请问Helleberg系列的号嘴是什么意思呢？

djfan

很多牌子的号嘴都有Helleberg这个系列，请问“Helleberg”是什么意思呢？这个系列有什么特别？

liunuan

怎么说呢！我查了没有，但是现在很多人都在用这个Helleberg，没个牌子都有这个型号，我用的就是

djfan

Helleberg or Helleberg style mouthpieces
First, the mouthpieces are named after a titan of tuba, August Helleberg, who was the best known tubist for Sousa's band as well as playing with the New York Phil and others a century ago. Arguably, he started the deep, mellow technically fluent style of tuba playing, and had developed a style of mouthpiece that was a departure from the older German school of rounded bowl mouthpieces, and a school of thought of the tuba, as made then with smaller bores and bells, as tonally being a downward extension of or departure from the Germanic trombone ideal of tone, instead of the dark, broad tone we now associate with the instrument. The Bach 18 has a deeper but rounded at the bottom cup to promote the higher overtones and get a brighter, more projecting tone. The Wick 2 is also more rounded at the bottom, in a similar manner.

But back to the mouthpieces themselves: Helleberg's personal mouthpieces had a very deep funnel shaped cup combined with a rather narrow flat rim with a lot of "bite," or sharp inside angle between rim and cup, so he could get the deep dark tone and still promote the flexibility required for technical work.

The confusion starts in that there is not just one "true" "original" Helleberg mouthpiece. As he played several tubas over his career, he would have mouthpieces made and/or altered to fit the characteristics of the tuba he was playing at the time. So even though the few extant examples of his actual mouthpieces are similar, they also have their differences. So there are several variations on the Helleberg style. In general, most versions have a moderate cup diameter, usually from @32 to 33 mm, a deep funnel cup, a moderate or moderately large throat, and a fairly open backbore. But very few have the narrow flat rim, because it is very uncomfortable and tiring to most people. Most manufacturers have rounded and/or broadened the rim slightly. A good example is a Wick 1, which is a Helleberg style diameter and depth, and a narrow rim, but the rim is slightly rounded for more comfort. Others make their variations on a theme, and if they have the narrow flat rim with a lot of "bite," they will definitely advertise that fact so they can boast theirs is a "true" Helleberg style mouthpiece. Mike Finn and SSH come to mind, as well as a few others.

It gets more confusing in that Conn was the first to mass produce, and does still make a Helleberg model. It is called such and is engraved such on the mouthpieces, but the actual specs of the mouthpieces have changed over the years. There are currently two models, both called Helleberg: 120, which has the deep funnel, but not the flat narrow rim (again, it's slightly wider and more rounded for comfort) and the 7, which has a shallower funnel cup.

So, if someone without other context just says, "Helleberg," it's probably one of the Conn models by that name, and usually the 120. But if you're talking Helleberg style, most people mean a deep funnel, but usually neglect the other attributes, including the moderate diameter and narrow flat rim.

Very few people mean a combination of all the elements: deep funnel, moderate diameter, narrow sharp rim, moderate to moderately large throat, and rather open backbore.