I started using this mouthpiece more than 40 years ago. Many many years ago I was fortunate to get some lessons from Denis Wick at a summer music festival in Daytona Beach, when the Stetson University School of Music hosted the London Symphony. Mr. Wick introduced me to what was then his new 4AL mouthpiece. I have been using it ever since, except for my two years in graduate school at Indiana University School of Music in the early 1970's (Dr. Beversdorf insisted I use a more rounded mouthpiece, which I never really adjusted to). My facial/dental structure is much more comfortable with the Denis Wick contour. Just as an aside, if I remember correctly, Mr. Wick mentioned the design of the 4AL was partially influenced by a Salvation Army mouthpiece.
Alan, I believe we were at the LSO festival the same summer. (1969) Summer after 10th grade for me, I was 15 years old. I tried to get my parents to send me to high school in Britain just so I could continue lessons with Mr. Wick. That was a non-starter. Hah! Speaking of dental structure, Mr. Wick looked at my front teeth and couldn't believe I could play well with those crooked buck-teeth! That summer I met and played with Joe Stierli ( a Stetson trombone student ), later met up again at New England Conservatory, and finally played together in the now-defunct, Miami Philharmonic. Anyway- I bought the 4AL from Mr. Wick that summer. I remember that he took it out of the box and played it for awhile to make sure it was a good one before letting me have it. Those were the days long before computer-controlled precision machining, you can tell it was hand made because the 4AL lettering on the side of the mouthpiece is not aligned properly, like someone used letter punches and hand-hammered the 4AL into the mouthpiece. BTW, were you the one driving the daily run from Deland to Daytona when we had a little car accident?
My 5AL is all the work I can handle - tell you what though, within two weeks of starting to work with it last Fall, my bottom end really opened up (that sounds worse than I intended) with no loss on the top. Within two months I was able to add top and bottom I hadn't gotten to in a long time. Love the mouthpiece.
@@SchmittMusicTromboneShop that's (in part) why I'm so blown away by players like James Markey that sound perfect across like 10 octaves on a bass trombone.
@@SchmittMusicTromboneShopAlso, a 4BL or a 4ABL may assist. The A throat is a bit woofy for both classic and heritage series in a 4 rim … and similarly for my 5's, although not as exaggerated.
I’ve been using DW mouthpieces for 6 months. I used to play a Bach 5G from 2020-24. I found that I was having difficulty hitting the low pedal B flat and keeping that note stable. Once I started using the DW 5AL, I noticed that I was getting a richer sound compared with the Bach and I’ve noticed that since the 5AL cup is a touch wider than the 5G, I was able to catch the pedal Bb a little better. For small bore, I use the DW 6BS because I found that it was similar to the small bore mouthpiece that I was using since I started playing, which was the Yamaha 48. I’m currently thinking about getting the 4AL for songs where a lot of low register notes are into play, especially if I’m playing 3rd trombone or even bass trombone.
I'm picturing playing the ending of the Ropartz from the C through the triplet passages up to that Eb on a 4... makes my chops tired thinking about it. That section kicks my donkey on a 5AL....
It certainly wasn't as easy on the 4AL as I would like it to be! In general I think the 4, 26mm rim is a bit large for my tenor work; kudos to those folks who can really get them to sing but while I can muscle them around a bit they just don't feel as natural to me...
I own one of these, and find the airy sound to be an issue even though l am quite accustomed to playing 4 and larger size cups and rims. It seems to be an issue specific to this particular design. I've also played on a 4 ABL and found it better balanced, with a slightly more narrow and efficient throat and backbore. However, the Greg Black NY (old Alessi) series have even larger throats and backbores and do not sound airy. I will say, though, that those players who sound good on the Wick AL series sound REALLY good on them.
