Klarinet Archive - Posting 000419.txt from 2000/11

From: Bilwright@-----.net (William Wright)
Subj: Re: Re: [kl] Wood clarinet
Date: Thu, 9 Nov 2000 13:52:40 -0500

<><> Katie Lind wrote:
I've played for 3 years

IMO, this tips the balance in favor of, first, being sure that your
wood clarinet is truly in good repair --- which is an important issue
because a quick 'once-over inspection' can leave you unknowingly trapped
by a minor misadjustment --- and then if the instrument is truly OK, you
should try out some other mouthpieces, preferably from different
manufacturers.
You've played long enough that your embouchure and breathing
probably have some constancy, and therefore you should be able to make
some meaningful decisions as to which mouthpiece suits you and your new
clarinet the best.
If you don't know this already, many dealers allow you to take
mouthpieces on trial for 10 days or 2 weeks (often three mouthpieces at
a time). I resisted this idea at first, but eventually I decided that
it was necessary. Each trial costs $10-15 (restocking, cleaning and
shipping charges) plus another $5-$10 in patches to avoid scratching the
mouthpiece; but unless you're willing to spend several hundred dollars
on mouthpieces that you'll use only a few times, it seems to me (now) to
be an 'okay' strategy.
The part about different manufacturers seems important to me.
When I first experimented, I purchased four different models from the
same manufacturer. It turned out that all of them gave me the same
difficulty. It was only when my instructor insisted (almost at
gunpoint -- that's a metaphor, of course) that I try different
manufacturers that I finally found a set-up that works well for me.

Cheers,
Bill

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org