Klarinet Archive - Posting 001160.txt from 1998/04

From: "Kevin Fay" <kevinfay@-----.com>
Subj: Re: Re: Mouthpiece Facings & Reed Strength
Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 12:43:03 -0400

Gosh--and the B45 is supposed to be the world's most popular orchestral
mouthpiece!! Mine is now used as a doorstop. It functions quite well.
;-)

On a more serious note, I am always looking for the perfect mouthpiece,
one that will take care of all problems AND is cheap and readily
availiable for student purchase. Personally, I use one of those custom
things--in my case, a Dan Johnston J facing--and really like it. It's
hard to have my jr. high students shuffle off to Buffalo for a fitting,
though.

I've come across the Woodwind K10. It's a little closer than my facing,
and seems a little brighter, but seems to be a pretty OK commercial
mouthpiece. I wish the tip rail was wider, though.

Any thoughts out there on what to suggest to your students? I have
usually recommended either the Hite Premier or Clark Fobes' student
line, both pretty OK and reasonable.

kjf

----Original Message Follows----
From: RCLARINET <RCLARINET@-----.com>
Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 09:44:24 EDT
Subject: Re: Re: Mouthpiece Facings & Reed Strength

In a message dated 4/17/98 5:45:38 PM, you wrote:

<<At 09:47 PM 4/16/98 -0500, Roger Garrett wrote:
>The M13 mouthpiece has the following schedule and tip opening:
>
>104 tip opening (1.04)
>4
>10
>21
>33
>
>What this means frankly, is that the tip is very close, and the curve
>schedule is quite short. If you are playing on 2 or 2.5 reeds, you
either
>have no strength in the embouchure, or you never play above a high C.

Doesn't the short curve schedule (given a constant tip opening) require
a
softer reed than a longer, more gradual curve like a B45?

The shorter curve does indeed mitigate the closeness of the tip, causing
the
reed to feel stiffer than it would feel if the tip were the same and the
curve
was longer.
The B45, however, does not have what I would call a more graduated
curve.
It's schedule is not much longer, especially near the tip, and then the
tip
itself flares quickly open to a whopping 1.18, and some I have measured
have
gone up to 1.20!
Only a sax player should ever play the B45. It is not fit for anyone who
wants
to play the clarinet seriously in a classical setting.
tom

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