In my personal experience, the airiness in the sound is something I've found to be mostly a behind the horn thing. In that, you as the player notice it way more than the audience hears it. It was something that bothered me quite a bit, but after listening to a few recordings of myself, and asking the opinion of others, it appears it really isn't all that noticeable on the other side of the bell. Just need to learn to ignore that airy sound, know that it really isn't in the end result, and enjoy (or don't) the mouthpiece for it's other characteristics.
Absolutely! They are the most popular case we carry in the shop and deserve to have a review! I will get one done in the next few weeks; thank you for the suggestion!
A few questions: 1. How long have you been playing? 2. What kind of playing are you doing (concert band, orchestra, quintet, brass band, jazz ensemble, rock, latin, etc.)? 3. What trombone are you playing on? Sorry for the interrogation but mouthpieces can be a very individual preference and it helps to know where you are and where you are coming from!
Honestly, I think your best shot would be figuring out what style of music you want to focus on playing and trying out many mouthpieces. Find out what size and style is comfortable and gives you the sound you want. If you find a size you like, there may be a brand that makes the same size mouthpiece but with differences in the cup, throat, etc. that you may prefer.
We have had a few different requests for the Heritage series reviews. The problem is that we don’t typically carry the Heritage pieces as they don’t sell well in our area. However, given the continued interest I am going to talk with DW and see if we can get them to send us a few to demo :)
French euphonium Besson artist Bastien Baumet plays on a 4AL. Me and my friends gave this 4AL a try on between trombone and euphonium as well, we both love it more on our euphoniums, surprisingly even better than the SM euphonium mouthpiece models. After many years, I tried once again 4AL on my Tenor Trombone,,, still works bette on my euphonium.
I started using this mouthpiece more than 40 years ago. Many many years ago I was fortunate to get some lessons from Denis Wick at a summer music festival in Daytona Beach, when the Stetson University School of Music hosted the London Symphony. Mr. Wick introduced me to what was then his new 4AL mouthpiece. I have been using it ever since, except for my two years in graduate school at Indiana University School of Music in the early 1970's (Dr. Beversdorf insisted I use a more rounded mouthpiece, which I never really adjusted to). My facial/dental structure is much more comfortable with the Denis Wick contour. Just as an aside, if I remember correctly, Mr. Wick mentioned the design of the 4AL was partially influenced by a Salvation Army mouthpiece.
What a fantastic story! Thanks for sharing your insights!
Alan, I believe we were at the LSO festival the same summer. (1969) Summer after 10th grade for me, I was 15 years old. I tried to get my parents to send me to high school in Britain just so I could continue lessons with Mr. Wick. That was a non-starter. Hah! Speaking of dental structure, Mr. Wick looked at my front teeth and couldn't believe I could play well with those crooked buck-teeth! That summer I met and played with Joe Stierli ( a Stetson trombone student ), later met up again at New England Conservatory, and finally played together in the now-defunct, Miami Philharmonic. Anyway- I bought the 4AL from Mr. Wick that summer. I remember that he took it out of the box and played it for awhile to make sure it was a good one before letting me have it. Those were the days long before computer-controlled precision machining, you can tell it was hand made because the 4AL lettering on the side of the mouthpiece is not aligned properly, like someone used letter punches and hand-hammered the 4AL into the mouthpiece. BTW, were you the one driving the daily run from Deland to Daytona when we had a little car accident?
My 5AL is all the work I can handle - tell you what though, within two weeks of starting to work with it last Fall, my bottom end really opened up (that sounds worse than I intended) with no loss on the top. Within two months I was able to add top and bottom I hadn't gotten to in a long time. Love the mouthpiece.
The 4AL was a touch big for me as well honestly; there was a bit of hollowness in the sound where I think a 5 or even a 4.5 would clear things up...
@@SchmittMusicTromboneShop that's (in part) why I'm so blown away by players like James Markey that sound perfect across like 10 octaves on a bass trombone.
@@SchmittMusicTromboneShopAlso, a 4BL or a 4ABL may assist. The A throat is a bit woofy for both classic and heritage series in a 4 rim … and similarly for my 5's, although not as exaggerated.
