Klarinet Archive - Posting 000142.txt from 2001/08

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausmann1@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Jazz mouthpieces
Date: Mon, 13 Aug 2001 13:00:01 -0400

At 09:58 AM 8/10/2001 -0700, Clark W Fobes wrote:
> While I don't play Jazz, I do make a "Jazz" mouthpiece that has been very
>popular with a lot of players who play Klezmer, Trad jazz and Dixieland
>style. Tip opening alone does not dictate qualities that one would construe
>as a "Jazz" mouthpiece. In fact, I suppose any mouthpiece that has enough
>flexibility to bend notes might be suitable for jazz. Gary Foster uses
>several of my mouthpieces depending on the style of playing, but he prefers
>my 4L for jazz style recording. This is not my "jazz" mouthpiece and anyone
>that knows Gary sound knows that he likes to play with a lot of warmth and
>does not play with the "edge" in his sound that one might hear in some
>styles of Jazz.
>
> My "jazz" mouthpiece has a 1.20mm opening, but it also has a very high
>baffle that makes it bright, flexible and powerful. It is the baffle profile
>and the long facing (19mm) that gives it these qualities. I have arrived at
>1.20mm at my upper most limit for clarinet tip opening because of the
>problem with intonation that can occur when one goes much out of this range.
>A good example is the Van doren 5JB, which has a tip opening of around 1.40
>mm. I consider this more of a saxophone type facing.
>
> I also make a 1.20mm opening mouthpiece (6L) with a more traditional
>baffle style and it is quite resistant compared to the "Jazz" mouthpiece.

While I have been using a K10M lately for concert band work, I still use my
Selmer C85 115 for jazz/big band. It is more open, more flexible, and has
a much more powerful sound, giving me at least a CHANCE to be heard over
the saxophones!

> One last point about Van Doren facing descriptions. The chart
>indications by Van Doren are ideals and the mouthpieces are highly
>inconsistent with regard to tip opening.
>Also, the facing lengths that are indicated are much longer than what I have
>measured with my .0015 gauge. We use this gauge traditionally to measure the
>end of the curve, but obviously this measures a spot that is short of the
>point where the curve meets the table. Perhaps Van Doren has a way of
>measuring with light that gives the true point where curve and table meet.

I have a mouthpiece chart from a box of Vandoren Eb clarinet reeds. If I
read its pictoral/multilingual explanation correctly, the facing length is
measured with a clear calibrated piece placed over the lay and a 3/100mm
feeler gauge .

Bill Hausmann bhausmann1@-----.com
451 Old Orchard Drive http://homepages.go.com/~zoot14/zoot14.html
Essexville, MI 48732 ICQ UIN 4862265

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is TOO LOUD!

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