Klarinet Archive - Posting 000769.txt from 2003/02

From: CBA <clarinet10001@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] mouthpiece recomendations
Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2003 15:36:05 -0500

--- Michael Cudahy <mcudahy@-----.net> wrote:
<<SNIP>>Now a
> weird
> multiple sclerosis symptom has made my left-hand fingers
> somewhat numb
> and tingly, and I'm finding it very difficult and unpleasant
> to play the
> mandolin, so I've returned to the clarinet, and I'm really
> enjoying it.
> The numbness doesn't impede me too much on clarinet. And I
> just bought a
> soprano sax, which works well for me because I don't need so
> much
> sensitivity in my finger tips on that instrument (it's
> somewhat like the
> modified clarinets with flute-like keys that people on this
> list were
> recently discussing).

This problem on clarinet can be averted by using one or more of
three things...

1. Kooiman Thumbrest... I suggest the Etude, since it is about
$30 and can be installed by you. Takes the pressure off the
first joint of your right hand thumb, and helps to solidify the
stability of the instrument, so you don't grip the instrument as
much.

2. WristAleve is a fabric band with velcro to be adjustable and
two pads for the upper part of your wrist to cushion your wrist
from carpal tunnel syndrome, which can aggravate the tingling
sensation you have had in your hands.

3. A neckstrap can help out with relieving the pressure on your
right hand and making the instrument more stable as you play. I
think a combination of 1 and 2 are better than 3 alone, but
sometimes you aren't given choices in a particular situation.

<<SNIP>>
> I'm playing jazz and swing now with my old string instrument
> friends
> (yes, in keys like E and B and F# minor!) and some classical
> pieces, like
> the Brahms sonatas with a piano-playing friend. I have to
> confess I've
> always been ignorant about mouthpieces. For years, I've been
> playing
> happily on a mouthpiece made by Bob Mario (of North Hollywood,
> CA) in
> 1971 that was recommended to me by my then-clarinet teacher,
> Anthony
> Desiderio (of Fullerton, CA). When I began studying at UC
> Santa Barbara
> in 1972, my teacher there asked what kind of mouthpiece I was
> using. I
> said it was made by Bob Mario and he said, "Ah, good; that's
> the one to
> use." But (in my timidity) I never asked him why he said that,
> or grilled
> him on the whats and whys of mouthpieces--missed my
> opportunity. I do
> think it's a fine mouthpiece (though I'd like to compare it to
> others),
> but now that I'm playing more jazz, I thought I might be
> happier with a
> more open sound. It's hard to play my mouthpiece out of tune,
> so it's
> hard to imitate George Lewis' style on Burgundy Street Blues,
> with the
> kind of weird bent notes and swoops and half-flatted thirds he
> plays so
> beautifully. So I want to try some mouthpieces that might be
> more suited
> to jazz/swing/dixieland/drunken-jam-session music. Also, I
> suspect such
> mouthpieces would offer less resistance, and so might make it
> easier to
> double on the soprano sax--less of a drastic adjustment back
> and forth. I
> guess I can kiss my more-or-less well-formed classical
> embouchure goodbye
> if I go this route, but I don't have any major symphony
> auditions coming
> up just now, and I've got lots of opportunities to play the
> other kind of
> music.

A very OPEN mouthpiece with a soft reed might be your best
option. Vandoren makes a Jazz mouthpiece (5JB) and there are
others you can try specifically for Jazz. Try
http://www.vandoren.com/Product/vanMID.htm for listings of the
mouthpieces with specific tip opening measurements, and the
like. Then you can look for mouthpieces with similar qualities.

<<SNIP>>
> Now I live in Menlo Park, near San Francisco. Know of any
> mouthpiece
> makers in these parts? I like your suggestion to find someone
> local in
> order to try lots of different mouthpieces. I never seem to
> find a very
> wide selection when I shop for instruments or accessories in
> stores. Of
> course, I see dozens of products online and in catalogs, and
> everything
> *looks* good, and then the blurbs don't really distinguish
> between the
> different items; they just make everything sound equally
> fantastic.
>
> Mike Cudahy

Clark Fobes is right up the road from you. Maybe he can make you
a very open mouthpiece custom for your Jazz playing...

Hope this helps...

Kelly Abraham
Woodwinds - New York City

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