I’ve been using DW mouthpieces for 6 months. I used to play a Bach 5G from 2020-24. I found that I was having difficulty hitting the low pedal B flat and keeping that note stable. Once I started using the DW 5AL, I noticed that I was getting a richer sound compared with the Bach and I’ve noticed that since the 5AL cup is a touch wider than the 5G, I was able to catch the pedal Bb a little better. For small bore, I use the DW 6BS because I found that it was similar to the small bore mouthpiece that I was using since I started playing, which was the Yamaha 48. I’m currently thinking about getting the 4AL for songs where a lot of low register notes are into play, especially if I’m playing 3rd trombone or even bass trombone.
Thanks for sharing!
Have you ever reviewed the Christian Lindberg mouthpiece line?
I'm picturing playing the ending of the Ropartz from the C through the triplet passages up to that Eb on a 4... makes my chops tired thinking about it. That section kicks my donkey on a 5AL....
It certainly wasn't as easy on the 4AL as I would like it to be! In general I think the 4, 26mm rim is a bit large for my tenor work; kudos to those folks who can really get them to sing but while I can muscle them around a bit they just don't feel as natural to me...
I own one of these, and find the airy sound to be an issue even though l am quite accustomed to playing 4 and larger size cups and rims. It seems to be an issue specific to this particular design. I've also played on a 4 ABL and found it better balanced, with a slightly more narrow and efficient throat and backbore. However, the Greg Black NY (old Alessi) series have even larger throats and backbores and do not sound airy. I will say, though, that those players who sound good on the Wick AL series sound REALLY good on them.
In my personal experience, the airiness in the sound is something I've found to be mostly a behind the horn thing. In that, you as the player notice it way more than the audience hears it. It was something that bothered me quite a bit, but after listening to a few recordings of myself, and asking the opinion of others, it appears it really isn't all that noticeable on the other side of the bell. Just need to learn to ignore that airy sound, know that it really isn't in the end result, and enjoy (or don't) the mouthpiece for it's other characteristics.
Transitioning from the 5G to a 4AL is quite a change. Getting focused on it takes time.
Could you please do a review of the protec pro pac case?
Absolutely! They are the most popular case we carry in the shop and deserve to have a review! I will get one done in the next few weeks; thank you for the suggestion!
Anything you would recommend for a person who plays on a 12C? I’m trying to get a new mouthpiece soon and my braces will be off soon
Try a Vincent Bach 6 1/2 AL
A few questions: 1. How long have you been playing? 2. What kind of playing are you doing (concert band, orchestra, quintet, brass band, jazz ensemble, rock, latin, etc.)? 3. What trombone are you playing on? Sorry for the interrogation but mouthpieces can be a very individual preference and it helps to know where you are and where you are coming from!
Honestly, I think your best shot would be figuring out what style of music you want to focus on playing and trying out many mouthpieces. Find out what size and style is comfortable and gives you the sound you want. If you find a size you like, there may be a brand that makes the same size mouthpiece but with differences in the cup, throat, etc. that you may prefer.
Can you do the heritage series
We have had a few different requests for the Heritage series reviews. The problem is that we don’t typically carry the Heritage pieces as they don’t sell well in our area. However, given the continued interest I am going to talk with DW and see if we can get them to send us a few to demo :)
Would this be a good Euph mouthpiece?
I’d suppose it would be. If you didn’t like any variation of Denis Wick’s Steven Mead Mouthpieces, you could try out a 4AL.
French euphonium Besson artist Bastien Baumet plays on a 4AL.
Me and my friends gave this 4AL a try on between trombone and euphonium as well, we both love it more on our euphoniums, surprisingly even better than the SM euphonium mouthpiece models.
After many years, I tried once again 4AL on my Tenor Trombone,,, still works bette on my euphonium.
Cuanto es wink
Cuanto denis wick
First