Klarinet Archive - Posting 000095.txt from 2000/01

From: Richard Bush <rbushidioglot@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Propriety mouthpiece info?
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 13:50:51 -0500

Dear Walter,

Would you please consider collecting, organizing and offering for sale all you
know ("or think you know") on this subject. I have the basic mouthpiece refacing
equipment, but I must add, other than following some of the tried and true
formulae offered in Eric Brand's book, then extrapolating that info to a
mouthpiece at hand, I really don't know a hell-of-a-lot! I realize this is not
info for the faint of heart, nor the person who shops for a left handed
screw-driver, but please hear me, there are many who are starving for this kind
of information.

P.S. I have not forgotten your request for the facing schedule of my Morgan "D"
bass clarinet mouthpiece. I will do that soon and send you the info as a
personal email.

GrabnerWG@-----.com wrote:

> In a message dated 1/3/00 11:04:03 PM Central Standard Time,
> 100012.1302@-----.com - Keith - writes:
>
> << I worked quite a bit on the tip baffle to darken the sound.
> I widened the area between the tip (side) rails to 11.8 mm.
> Made sure that the window was 32 mm.
> Smoothed the "ramp" area.
> Narrowed the tip rails.
> <
>
> Keith writes again:
>
> << Interesting. Can you quantify the effects of the different
> modifications, eg just what does narrowing the rails do>>
>
> I narrow the side rails near the tip (from ca. 5 mm back from the tip). This
> improves the sound of the throat tones. It allows the same clear tone quality
> from ppp to FFF without embouchure gymnastics.
>
> << why is the window 32 mm>>
>
> Most reeds have the cutoff point at 32 mm from the tip. It seems prudent to
> match the window of the mouthpiece to the portion of the reed that vibrates.
>
> << and are these really independent effects or is there cross-
> coupling between the dimensions?>>
>
> Compare it to adjusting a reed. You adjust a little near the tip on the left
> side. Then you scrape a little on the right side back near the shoulder. You
> may do these things for completely different reasons, but can they ever be
> considered independent?
>
> << Or is this all proprietary? (I wouldn't be surprised or
> upset if it were!) >>
>
> I personally think that the clarinet world demonstrates much ignorance about
> what does and what does not make a good mouthpiece. Is this because
> mouthpiece makers keep all their "goodies" proprietary, or is it because
> clarinettists don't study the mouthpiece/reed/barrel/instrument equation?
>
> Good question.
>
> Nobody "taught" me what I currently know about mouthpieces. Maybe by next
> year I will discover that half of what I think I know now is rubbish.
>
> It is amazing, though, what you can learn through reading. Read the Eric
> Brand text on re-facing mouthpieces, read Stubbins book "The Art of
> Clarinetistry" for the mouthpiece section. Check out Clark Fobes' and Tom
> Ridenour's websites.....
>
> Also a tremendous amount can be learned through examining mouthpieces; both
> those that work well and those that stink.
>
> This is time consuming and expensive.
>
> I have had to purchase a tip gauge, feeler gauges, millimeter ruler, glass
> plate, different grades of sandpaper, a good caliper, millimeter ruler, etc.
>
> I've also had to fashion some of my own tools, in order to do what I know (or
> think I know).
>
> Proprietary knowledge?
>
> There is a big gap between knowing and doing. If I was somehow able to tell
> you how or why I do all the things I do, you still wouldn't be able to do
> them successfully without hours and hours of practise.
>
> By the way, my hat is off to Roger Garrett, who has freely shared much of
> what he has learned.
>
> Walter Grabner
> who is slowly climbing down from his soapbox.....
> ClarinetXpress
> Mouthpieces & More!!!!
> http://www.clarinetxpress.com
>

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