Expert: Kenton Scott - 6/12/2008

Question
I have a old King 3b Concert with f attachent that my my dad gave me he played it in high school. Im now going in 9th grade, and iv played it for 4 years.  It works real nice.  The slide has no dings in it. the only thing that is going bad is the finish. I still want it to have that antique look, but I don't want to look worn out.  How could I fix that. All so what is a good mouth piece for it. I want to have a  good range. I usually play with a 6 1/2 Al but cant play higher than high F, but can play super low b flat{thats what my band teacher calls it]. But with the 12 c I cant even play low b flat. Is there one in between

Answer
For the finish, you might want to try rubbing a little Brasso on the tarnished spots, and see if that improves the looks like you are seeking.  

Super low Bb, would be the pedal Bb.

On the mouthpieces, a change in mouthpiece can make one part of your range easier to play than another, but a mouthpiece isn't gone to appreciably increase your range.  

Practice is what will increase your range.  In particular try playing long tones and lip slurs. Whatever mouthpiece you choose to use, you should still be able to get the full range on the horn.  The larger mouthpieces will give you a fuller darker tone and the low note will come more easily.  With a small mouthpiece you will have a brighter more penetrating sound and you won't get tired on the high notes as quickly.