Klarinet Archive - Posting 000507.txt from 1995/06

From: Lisa Clayton <clayton@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: mouthpieces
Date: Thu, 22 Jun 1995 14:08:00 -0400

> Lisa...Just to pursue this a little further, I think that any mouthpiece
> which is not "stuffy", is responsive, produces a clear tone, and is easy to
> find reeds for, would work well for jazz playing. A mouthpiece may be
> labelled "jazz" because it is more open at the tip, but might not tune the
> clarinet well. If you found a mouthpiece which feels good and is responsive,
> tunes well, and you can fit reeds to it, you are lucky, whether you are
> playing jazz or classical music, or marching. When I referred to a previous
> thread, I think I was referring more to a comment that "jazz" players played
> on open mouthpieces with soft reeds. I couldn't disagree more with that, and
> I look askance at mouthpiece makers who call their mouthpieces "jazz", in
> order to attract sales. Lee Callet

I'm still very very much the neophyte where the fine details of clarinet
playing are concerned. Thank you VERY much for giving me something to
think about. The biggest problem, for me, is finding something that
can improve the quality of the sound I can get out of my horn, yet still
be forgiving of someone who is still working on her embouchre.

And yeah, I'm susceptible to sales pitches. If a mouthpiece promised
a two-octave gliss with nary a flick of the lower lip, I'd have bit.
On the other hand, if it wasn't for the ads, I'd have never known
that a larger tip opening is recommended for a bigger sound and
more pronounced lip bends.

What an education this has been. Sometimes makes me long for the
days when I took out my Artley and played American Patrol with the other
fourth graders.

____ Lisa K. Canjura-Clayton The obligatory homepage:
/ clayton@-----.edu/~clayton
/ Band=Life COMING SOON: Virtual Barstow!
"There is nothing more onanistic than playing the bass clarinet by yourself"
-Steve Trier