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Denis Wick Euphonium SM2 Ultra (Silver) |
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This addition to the highly popular and much sought after Ultra range is a big euphonium mouthpiece. The Ultra 2 is suitable for anyone who needs something a bit bigger than the SM3, or UItra 3, or Bach 3G or Alliance 2. I have been asked about producing this mouthpiece size for some time, and finally, here it is ! Some players who double euphonium with either bass trombone or tuba will find this really perfect. There are indeed some euphonium specialists who ask about a size bigger than the Ultra 3. Well, here it is ! It's a euphonium mouthpiece that will give you a massive sound, especially in the middle and low registers, and if your chops and air are up to it, also in the high range !!
Well, we all know how important a mouthpiece is.
It has so many impacts on the way we play, in terms of clarity of production, sound quality, range of notes that we can play comfortably, the colour of our tone, the impact on stamina, the feeling of comfort, the amount of air it takes. For an instrument like the euphonium which possesses perhaps the most beautiful sound a brass instrument is able to make (maybe I'm a little biased too!) it certainly has to sound good. The demands of modern writing mean that it should be easy to play both very high and very low. We need to play a greater range of pitch and with more extremes of dynamics these days, sometimes with a straighter tone and sometimes with a more singing tone. Never before have we needed more diversity.
In 1995 I worked with Denis Wick on the SM range of euphonium and baritone mouthpieces. Until that point many of us euphonium players played on mouthpieces designed for the trombone. This range has proved to be very popular both in the brass band and the symphonic wind band worlds. Many solo players also depend on this mouthpiece and I played it with pride, making many of my most acclaimed recordings with it.
As a performing professional musician, I cannot ever be truly satisfied with my performance; there would be nothing to aspire to. Practice would only be daily maintenance. I could never think like that, which is why my instincts have led me to further mouthpiece research. There are many mouthpieces available these days which are very 'positive' in their initial feeling, but because of an 'over-heavy' design have made sacrifices on the tone that we want. Is this progress? Well, of a sort, but once you play with the sound you're not happy with you may try to deceive yourself but you cannot deceive your audience. A truly great mouthpiece must tick all the boxes.
I have tested other brands over the last 12 months and liked many features of them, especially in the areas of projection, clarity and ease of articulation. It was in my mind that the really perfect euphonium mouthpiece would be one that combines the optimum tonal requirements with a more effortless production and projection and does this with as wide a range of colours as possible. From an initial concept drawing we started to get closer to the desired goal. Each prototype was subjected to rigorous testing in different acoustics, using 'blind' judges listening to the new mouthpiece in relation to others. Each time following the tests we were able to make it a little better, then again a little better.
Finally, we arrived and I'm delighted present new Denis Wick SM Ultra range for euphonium and baritone. These are the main features:
