Klarinet Archive - Posting 000386.txt from 1995/08

From: Virginia Lyons <lyonsva@-----.NET>
Subj: Re: e flat, lip guards
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 1995 21:19:00 -0400

I too play a Buffet Eb Clarinet. For years I've been a die-hard 5RV user on
my Bb & A clarinets, and when I purchased my Eb the first thing I did was
get a 5RV for it as well (assuming that this would be better than the Buffet
mouthpiece I got with the horn, and that something similar to my Bb
mouthpiece would be good idea). I've been extremely happy with it. I use
Vandoren 4's on it, and the Vandoren Reverse ligature.

I'm a frequent attender at CAMMAC music camps, and professional clarinet
coaches their have asked to try my set-up and *all* have really liked it! A
group I play in has had several guest conductors that are also pro
clarinetists, and they too tried my instrument and set-up and also liked it.
I'm starting to think that when one Eb Clarinetist meets another, the first
thing they do is ask to try each other's horn!

As an aside, when I started playing a lot of Eb Clarinet 10 years ago, I
started using paper over my sharp bottom teeth, all the time, on both Eb and
Bb. This allowed me to play for hours without getting a sore lip. The
thickness of the paper also forced my embouchure to change slightly, as my
jaw had to drop a little more - and this improved my sound. After years of
disolving paper in my mouth and wiping it off my reeds and mouthpiece, I
tried the suggestion made to the list about slicing off a chunk of hockey
mouthguard and molding it to fit. It's been fantastic! One mouthguard at a
grand expense of $0.97 will make half a dozen lip guards and probably keep
me playing for years and years!

Ginny Lyons
amateur clarinetist in Waterloo, Ontario
lyonsva@-----.net