Klarinet Archive - Posting 000559.txt from 2002/09

From: "CLARK FOBES " <reedman@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Switching mouthpieces. My 2 cents.
Date: Wed, 25 Sep 2002 14:36:17 -0400

I think it is impossible to make a definitive statement about mouthpiece
switching EXCEPT that I believe it may have more to do more with
personality than with necessity.

However, my experience tells me that most professional clarinetists would
prefer not to change mouthpieces regularly. There is value to knowing that
a mouthpiece is reliable and will produce the needed volume, color and
response in a variety of situations. Also, every mouthpiece has its own
tuning characteristics and it may take some time to get these locked into
the unconscious and the ear.

That being said, there are some significant variables that may contribute
to a need to change mouthpieces. Certainly, younger players "grow out" of
mouthpieces and may change mouthpieces several times before finding
something that suits them. Another critical factor may be winning a job or
changing jobs. A new person in the section (particularly a new principal
player) may very well influence the sound of the section. Venue is also
extremely influential on mouthpiece choice. The requirements for sound in
an opera orchestra are different that those of symphonic orchestra and the
size and shape of halls are all different.

Our bodies do change as we get older and that may have an affect on what we
perceive as the ideal mouthpiece. With men, there is generally a hearing
loss of the upper partials as we get older. This may have a somewhat
deleterious effect on sound. With this loss an older player's sound may
become "brighter" in order to hear the upper partials more clearly.
(Listening to the upper partials is how we determine pitch). A player with
this type of hearing loss may need a mouthpiece with more present upper
partials.

General tastes in sound change. For many years (60s, 70s, 80s) a lot of
players were locked into the Kaspar/Buffet R-13 paradigm. Prior to that
most players were using French style mouthpieces (Chedeville, Selmer HS*,
Lelandais)that had very close, short facings. The predominant clarinet
during the first half of the 2oth century was Selmer.

Popular mouthpiece makers (Kaspar as a case in point) can have a great
influence on "taste" in sound. In the last decades of the 20th century
James Pyne can probably be counted as the most influential mouthpiece maker
in the late 20th century. Regardless if you are a fan of the Pyne
mouthpiece, they generated a different sound than the Chedeville style
mouthpieces and influenced a large group of players to move toward what I
would call a "covered" sound. Recently, the advent of the Zinner
mouthpieces and the proliferation of makers using this blank (without
suitable alterations) may indicate a new shift simply because the blank
has a certain characteristic if simply refaced.

And finally - mouthpieces do wear out. The continual beating of the reed on
the mouthpiece causes elongation and or rail collapse.
Ligatures that are over tightened can cause mouthpieces to warp.

The unique aspect of being a clarinetist in this country is that there are
several excellent craftsman making mouthpieces and we have many more
choices than in any other country on the planet and we have many more
choices as clarinetists than at any other point in history.

Clark W Fobes

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