{"id":8783,"date":"2023-04-19T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-19T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wilktone.com\/?p=8783"},"modified":"2023-04-19T10:49:02","modified_gmt":"2023-04-19T14:49:02","slug":"stratos-a-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wilktone.com\/?p=8783","title":{"rendered":"Stratos – A Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For years I\u2019ve been coming across advertisements for the Stratos, invented by trombonist Marcus Reynolds. I first heard about this device about 10 years ago, in 2013, and wrote up my initial thoughts here<\/a>. In 2014 I came across another video from Reynolds and wrote my impressions of that video here<\/a>. Reynolds is a tireless promoter and I\u2019ve been seeing more and more of his posts and videos about this device the past couple of years, so I finally broke down and purchased one to see if it lives up to the hype.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since this will be a long post, I\u2019ll give you the tl\/dr version up top – You can save your money. It\u2019s possible that it can be used for a small number of embouchure tweaks, but it\u2019s completely unnecessary and if you use it wrong it has the potential to hurt more than it helps. Using it correctly is harder than you might think. Reynolds’s instructions don\u2019t take individual differences into account or certain embouchure mechanics that the Stratos interferes with.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the Stratos?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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The Stratos is a device that is designed to attach to the shank of your mouthpiece. An adjustable rod with a suction cup then is set so that it rests against your chin while you play. There is some give with the chin rest due to a spring set up inside, but the general idea is that it will keep you from pressing the mouthpiece hard against the lips. There are two versions. The original is called the Stratos Encore Pro<\/a> and costs \u00a3249.99 ($313.04 currently). A less expensive version, 3D printed I believe, is called the Stratos Performer<\/a> and costs  \u00a379.99 ($100.17). They aren\u2019t cheap and that doesn’t include shipping costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The inventor, Marcus Reynolds<\/a>, is a U.K. based trombonist of some note. His embouchure bonafide comes from his experiences relearning how to play following an accident which pushed his mouthpiece through his top lip. After an operation he also apparently developed focal task specific dystonia in the embouchure<\/a>. He diagnosed his initial return to playing as being held back by \u201clactic acid trying to repair the scar tissue\u201d and invented the Stratos as a way for him to practice with the mouthpiece rim \u201chovering\u201d over the scar tissue. Today he has returned to performing professionally and tirelessly promotes the Stratos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you order the Stratos Performer it will come unassembled and you’ll have a sheet of paper giving you a brief overview on how to assemble it, as well as a typed out link and QR code to a YouTube video that goes over putting it together. The typed out link was broken, but the QR code did direct me to this video<\/a>. I did not receive any instructions from Reynolds on how to use the device with my order, so I had to do my own internet searches and reached out directly to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Are the Claims?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before I go into details on my personal thoughts, I think it\u2019s helpful to take a closer look at the inventor\u2019s claims and learn whether they hold water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Air Stream Direction<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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