Schagerl Apredado ‘James Morrison’ Mouthpiece
A few weeks ago I went along to a concert played by the trumpet God, Mr James Morrison, and London brass. Needless to say the gig was incredible. That evening in the foyer of Cadogan Hall, Prozone Music had a showcase of AMAZING Schagerl trumpets. I tried every single one! They were all fab! I was also able to spend 10 or 15 minutes with their new Apredato mouthpiece, which at the time I thought to be fantastic. The concept behind it is by having a very thin shank, perfect flexibility is achieved. Then by screwing on a special waterproof sheath and filling it up with water, perfect resonance is achieved. All very innovative!
Yesterday (about a month later) I popped along to the brilliant shop, Prozone Music – a must visit for any brass or wind player – to trial one of these mouthpieces and it felt great in their rooms, too. They were kind enough to let me take it home but when I got it back it immediately started to feel all wrong. In my practice room acoustics the high notes seemed much harder to play and it just felt a bit lacking in power and flexibility. Finally I carried out a blind test and concluded that this whole water concept made little difference to me. I also found that the cup of the mouthpiece was far too big for someone whose muscles (like mine) are still developing and cannot generate that level of embouchure power. So I have now sent it back. It is a novel idea, and I really respect Karl Schagerl and his team for trying something new. That is the reason I am such a fan of Schagerl, they are innovators. But for me it does not make enough of a difference to be worth the €180.