Klarinet Archive - Posting 000109.txt from 1996/03

From: Everett J Austin <BrendaA624@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Commercial Mouthpieces
Date: Tue, 5 Mar 1996 00:07:25 -0500

Ben Maas wrote:

I have better things to do than to worry about having the perfect setup to
play on. Why not just spend your time getting used to one setup (as none
will ever be perfect) and save your money for better things? Just learn to
play the !@-----.

Ben Maas

This advice should carry some weight with "equipment freaks" (in the clarinet
world and other venues in like as well). I can add an anecdote of recent
origin to illustrate: I wrote Hans Rudolf Stalder to ask him about Cahuzac
whom he studied with, since I very much admire the sound of both of these
players. I learned that Cahuzac played a Vandoren 5RV and Stalder plays a
B45. I would never have guessed that from listening. How many clarinet
students play a B45 and don't sound like Stalder! Stalder said he thinks the
equipment has a certain importance, but the most important thing is the sound
you have "dans l'oreille" (in the ear), which the more academic would call
"tonal concept". If the mouthpiece makes this achievement easier, so much
the better.

Everett Austin
Fairfax, California