Klarinet Archive - Posting 000390.txt from 2003/02

From: b1rite@-----. Rite)
Subj: Re: [kl] mouthpiece recommendations
Date: Wed, 12 Feb 2003 11:41:34 -0500

<><> Vic=A0Brincat wrote:
Am I looking for easier flow, tone quality, uniformity in range?

Presumably you are looking for a mouthpiece which allows you to produce
the sound that you want without undue effort.

Practice builds strength, and therefore the meaning of "undue effort"
will change for you over the years. And of course, other people
(including instructors and friends and listening to other performers)
may convince you over the years that a particular sound is more
appropriate (for a particular composition) even though it wasn't the
sound to which you gravitated in the beginning.

It is not always true, for example, that "easier flow" is best.
("Resistance" is the usual word for this.) Many players want a
noticeable amount of resistance to play against. I chose my mouthpiece
and instrument because I didn't want too much resistance, but you can go
too far in either direction.

The tendency to "squeak" is an obvious point of attention. I gave up
on a certain brand of mouthpieces because I got sick and tired of
fighting off the "squeaks" --- no matter which model of this particular
brand that I tried. Other people praise the same brand for its
'flexibility' (ability to control tone by adjusting embouchure and
breath support and so forth). So once again, "undue effort" is as
important as the sound itself, and your feelings about both will change
as you accumulate experience.

In fact, just about every aspect of playing is influenced by your choice
of mouthpiece.... and also by your choice of instrument.... and also by
your choice of barrel.... and also by your choice of ligature.... and
also by your choice of reed... and also by your choice of bell....

<><> Could someone please explain the various numbering and lettering
scheme associated with mouth pieces.

It's common to discuss the size of tip opening and table length and
whether the facing is symmetrical or not; but a mouthpiece cannot be
reduced to a set of numbers because there are too many factors, and all
the factors interact with each other.

Given the complexity of mouthpieces, the tip opening and table length
are a place to begin the conversation, but only to begin it. In the
end, you just have to say "I do/don't like <a particular mouthpiece>
because, for me...." Your mouth and everything else about your anatomy
and nervous system interact with the mouthpiece (and with the ligature
and the reed and your mood on a particular day....), and therefore even
a simple statement about tip opening may be physically false for a
player with a different sized mouth or tongue or whatever.

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