[Alan Brinton]

There seem to be a lot of different preferences, which is a general reason why I think more different kinds and shapes should be developed. I personally prefer a minimalist mouthpiece, and these are the two that I like best. The first is a Suzuki mouthpiece (Oscar sent me one of these), the second is a standard fitting from a Suzuki hose. How the mouthpiece works with my lips is more important to me than how it works with the tongue. This could change in the future. But both of these are very comfortable for my playing. With the fitting, I rest my lips against the first ridge. I’m also thinking, though, of some of the extended mouthpieces on the old Hohners and the Hammond/Suzuki gooseneck mouthpiece; it would be nice if these were available in various shapes and sizes and for different brands.

I’ve shown this photo before of an original Pianica 32 with a Hohner extended mouthpiece (from the Piano 36 I think), which just happens to fit. The impetus isn’t necessarily to find the ideal mouthpiece (in general or for oneself), but have choices in playing.