Klarinet Archive - Posting 000280.txt from 1999/08

From: GCalzati@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] Re: Rubber v. Plastic
Date: Thu, 12 Aug 1999 09:45:00 -0400

In a message dated 8/11/99 11:00:07 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
rbushidioglot@-----.net writes:

> I hate Vandoren B45s. I consider them hard blowing, bright or
> even shrill in tone and many play severely out of tune.

They can be made to sound good if you find the right reed, ligature and a
person with a good ear that can play in tune. Most often it is the player
that plays out of tune, not the mouthpiece, although sometimes the
instrument.

If it is the mouthpiece, I believe that also can be rectified.

Don't we all have to make adjustments to our pitch when we are playing next
to others? If you show up for a gig and there is a clunky out of tune piano
would you change clarinets, barrels, mouthpieces or ligatures to adjust? No.
You would adjust the position of the barrel and make the other necessary
adjustments with your embouchure and hope for the best.

I have found Selmer plastic student clarinets to always play flat. I have my
students get a shorter barrel and that rectifies the situation.

Don't get me wrong. I used to be a mouthpiece hopper. That never ending
quest in an effort to sound just like I would like to sound.

I was too busy always searching for mouthpieces that I could never practice
properly because that variable was always changing. I realized after the
last purchase that I liked the mouthpiece well enough at my first impression
that I would make it work no matter what. I have been quite happy with it.

It is the player who affects the sound first and foremost.

Try this, have a player whom you respect and think it a better player try
your equipment. You would not believe that it was your equipment. I
guarantee you would say, "I didn't know it can sound like that!" (The only
problem being that the person would probably use their own mouthpiece.) If
you went out a purchased the same mouthpiece you still could not sound
exactly like them.

It is the person playing the instrument.

There is the right combination of factors out there for every individual
player. It is just a matter of finding out what works best for you.

Sorry this has been so long.

Georgette

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