Klarinet Archive - Posting 000246.txt from 1999/08

From: Roger Garrett <rgarrett@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Re: Rubber v. Plastic
Date: Wed, 11 Aug 1999 19:22:32 -0400

On Wed, 11 Aug 1999, Mark Weinstein wrote:
> << or, Plastic v. Rubber >> ((grin))
> Obviously, Mr. Anello has experience and an opinion. definitely one-sided
> towards Rubber being a (much) better alternative.
> He lists CONS against the use of Plastic.
>
> More importantly, Mr. Anello is raising issues that have not been discussed
> on the "Student Mouthpiece" recent thread.
>
> Are these new issues Fact, Fiction or (just more) Opinion. Physcial
> characteristics seem tougher to refute in these arguments.

Thanks for posting Mark - I'm glad the thread is going also!

There are two threads going simultaneously. One is - to plastic or not to
plastic, that is the question......the other has kind of evolved out of
that - problems or advantages to plastic in terms of:

Cost trade-off with sound
quality
longevity
dependability

I visited the websit you mentioned, and, for the most part, I tend to
agree with Mr. Anello. However, I have a Debut mouthpiece from Clark
Fobes, and it plays better than 70% of the mouthpieces out there - hard
rubber or plastic. Would I have a student purchase one? Good question.
If they were in my home town and available for purchase at $29 and they
could try out 10 - it would be ok - as a stepup mouthpiece. However, if
they have to order them, probably not. My situation is unique because
many of the mouthpieces students come to me with are refaceable - most are
Vandoren 5RV's and, after a reface - are far superior to any plastic I
have tried (and I've tried all that have been mentioned so far). If I was
a band director and had to purchase mouthpieces for under $30 for my
school program, I would go with the Fobes. But for a few bucks more,
other good hard rubber mouthpieces are available. It depends on the
school, the location, the budget, etc.

Regarding this thread:

Every person has their own reason for posting regarding mouthpieces. I
simply believe that information that is readilly available and that I have
may be shared - and I do so - without double talk and without reading
between the lines. If that upsets others who don't hold the
same opinion, I apologize for motivating such a reaction. However,
everyone bears the responsibility for reading and understanding the intent
of a post. If I have stated my intent and someone disagrees with the
opinion but understands the intent, there should be no problem. The
person who disagrees with the opinion and then chooses to attack the
intent because, and only because they disagree with the opinion, needs to
adjust their attitude.
Roger Garrett
Professor of Clarinet
Director - Concert Band, Symphonic Winds & Titan Band
Advisor - Recording Studio
Illinois Wesleyan University

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