Klarinet Archive - Posting 000088.txt from 1996/05

From: Donald Yungkurth <DYungkurth@-----.COM>
Subj: Mouthpiece Table Flatness
Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 00:32:11 -0400

In working with reeds, I'm a believer in the approach of making certain the
back of the reed is absolutely flat. If the entire surface looks glossy when
polished on paper, response improves for me. This got me to thinking about
flatness of the mouthpiece table.

I took a mouthpiece which played reasonable well, but that I would be willing
to experiment with, and tried polishing the table area, without letting the
tip make contact. This clearly showed that the table wasn't flat. A few
strokes on sandpaper corrected that, again without sanding the tip area.
This seemed to improve the mouthpiece, but the effect wasn't large.

I've read somewhere, perhaps on Klarinet, that there are different schools of
thought on this, with some saying the table should be flat and others
believing it should be slightly concave.

Questions - I'm seeking facts or opinion!

Does flat or concave table affect mouthpiece performance? If, so, why?

Are flat or concave tables intended for use with particular ligature designs?

Thanks for any thoughts on this subject.

Don Yungkurth (DYungkurth@-----.com)