Curved bell baritone?

Question

I play a curved bell baritone and I always find myself looking down when I play because the mouthpiece only fits with my mouth when I tilt my head down. What am I doing wrong? When you don't play what postiton are you suppose to hold it.

Answer 1

You're holding the instrument too close to your body - hold it out from your body some and bring your head up. Don't hug the horn - cradle it. When seated, you can rest the lower bend on your lap and angle the horn to reach your mouth at the correct angle. Do not let the horn come in too close to your body or the mouthpiece will be at too sharp an angle to get good head position.

resting position depends on your band. Most bell front baritone players (including US Army) will cradle the instrument across the front of the body while bell-up and euphonium players will go under the arm with the bell forward.