Hersey Artist Model Tuba Mouthpiece
Introducing the Hersey Artist Model Tuba Mouthpiece from Parker Mouthpieces
I am so happy to announce my partnership with Parker Mouthpieces and the arrival of the Hersey Artist Model Tuba Mouthpiece.
Parker Mouthpieces are made in three interchangeable components: rim, cup and backbore. My Hersey cup will work with Hersey, Hitz, Helleberg/ Hall, Freelancer, Symphony, and Grand Parker backbores. I play with the Hersey .333 shank and the extended depth rim. Parker also offers a choice of rims and finishes (including titanium) for a comfortable embouchure set.
The Hersey Artist Model will be available in two sizes, the larger Orchestral model and the smaller Solo Model, and I play the larger on my Rudy Meinl CC tuba and the smaller on my Yamaha YFB 621 F tuba.
On euphonium and trombone I play the Parker 4G 53 with titanium rim, and this mouthpiece is available in three rim and three shank sizes.
Visit http://www.parkermouthpieces.com for more information.
The Maple Leaf
Parker Mouthpieces asks their artists to choose a symbol to brand the mouthpiece which has a personal significance to their lives and career. For this project, I choose a maple leaf, to pay homage to my home state of Vermont, where I sounded my first notes on the tuba, near the Canadian border in the Northeast Kingdom. To me the maple leaf means beauty, peace, gentleness, stillness, hard work, and of course, Vermont.
My family has been involved in the production of maple syrup for almost 50 years, and the maintenance of the “sugar bush” is a source of tradition and pride. Many sugaring families have produced syrup for generations, in the same sugarwoods and in the same sugar house. After a long, hard Vermont winter, spring brings the sun, which begins the production of sugar in the trees.
Before spring begins, the farmers begin carefully monitoring the weather night and day, looking for just the right warm day and cooler night temperatures. When their gut instinct tells them it is right, they begin to put the taps in, and then watch for the freezing nights and above freezing days, to cause the sap to rise. A hole is drilled in each tree, and a tap with line or bucket is attached, sap is collected, and then it is boiled day and night, to get the right density. It takes 40 gallons of sap to boil down to one gallon of syrup. Sugaring is a year round job, like wine making, because the trees and paths must be kept clear of new growth, the lines checked and maintained, and after the season every tap and every mile of line and all equipment must be cleaned and stored.
The maple is part of the beautiful New England foliage color which draws many tourists to the region, and contributes to one of the world’s best foods, maple syrup. As both Michael Parker and I are living plant-based, vegan lifestyles, I felt the maple leaf stood as well for the choice I have made to commit to this lifestyle. Music soothes the souls of people, as the beauty of nature does, as the quiet maple wood does.
Parker Mouthpieces Forging the traditional designs of brass mouthpieces, Parker Mouthpieces uses innovation to create a supreme sound. All of our mouthpieces are made from stainless steel and with heavy locking, three piece threading. Parker Mouthpieces exhibit an increased control of both soft and loud dynamics and provide the player with more stability and improved intonation. We strive to provide a cutting edge to the needs of today’s brass player by combining efficiency and comfort without sacrificing sound and intonation. Visit http://www.parkermouthpieces.com for more information.
