IYM Mouthpieces

By Eddie Carden

IYM’s uniquely designed line of mouthpieces offers brass players comfort and stability while helping to improve endurance. The mouthpieces boast two to four times the silver plating of other mouthpieces. The manufacturer says this design will provide a “longer-lasting, smoother surface, which will not require frequent expensive re-plating.” Thinner plating on other mouthpieces can wear off quicker, affecting the horn’s sound.

Based in Ridgewood, N.J., IYM’s biggest innovation came in mellophone mouthpiece design with the 2005 release of its signature product—the Larry Kerchner Mellophone Mouthpiece. Its “heavy-mass” design contributes to a steady tone by reducing excess vibrations and also features a comfortable “trumpet-style” rim. IYM intends the mouthpiece to combat the mellophone’s notorious intonation issues, producing a dark, rich, orchestral French horn timbre with comfort and stability.

“Ours are radically different from all other mouthpiece designs, and they produce superior results that have been accepted by the judging community,” says IYM President Tony Vaccaro. “It enables the ensembles to use the mellophone as the glue that holds the ensemble together.”

IYM also manufactures mouthpieces for trumpet, trombone, baritone, tuba, French horn, and euphonium. “Each mouthpiece does something unique,” Vaccaro says. “Some of the [tubas] have a lower register which is indistinct; it’s not clear tonally. There are overtones and semblances of dissonance, which are not desirable. Our mouthpiece, by elements of its design, takes a player’s energy and very efficiently channels it into the horn. There is very little loss of energy.”

For more information, visit www.iymcorp.com.

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