Klarinet Archive - Posting 000086.txt from 2001/09

From: GrabnerWG@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] Mouthpieces and reed longevity
Date: Tue, 4 Sep 2001 14:01:28 -0400

Clark Fobes says:

<<If the dip in the table is done properly, the reed will sit squarley on the table and does not tend to warp towards the tip so readily.

There are certainly other factors in mouthpiece design that may reduce reed longevity such as tip opening , window length, tilt and baffle shape, but I
believe that shape of the table surface has the greatest influence.>>

As usual, Clark has been extremely articulate.

I do agree with what he says.

I would also like to add an additional "opinion".

I am beginning to suspect that a symmetrical facing also adds to reed longevity. I am not going to attempt to explain why, because I simply do not know. I could make a guess, but it would be only that.

Now, let me try to explain what I was trying to say several weeks ago.

I have adopted, FOR MYSELF, a mouthpiece design that incorporates a convex table, as symmetrical a facing as I can manage, and a curve that is friendly to the majority of a well known brand and strength of reeds.

Since I have done this, I PERSONALLY have enjoyed what I can only interpret as "fewer reed problems" and greater longevity in the reeds on which I perform.

This is the point I was trying to make several weeks ago.

Let me say one other thing. Without any form of "scientific" measurement, I believe that IN GENERAL, one can get a slightly more "complex" sound using a fairly acute asymetrical facing. However, I also believe, that for the vast majority of players, this slight increase in "complexity" is offset by the difficulty of finding and adjusting reeds for such a facing.

I am all for a lively discussion on this point. Thank you Tony and Clark and others. Discussions like this force me to sharpen and clarify my thinking on the subject.

Walter Grabner

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