[TPIN] Asymmmetric mpcs - update

[Daniel W. Shipman]

Thanks to those who chimed in last week on this thread. (I've  
purposely added an "m" to "asymmetric" to make up for the one I left  
out of the original thread last week. I kept wondering why that  
colored line under the word would not go away.) I rec'd the three  
mpcs on Saturday. Bottom line: It does not work for me. Nick Drozdoff  
was kind to send me a response directly before I rec'd them. Below is  
my e-mail to him:

Hey Nick:

Thanks so much for taking the time to type and send this. I've always  
held to the notion that we can maximize our progress from  
individualized equipment setups (different strokes...). For instance,  
I have used pitchfinders on my Bb and C tpts since the early '90s. I  
got frustrated with some squirrelly intonation issues during a fast  
mute change in Hello Dolly! back then and I went on a quest. I have  
even gotten flack from posters on TPIN in the past couple of years  
for bringing up the subject. But, it works for me, just like the  
asymmetric mpc works for you. From hearing a clip on the Net of your  
playing, this is obvious, and no one should argue with that. The few  
other individual responses I rec'd this week spoke highly of the  
results you've personally attained with the mpc, but that they could  
not get it to work for themselves.

Unfortunately, I'll have to join their ranks. I got all three  
asymmetric mpcs on Saturday and could not get any of them to work for  
me. I should have known in advance, because my setup borders on being  
nonconventional: probably about 60/40 upper/lower. I took the mpcs to  
the pit on Sat, and I even tried flipping them upside down by a  
suggestion from Dave Zeagler, who has played 1st tpt with TUTS for  
years. (This happened before I read your post to me.) At that point,  
I started to at least get a sound to come out. (I guess this would be  
similar to the Maurice André setting/mpc that you mentioned.) Dennis  
Dotson is playing 3rd on this show, and he had trouble, but Dave  
actually got the best results of the three of us. This makes sense,  
because his setup is closer to 1/3 to 2/3 upper/lower. I offered the  
mpcs to him, but he has been playing the same equipment for 35 years  
and is admittedly afraid a mpc or tpt change would mess him up along  
the way.

Dave (and I) could see how it would work for certain players, but  
probably only for those who naturally set the mpc lower on the lip.  
(I believe some have advocated that the 1/3 upper is more proper for  
tpt playing, and perhaps so.) My training is primarily orchestral  
(Thomas Hohstadt in Midland, TX during HS; Jim Austin at Univ of  
Houston; and Vincent Cichowicz at Northwestern), but the freelance  
world takes you down different paths and I've ended up playing these  
Broadway shows in Houston for nearly 15 yrs. I think our late,  
beloved Vince Cichowicz could have made this mpc work. In the few  
lessons he demonstrated for me, I could tell his setup was definitely  
lower than mine. Plus, from what I remember of his overall lip  
formation, the asymmetric design could possibly have been more of a  
natural fit. Jim Austin, on the other hand, might get results closer  
to mine if he were to try it. Only those players with certain setups  
will have success with such a device. It was wishful thinking on my  
part to assume the asym mpc could work for me even though the  
advertisement states that the player has to place it 1/3 upper. I  
think the design is ingenious, but nonetheless workable only for  
those with a fortunate embouchure setup. Consider yourself blessed.  
As trumpet players, I think we are always looking for something that  
will catapult us beyond our existing doldrums, and this has obviously  
been one for you.

Sincerely,

Dan Shipman