Searching for my alto sound

[MBeal]

As I work on learning to play alto, I find my sound tends to be very bright and trumpet-like. When I listen to alto players I admire, they sound much more like French horns. What are the elements that skew the sound more toward the horn end of the spectrum?

[AndrewMeronek]

Altos are naturally bright and trumpet-like. Embrace it.

Keep in mind that when you reference recordings, they can lie, in terms of adding effects, characteristics of the microphone, etc. - and some players for some reason think that their alto should sound like a tenor, and use big mouthpieces and other tricks on their altos to "darken" the sound. IMHO if they wanted to sound like a tenor, just play tenor.

If you look at a lot of 19th century orchestral rep. that actually used alto trombones (Mendelssohn comes to mind) this tone was very much taken advantage of by composers, who often used the alto trombone as a kind of "bridge" between the other trombones and trumpets.

[ithinknot]

What Andrew said. Feature, not bug.

Also, at the gear level, there's a wide variety of designs, and single versus dual bore is pretty significant at this size...

There's a big difference (proportional and tonal) between, say, a .468" Bach 39 with a 15E and a .491/.500" Conn 36H with something bigger, let alone one of the massive Pfretzschners.

[WilliamLang]

i find mouthpieces make the biggest difference to my alto sound. maybe try a larger, deeper cup with alto? a shilke 51D or something of that nature will definitely round out your tone. while it's not traditional, it might help you get to the sound that you want.

[MBeal]

Thanks for the input! I'm inclined to chalk it up more to operator error than equipment, although the comment regarding single vs. dual bore makes a lot of sense.

(BTW, I'm playing on a Conn 36H with a DE 101-C, if that gives you any insight.)

[Vegasbound]

Talk to Doug about his alto shank

[dukesboneman]

It takes time to develop a "sound" on a new-to-you instrument. When I got my 1st Alto, it was right before starting MM in Trombone Performance. I hated the way I sounded. I got thru Grad school having use it not very much.
I had one of the 1st Yamaha`s. Right after Graduation I sold it..
In 2010 I re-started my interest in getting another Alto.
This time I tried alot of horns,( at ITA). found a horn that "Spoke to me".
Bought one and started to seriously study the instrument. I finally found the right mouthpiece for me
and really practiced it, so it started to not feel so foreign. Now I feel that I have an acceptable Alto sound.
I think at first I was trying to sound like my tenor and the horn fought me. Now I embrace the Alto`s sound
But just playing the horn alittle bit each day and getting comfort zone with the horn will really help before spending a lot of cash on mouthpieces.

[Doug Elliott]

An alto will never sound like a tenor, even with a deep cup. The harmonic structure of an alto's sound is different because the notes are on different partials than they are on tenor.

In my mouthpieces, the popular combinations have been B+ or C cup with C alto shank; and C+ cup with D alto shank. I have made successful alto mouthpieces as deep as a G cup with G alto shank. Unconventional but it does work - still doesn't sound like a tenor.

[harrisonreed]

I am in love with Doug's XT-A cup with the regular A alto shank on my 36H. It absolutely sings in the normal functional register of an alto, and especially in the upper register.

I just recently tested it on a Shires alto, and that horn is even more open and beautiful. Even the trigger register is gorgeous and easy on the A cup with that horn, where you'd have to work for it a bit on the 36H.

That said, I think the place to jump in with a DE alto mouthpiece is with the XT-B cup, your choice of rim, and both versions of the B alto shank, and then don't look back. Maybe look forward to adding the A cup as an additional option.

[MBeal]

Thanks again for all the input. My exact mouthpiece setup is LT101-LTC-C alto S.

Since June I've been playing the alto exclusively and really enjoying it. I picked up my tenor for the first time a few days ago and it felt quite foreign. In my particular very unprofessional circumstances, I can play whichever instrument I choose, so I'm happy enough to just say alto is what I play now.

[BrianJohnston]

Just listen to Michael Mulcahy play the Mozart (On YouTube) To me, that is THE alto sound.

[MBeal]

Brian -- thanks for sharing that. Yes, that's the type of sound I aspire to and what I describe (perhaps incorrectly) as "horn-like." When I play it sounds harsher.