unusually locked-in and secure, making performance easier in extreme or stressful performance situaltions. Often imitated but never copied, this is the most popular mouthpiece weight we make.

Three different configurations

Entry-Level Production Silver Series These silver plated production mouthpieces are the most economical mouthpieces we have ever made. They are available in our four most popular rim sizes, and offer a huge improvement in sound, dynamic range and intonation over any conventional mouthpiece. Put one of these in virtually any brand of trumpet - even C, D and Eb trumpets - and feel and hear how much easier trumpet playing can be!

Classic Series These are the standard configuration Monette mouthpieces we have been making since the 1980's. They are "key specific," meaning they are designed for use on only one key of trumpet. For example, the B2S3 is a Bb trumpet mouthpiece, and the C2S3 is the same rim and cup made for C trumpet. They have smaller backbore sizes, different backbore shapes and a lower pitch center than our other mouthpieces, which helps players new to Monette equipment enjoy the benefits of our constant pitch center designs while still being very forgiving to play.

PRANA Series The PRANA series mouthpieces are the best of the best. Their projection, intonation and ease in the upper register are well known to anyone familiar with our equipment. They are used by 100% of the top players we work with. It is common for players switching to PRANA mouthpieces on any brand of instrument to immediately experience an improvement in their upper reister of a third or more! Players holding on to the muscle memory that was required when playing their old fasioned mouthpieces my require acclimation time as they learn to play and breathe in a more efficient way. Players who play and breathe with their entire body LOVE PRANA MOUTHPIECES! For more details, please visit our website mouthpiece page and click on the "PRANA ACCLIMATION" link.

What is a "SLAP" mouthpiece?

Many years ago, our dear friend and client Maynard Ferguson asked if we could improve his mouthpiece design to have a bigger sound and a larger, more forgiving "sweet spot" on each note. He also wanted the extreme upper register to be easier for his "two set" nights, with more room in the cup to allow for swelling without making the cup deeper. And so the MF III mouthpiece was born! Boss loved the new design, and we decided to update more Monette mouthpiece models in the same way we improved Maynard's mouthpiece. This took several years of steady and intense R&D, as each rim size and cup depth needed to be optimized in its own unique way for best results. With the top players we work with field-testing the prototypes of each size, we eventually updated just about every Monette mouthpiece model! We still occasionally make our older non-SLAP designs by special order, however the vast majority of players we work universally prefer our improved SLAP designs. Slap designs have an "S" in the size description, such as the B2S3, B6S1, and B3FS7.

The larger bowl shape at the top of the cup makes for a bigger sound, and for more room for the chops to swell when fatigued without degrading performance

The middle part of the cup "comes in" faster than previous designs, for a faster response.

The bottom of the cup has a wide funnel shape to open up the "target size" of each note, making the mouthpiece more forgiving to play.