Klarinet Archive - Posting 001059.txt from 1997/12

From: "Karl Krelove" <kkrelove@-----.com>
Subj: Re: new mouthpiece
Date: Sun, 28 Dec 1997 19:06:04 -0500

-----Original Message-----
From: Roger Garrett <rgarrett@-----.edu>
Date: Sunday, December 28, 1997 3:56 PM
Subject: Re: new mouthpiece

>Karen,
>
>You might not have known it before, but you have probably concluded now
>that no mouthpiece is identical to another. ......either way, you are
going to be >doing trial and error for awhile.
>
>Roger Garrett
>
>On Sun, 28 Dec 1997, Cheddar99 wrote:
>
>> Hey! I just got a new Morgan RM15 mouthpiece for Christmas. I had been
talking
>> nonstop abou tmy friend's mouthpice beacuse I had played on hers once and
>> loved it. But the one I have now doesn't respond as well and has a stuffy
>> tone. ...(I tried her mp on my clarinet so I know that's not the problem)

>>
>> Karen D.

This is not directed specifically to either Karen or Roger, but the above
exchange kind of focuses on a point I have missed seeing anywhere in the
discussion along this thread. That Karen tried someone's mouthpiece and
loved it but was disappointed by another of the same mouthpiece isn't
altogether the fault of variability among the mouthpieces. When she tried
her friend's setup on her clarinet, the reed she was using had presumably
been selected for the mouthpiece (I'm assuming it was the friend's reed).
With any new mouthpiece there is a time of experimenting, especially with
reed selection and adjustment. I'd suspect that at least some of the
difference between Karen's friend's mouthpiece and the one Karen got is that
she isn't probably using the same reed for both trials, and the reeds she
has available aren't as well suited to the new mouthpiece (maybe not to the
friend's mouthpiece either).

Karen, be very careful about not marking the mouthpiece up (use a pad for
your teeth even if you normally don't, and be very careful with the
ligature), and take a week to try out reeds with it. Maybe check with your
friend to find out what reeds she's using. As people have said countless
times on this list, reed variability is at least as great as that of
mouthpieces, so make sure you try a variety of reeds within the strength
your friend uses. I don't know if you've already done this or not. You
didn't say in your original post. If nothing works, then send it back and
try again.

Karl

   
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