Klarinet Archive - Posting 000020.txt from 2003/08
From: "John J. O'Neill" <avodah@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Mouthpiece Patches
Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2003 01:20:28 -0400
When Walter recently talked about a B45 mouthpiece, I suddenly
remembered that I had one of those animals in my mouthpiece drawer. I
found it nestled amidst some 16 other mouthpieces. And what startled me
was the fact that, even though each mouthpiece was a different make and
model, all had one common feature. Each one was equipped with a
mouthpiece patch. Everytime I try out a new mouthpiece, I install a
patch to protect it from scratches. The seller always requires this for
tryouts, but why would I need a patch after I own the mouthpiece? I
guess I got conditioned to preserving the mouthpiece in pristine shape.
The B45 had never played well or sounded good, and so I had relegated it
to the dead mouthpiece drawer. Well, the first thing I did next was to
remove the patch and play the B45. The result? It played superbly. It
had amplitude, timbre, and other good features that I can not describe.
With the patch on, the B45 had reduced vibrations or resonance; without
the patch, the B45 had unrestricted vibrations or resonance. As a
result, I am now using the B45 exclusively as my main mouthpiece. Oh
yes, I successively removed the patches from all the other mouthpieces
and tried each. All played better, but not one of them surpassed the B45
-- not even the new Vandoren M30.
I guess my lengthy letter is really asking the question: Does the patch
muffle, or even alter, the sound from a mouthpiece? How many people on
the list play using a patch, and why do they need a patch?
All this leads me to a few more questions about mouthpieces. If you own
the mouthpiece, if your teeth are even, and if your embouchure is
secure, why would you use a patch? Don't tell me that you don't want to
scratch it because you intend to sell it some day. Also, why do we have
to try mouthpieces with patches? It's kind of like buying something in a
bubble pack and never removing the object. Why don't the sellers let us
test play used mouthpieces so that we can really evaluate them without
any restrictions?
Please be kind if you intend to flame me!
JON
P.S.: I believe that a mouthpiece itself does not vibrate, but rather
the air column within it. Whatever it is, there is definitely a
dampening effect with a patch, and the patch is on the outside, not
inside the air column. Maybe someone can clarify this for me.
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