Klarinet Archive - Posting 000233.txt from 1999/08

From: "Kevin Fay (LCA)" <kevinfay@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] KASPAR!!
Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 13:47:01 -0400

JeFf694821@-----. Grabner's assertion that "There's no
magic here, a number of people (Fobes, Greg Smith, Pyne, etc.) make
wonderful mouthpieces. Check them first."

<<<I disagree with you, my clarinet teacher at WVU plays a Kaspar that he's
had for years and his tone matches very closely with Bonade and Marcellus.
The Greg Smith and Pyne are all good mouthpieces I'm sure, but I want a
mouthpiece that has the resonance and tonal quality that Marcellus had.>>>

I have many other things to do today, but I just can't help myself with this
one. It's just so silly.

Note well--playing on Robert Marcellus' mouthpiece will not, not, not make
you sound like Robert Marcellus, unless you happen to be Robert Marcellus.
Sorry, it's not the mouthpiece. Your teacher has a good sound because they
are a good clarinet player. All the Kaspar does is show how old they are.

D. Stanley Hasty was a pretty good clarinet player and teacher. (Actually a
demigod on both counts--aside from being at one time the principal of
Cleveland and Rochester Phils--plus others--his list of students is
staggering. Try Larry Combs, Elsa Ludwig-Vedehr (sp?), Charles Bay, Jim
Pyne, Tom Martin, Ted Gurch, Sean Osborne et al. Thirty year's teaching =
Eastman and you graduate a few good ones) On more than one occasion, I
snuck into a master class to see him noodle on students' horns. No matter
what mouthpiece, reed or clarinet that the cat dragged in, he sounded
exquisite. IT AIN'T THE MOUTHPIECE.

Now, there's no question that some mouthpieces are easier than others' to
get a great tone out of--that's why I paid Greg Smith a bit of cash to get
one. But I also own and have used mouthpieces made by Richard Hawkins, Dan
Johnston, O'Brien, Vandoren and Selmer. While I don't like them as much,
'cuz I have to work harder, they do indeed work. Every "professional"
mouthpiece made has some guy or gal out there who sounds great using it--one
is "better" than another only because it happens to work better for that
person (and their dental structure).

Mouthpieces are just tools to get the job done. Equipment is very critical
if you think it is--Buddy Wright played his entire career on one set of
clarinets and maybe 2 mouthpieces. Were thay the golden holy grail that he
was lucky to have and treasure? I think not--he could play a garden hose w/
a kazoo and still sound like Buddy Wright.

The most inportant part of your body when playing is your brain.

kjf

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