Monday, March 30, 2009

Parduba Mouthpieces: To Be Or Not To Be? That Is The Mariachi Question.



This is a very dense topic for me; all throughout my life, a Parduba Trumpet mouthpiece--usually ranging from sizes 3 to 5, in cup size--has been a part of my mouthpiece rotation; largely, In the beginning my career as a trumpeter. I would relied on it more so then than in later years. Frankly, was a love-and-hate relationship with my Parduba (by the way, currently in my arsenal of mouthpieces, I have a Rudy Muck: Second Generation 19C--a subsidiary of the Parduba brand--but I am mainly using a Bach 3C). What is even more interesting is the fact that within the Mariachi Trumpet community, especially with the 'older generation' of Trumpeteros, the Parduba mouthpiece is the official mouthpiece of the Mariachi Trumpeter.

Now, I really have to preface my previous statement; the majority of mariachi trumpeters identify with the Parduba mouthpiece. I understand that many professional Mariachi Trumpeters--people who are part groups considered the 'Pillars of Mariachi'--usually have other mouthpieces they use rather than a Parduba. There decision may have multiple factors; however, I am going to my personal experience with this mouthpiece, since this is where I have more empirical evidence to discuss. 

I really believe that the Parduba works really well in disguising one's technical weaknesses, be it from total lack of practice or failure to practice properly. Two or three years ago, I stopped practicing my trumpet all together; at the time, I was using a Bach 1. However, in no time, I was unable to maintain my constancy after a couple of hours of gigging. In frustration, and the total unwillingness to practice, I chose to use my Parduba: RM (Rudy Muck) mouthpiece; it worked like a charm, clearing up my middle register, as well as improving my tonguing; I could play for hours and hours on end, without getting tired. I thought: 'who needed practice.' After a year and a half of not practicing, in combination with using my Parduba, I started to deteriorate, as a trumpet player; I was a shell of my former self. 

The great thing that Parduba's does--in large part, because of it's patented 'double cup'--for the mariachi player is fortify his / her middle register with the assistance of the double cup. This comes at steep price; one's lower register because extremely difficult to tune--requiring severe lip tuning, on the part of the trumpeter--and higher register because it’s too thin or too brassy because of over blowing. Sometimes, while using my Parduba, I would feel as if my lips were shackled onto the rim of the mouthpiece; allowing for less freedom for lip flexibility (a major concern of mine when I observe other trumpeters using similar mouthpieces). 

I am not advocating for the removal of Parduba mouthpieces from every mariachi trumpet player's inventory; I understand that many people don't have time to put in practice time for their instrument, needing to find a mouthpiece that would be able to take over some of the heavy lifting and not just augment one's skills. Currently, two of my family members, my father and sister, are using Parduba RM's; a 17c and 13c, respectfully. As I am writing this, I have officially placed my 'Mariachi' mouthpiece on early-retirement; I plan on keeping it as a nostalgic relic of my past struggles. 

(For more info on Parduba's, check out www.parduba.com)


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