Klarinet Archive - Posting 000001.txt from 2003/05

From: "Trish Mendenhall" <trishm@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Jazz mouthpieces (Sam)
Date: Thu, 1 May 2003 02:57:55 -0400

I also agree that it's more the reed, although I will also say that I =
find a
medium to medium-open tip with a medium-long lay is usually a good
mouthpiece choice for me. I tend to match the reed strength to the
mouthpiece and style that I'm playing on that occasion.

For example, my favorite mouthpiece for all-around playing is my Clark =
Fobes
Nova. If I'm doing a pit orchestra gig, it gets a 3.5 or 3.75 Legere =
Quebec
cut. Classical, it might get a 4 V12 or Mitchell Lurie Premium. =
Straight
jazz with no horn switching, a #3 Mitchell Lurie Premium is the likely
choice. A swing gig where I'm playing sax more than clarinet, it might =
be a
Legere 3.

I have a number of mouthpieces that see some use, depending on what I =
need
at the time, and I have default reed choices for each of them depending =
on
what I'm using it for. Any of my mouthpieces can be made to work in =
almost
any situation if I choose the correct reed (and to some extent, the =
right
ligature, but that's a whole other can of worms ;-) to go with it.

That said, I have friends who are excellent performers who swear by =
their
wide-open mouthpiece and a really soft reed. It works for them, for me =
it
impairs my control and I end up fighting the natural tendencies of
mouthpiece and reed rather than working with them.=20

It all depends on what you're used to and what you're trying to =
accomplish!

Trish

-----Original Message-----
From: Anne Lenoir [mailto:AnneLenoir@-----.net]=20
Subject: Re: [kl] Jazz mouthpieces (Sam)

Dear Sam,
I wrote to you initially and told you that in my opionion there
wasn't necessarily a such thing as a "jazz" mouthpiece. What I meant by
that statement is that I basically agree with Lori Lovato, who says that
it's more the reed than the mouthpiece.=20

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