[jazzman1945]

“The noise element” professionally called frullato. This model Honer 36 I have since 1974 – and it still playing! IMO this mouthpiece for melodica – the best for jazz.
And in general the idea of the mouthpiece to see the keyboard just worthless. Children learn to walk, not looking at his feet – it’s an instinct.

[Quetscher]

That could be a nice package of Suzuki/Hammond mouthpieces:

http://m.ebay.com/itm/380896392868

[Steven Morris]

Hello!

Sorry if I’m late to the party- my name is Steven and I’ve been subscribed to and have been enjoying Kevin’s YouTube channel for a few years now. I had a Hohner that went horribly out of tune and I gave up for a while. By watching some YouTube videos and reading instructions on tuning my appreciation for melodicas has returned!

I finally caved in and got a Suzuki and ordered the very set of mouthpieces (and some extras) posted by Quetscher.

Here is a link to the Melodion catalog from the Suzuki website:
http://www.suzuki-music.co.jp/search/files/000002_1.pdf

Please check out the last couple of pages for mouth piece info (I believe the current info is only available in Japanese). Most of the information is the same as previous years, but I think some of the wording is slightly different.

The availability of their mouthpieces, the repair/maintenance kit, and the PDF instructions/catalogs made me go with Suzuki. I live in Japan so it’s been easy to acquire these kinds of things.

Here is a list of the currently available Suzuki Melodion mouthpieces with some comments (rough description + rough translations + opinions):

MP-113
—–
Basic tube model, used when instrument is sat on a desk etc., weak attack/less condensation?

MP-500L
—–
L-shaped basic tube model, used when instrument is sat on a desk etc., no opinion *never used one

MP-121
—–
Basic model A, includes a stopper to prevent one from putting mouthpiece too deep into mouth & easy to do tonguing, tip is shallow & small/uncomfortable/better attack

MP-122
—–
Basic Model B, curved shape to allow player to see the keyboard better (as opposed to Model A), the long & narrow opening is awkward/bad for tonguing

MP-131
—–
Standard Trumpet Model, Doesn’t enter the mouth-therefore it’s easy to do tonguing, decent/sharp attack/slightly small opening

MP-132
—–
Custom Trumpet Mouthpiece, bigger opening creates more resistance allotting for softer melodies, my favorite model/great for tonguing/attack not too sharp & not too soft

MP-141
—–
Special Short Model, its short length allows for increased dynamics, attack is too sharp/metallic style plastic is uncomfortable/if you don’t like the MP-121 you probably won’t like this either

MP-142
—–
Short Model, its short length allows for more “direct” expression because of less air loss (which can be interpreted to mean that Suzuki believes a longer mouthpiece=Less attack), same as above minus the metallic bit

MP-151
—–
“S” Model, the player can perform more accurately because the shape allows for a clear view of the keyboard during play, no opinion *never tried one

MP-161
—–
Flexible Mouthpiece, keeps whatever shape it’s been bent into, no opinion *never tried one

MP-171
—–
“L” Joint Long Model, it allows for less wasted motion because the tube is pointed towards the performer, no opinion *never used one

MP-181
—–
Extension Model, uses the same pipe as the MP-161/MP-181 attaches to your melodica/any [Suzuki] mouthpiece of your choice can be connected to the end/extends up to 22cm, no experience- but I imagine some might be interested in this one!

MP-191
—–
Trombone Model, its shorter than normal shape allows for quicker response & more volume, similar to (Custom Trumpet Model) MP-132 but with more volume and less focus

Incidentally, I also purchased the repair/maintenance kit which states in the manual that it is best to tune your instrument based on your mouthpiece. IOW, I believe a Short Model mouthpiece will have a stronger attack which would cause notes to go sharp for an instrument tuned for use with a Tube Model mouthpiece.

Re: Dynamics
I believe the reed clearance has a WAY more noticeable effect on dynamics than your choice of mouthpiece. I think in the end a mouthpiece ought to be chosen for individual comfort rather than its dynamic qualities. In all fairness though, adjusting reed clearance & tuning and subsequently testing said adjustments can be a tedious process.

Here is a link to Suzuki’s MRT-01 manual:
http://www.suzuki-music.co.jp/search/files/002018_3.pdf
Please refer to the second page for English instructions. It’s separated into parts A, B, and C. Part B has an explanation of reed clearance.

Also, the construction of the MX-32C makes me wonder about the significance of mouthpieces. Half of the opening is blocked off! Can anyone confirm if this is the case for any other Suzuki models?

I hope this helps everyone! I was really interested in all of this and am glad I got the set of mouthpieces. I prefer the Trumpet/Trombone models to everything else, but I can see how different models could be utilized for different kinds of performances & different techniques.

[Alan Brinton]

Welcome, Steven, and thank you so much for the wealth of mouthpiece information! I’m big on Suzukis, except that I don’t have any MX models. But I can confirm that all the Suzuki models I have (M-32C, M-37C, A-34C, STUDY-32, etc., as well as the Hammond 44) have the inner mouthpiece tube “blocked” by half or more. I.e., when you look in the mouthpiece hole, you see a plastic barrier in there beyond where the mouthpiece inserts. I’m looking at my M-32C right now and just took off the end piece for a closer look. Plastic covers about 2/3 of the inner end of the mouthpiece tube. Suzuki apparently did this to narrow the air flow into the air chamber. (Possibly also shaping the inner opening in such a way as to divert the air downward?) I have observed in the past that it is easier to bend notes on Suzukis, and now I’m suspecting that it is because of the narrowing of the air flow. I’ve noticed that narrowing the air flow with my mouth can contribute to bending.

[Steven Morris]

Alan,

No problem! I remember having a great time when I first discovered all of the info that Suzuki makes available about their mouthpieces :). I really wanted to share it.

Thanks for the confirmation by the way. If the “half-blocked” mouthpiece hole is on the Hammond 44 then it must be intentional and for good reason.

My initial reaction was that it was simply there to divert airflow downward to the air chamber. Your comment about the narrow airflow having a positive effect on note bending seems sound though! I think that perhaps the increased resistance might help prevent notes from going significantly sharp during their attack as well.

Do other melodicas have different mouthpiece holes & can anyone comment on them?

[Author]

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