{"id":2112,"date":"2019-07-15T18:41:02","date_gmt":"2019-07-15T18:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.trumpetheadquarters.com\/?p=2112"},"modified":"2022-11-16T00:05:43","modified_gmt":"2022-11-16T00:05:43","slug":"the-american-classic-by-denis-wick-is-what-i-was-missing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trumpetheadquarters.com\/the-american-classic-by-denis-wick-is-what-i-was-missing\/","title":{"rendered":"The American Classic By Denis Wick"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text font_size=”18″ line_height=”30″]I\u2019ll start this post by revealing a little secret; I am not an equipment buff. In 18 years of playing I have used 4 mouthpieces, because if it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it!<\/span><\/p>\n

My very first was a Yamaha 16C4 with a gold rim, which carried me through middle and high school. When I got to college my teacher who is a big Bach guy switched me over to a good ole Bach 3C and I played on that for a few years. Later on during my Master\u2019s degree my new instructor suggested I change to a Curry 3C, a fantastic mouthpiece. I loved it so much I\u2019ve played on it for the past 6 years\u2026.well, until a few months ago when I swapped it for a Denis Wick American Classic 3C in Silver. Now this switch I made on my own for the first time, unguided by a teacher, though it didn\u2019t come without a few bumps along the road.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Denis Wick line is very varied, from the MM3 to the HeavyTop mouthpiece, you can find something that fits you. In my attempt to find a piece that really felt right Itried ALL OF THEM. The HeavyTop was\u2026too heavy. It sounded mellow and dark which was nice but I couldn\u2019t take control of the piece like I wanted to so I set that aside. The Ultra was actually really cool since I\u2019m a sucker for super dark tones, but the response wasn\u2019t there for me, so it was set aside as well. That was followed by the Classic which was pretty good so I set it aside and thought I would try that one for a couple weeks. That\u2019s when I moved on to the MM3 and I thought I\u2019d found the one. It was clear and responsive, until some time later when I tried to control dynamics which I found very difficult. That mouthpiece fired up really fast! I barely put a toe on the pedal and it was gone faster than I could blink. Without a doubt it is a wonderful mouthpiece, just not for me. The player who was culprit in making the MM3, Maurice Murphy (former London Symphony principal), sure knows how to handle it, which brings me to a brief point; mouthpieces are like shoes. Just because it didn\u2019t fit me, doesn\u2019t mean it won\u2019t be your perfect match. These conclusions are my own and my own only and they should not sway you one way or another. If you\u2019re considering going Denis Wick (which seriously go for it), try them all too!<\/span><\/p>\n

So there I was 4 weeks or so later sending back the MM3 after deciding it wasn\u2019t right for me. The Classic was alright, but it didn\u2019t wow me so at that point I was getting a bit fed up with the whole thing. And that\u2019s when I tried the American Classic (different from the Classic) by suggestion of two Denis Wick artists who play on it.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was exactly what I\u2019d been looking for! I\u2019ll tell you all the specific areas of mouthpiece compatibility that I consider. Maybe it will help you make a decision.<\/span><\/p>\n