Klarinet Archive - Posting 000526.txt from 1997/09

From: Roger Garrett <rgarrett@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: Tone and mouthpieces
Date: Wed, 10 Sep 1997 14:58:35 -0400

Suprisingly, many custom mouthpieces, Genusa nothwithstanding, lower
pitch. Actually, the problem is that so many stock mouthpieces and
"specialized" mouthpieces RAISE the pitch! There are many theories as to
why such mouthpieces are pitched high....the most reasonable being that
public school children are begun on reeds that are too soft 1, 1.5, and
(yes) 2's. Students end up playing flat (let's not even begin to think
about embouchure and tongue position in some of these instances!), and the
mouthpieces are a step toward the solution. While well-meaning, they miss
the mark. So.......many mouthpieces are high in pitch, and clarinetists
are forever pulling out everywhere. Along come a few good mouthpiece
makers and *poof*....now the pitch is lower! I have found that the lower
pitched mouthpieces, Pyne, Genusa, Smith, Bay tend to play right on
target. It takes some getting used to, and, as I posted in an earlier
message, it will redefine how one uses air (the whole business of slow and
fast air, tongue position [voicing], etc.) until one becomes used to the
mouthpiece. But....the overall scale of the horn will be much more
aligned than with the sharper pitched mouthpieces.

Roger Garrett

On Wed, 10 Sep 1997, Leslie Andersen wrote:

> I decided on a Gennusa and have been very happy with it except for one
> thing. It has lowered my pitch significantly. So much so that I had to buy
> a shorter barrel. I now play well in tune most of the time with it but have
> always been puzzled as to why it would have lowered my pitch so
> much. I'm using the same reeds (Vandoren 4) and ligature (Harrison
> gold) that I had been using before. I have never had this experience
> before or since with a mouthpiece. I have thought of looking for another
> but am hesitant to start the "mouthpiece game" all over again, having
> been there too many times. Any thoughts about this?
>
> Leslie Andersen, Clarinettist who works as a Librarian
>
>