Klarinet Archive - Posting 000033.txt from 2002/09

From: Karl Krelove <karlkrelove@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] reed strength for darker tone
Date: Wed, 4 Sep 2002 20:15:58 -0400

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Joe Redmon [mailto:red1451@-----.com]
> Dear everyone,
>
> What are your thoughts regarding reed strength to
> achieve a darker tone?

You've sort of doomed the discussion at the very outset. Only you know what
you mean by "dark."

> Generally, a dark tone is produced
> with a resistant setup (ie- close facing/hard
> reed).

Maybe. But this can also be a prescription for a dull, fuzzy unattractive
sound if you go too far with the "hard reed" (i.e. "resistance") after you
find your close facing.

> I currently use a Vandoren M13 Lyre mouthpiece
> with number 4 1/2 V12 reeds. It's hard to not get
> that fuzz in the sound at pianissimo and piano.

I played on M13, M13 Lyre, M14, and M15 for a period of several months. I
found most V12 4 1/2's barely playable and very inflexible and unresponsive
on any of the facings (which are not so very different from each other).
Even some 4's were hard to play on musically. For me the setup lacked
flexibility even at louder levels unless I lightened up on the reed. Tom
Ridenour made a slight adjustment to the tip end of the curve on one M13 I
have that seemed to clean some of the problem up, and I was able to
accomplish the same thing on a couple of others by repeating what Tom did.
But I don't think all the resistance of that mouthpiece line is in the
facing curve. The interiors of mouthpieces differ greatly, and two
mouthpieces with nearly identical curves and tip openings can play very
differently.

> Also,
> there is not a lot of inflection in the way of tone
> and flexibility. The sound is stable though, but one
> has to bite a bit to focus the sound. Any thoughts on
> all of this?

If you really like the M13's basic features, lighten the reeds up. You
shouldn't need to "bite a bit" and you shouldn't put up with a lack of
flexibility or "inflection" - those contribute heavily to musical playing.

> Is it possible to get a dark sound with
> lighter reeds still using my close facing mouthpiece?
> There has to be a middle ground!!!!!! :)
>

It sounds as if you may need to broaden your own criteria beyond a binary
"dark/bright" choice. "Dark," even if you find a clear distinction in your
own mind between it and "bright," can include a broad range of qualities.
The trick is to get a sound in your ear, or your imagination, or wherever
such mental images live, that can act as a standard. This standard then
exists for you without the need to characterize it with words. It seems to
me, for what it's worth, that you need to judge the sound you produce not
against a single verbal descriptor or even a set of them, but against that
sound you hear in your own ear as the one you want to make. If you can
achieve that, words like "dark," which are in reality largely meaningless
anyway, become unnecessary.

Yes, I suspect you CAN get the sound you're looking for with a close facing
and the right reed. Just be sure that, among your search criteria, the
combination is responsive and flexible.

My nickel's worth,

Karl Krelove

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