Klarinet Archive - Posting 000480.txt from 2000/01

From: GrabnerWG@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] Mouthpiece FAQ
Date: Sat, 15 Jan 2000 17:39:49 -0500

Tell ya Dan, I'm despairing on this one.

The more I learn about mouthpieces, the more I realize how much more I have
to learn.

I'm going to research all the stuff Lee Gibson wrote in the Clarinet Society
Journal (Claranalysis articles), purchase his book on clarinet acoustics, and
also Art Benade's books. Then maybe I can write something meaningful.

I know many people think that Stubbins' book "Clarinetistry" is a lot of
hooey, but these are some real pearls in there. One that I truly believe is
that the mouthpiece and reed TOGETHER constitute a tone generating mechanism.
Discussing one without the other makes very limited sense.........

As you can see, I am still groping.

One thing I am doing at this point is making detailed measurements of as many
GOOD (my opinion of good) mouthpieces as I can lay my hands on to see what
there is in COMMON between them.

These measurements include:

Total Length
Length of bore
Width of bore at tenon
Width of bore at top of cone
Length of window
Width of window at tip
Width of tip rail
Width of side rails
Width of window at lowest portion
Depth of Windway at end of chamber
Angled wall or straight wall
tip baffle shape (Concave, convex, flat)

Then, and only then, the standard facing measurements.

( One thing I KNOW, for sure, is that the internal measurements, are more
important than the facing in tone production, quickness of attack, and
intonation.It seems to me that people focus on the facing because it is one
of the few measurements that CAN be easily measured and adjusted.)

I measured one mouthpiece this way this am, waiting for my son at his
orchestra practise. It took me 45 minutes to make, verify, and record these
measurements for one mouthpiece. Yech.

Walter Grabner
ClarinetXpress
Mouthpieces & More!!!!
http://www.clarinetxpress.com

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