Klarinet Archive - Posting 000619.txt from 1995/09

From: bassethn@-----.ORG
Subj: Mark Dunlop's response
Date: Fri, 29 Sep 1995 01:16:59 -0400

Hello Mark.

I own and regularly operate a Leblanc basset horn. Pertaining your
question about reeds, I have had the most success with alto sax reeds. I
have found that alto clarinet reeds are too narrow for the mouthpieces
that I play.

Dan Leeson says that the Leblanc 'alto clarinet in f' uses alto clarinet
mouthpieces. For some reason or another, I cannot get alto clarinet
mouthpieces to work on my instrument. Curiously, I know people who play
Leblancs who *can* use alto clar mouthpieces. My bassethorn is older,
almost thirty years old I believe and maybe it is a different bore than
the ones more commonly in use? I don't know. At any rate, I have tried
Selmer alto clarinet mouthpieces -- I am a big fan of Selmer bass clarinet
mouthpieces -- but the pitch (unbearbly sharp) and response was horrendous
for me. Now, I have had the pleasure of playing the K 361 sitting beside
Dan, and I'm certain that he has some comments about pitch and response
>from Canadian played basset horns.

I currently play the mouthpiece that came with the instrument, a Leblanc
blank. It was refaced by Dan Johnston, an upstate New York mouthpiece
craftsman. I also have another Leblanc mouthpice that I purchased in
Paris from a guy who worked at the Leblanc factory testing basset horns
(can you believe it -- talk about a full time gig!). Both are
middle-of-the-road facings. Alto saxophone reeds (again,
middle-of-the-road such as Vandoren 3 or even Hemke 3) are my reeds of
choice on both of these mouthpieces.

Boy, this basset horn hybrid thing is really going to loosen up Dan's
typing fingers now!

=========================================
David Bourque
Bass Clarinet, Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Internet: bassethn@-----.org
=========================================

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