Klarinet Archive - Posting 000034.txt from 2003/08

From: "Patricia A. Smith" <patricia@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Mouthpiece Patches
Date: Sat, 2 Aug 2003 16:12:15 -0400

John J. O'Neill wrote:

> 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?

Basically, IMO, the patch is adding material to what is already there.
That material also conducts - or does not -conduct sound waves, as does
the original material of the mouthpiece. You have changed how the sound
waves are conducted - or the vibrations. I'm sure someone else has
explained this better than I.

Mr. O'Neill also wrote:

> If you own the mouthpiece, if your teeth are even, and if your
> embouchure is secure, why would you use a patch? 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?

Wow. There are several operant factors here, several are independent of
each other.

Last one first. Each mouthpiece that has been hand-finished by a maker
is going to feature subtle differences. For example, even if, say, you
and I both tried the same numerical model of mouthpiece that Walter
Grabner made, since he created these by hand, each will have its
individual idiosyncrasies. One will play better for you than for me,
and vice versa. For me, this is the real beauty of mouthpieces that are
not mass-manufactured, and is why I prefer to go to a maker who hand
finishes mouthpieces, rather than to mess with Vandoren, or other
mass-produced products, well-made though they perhaps may be. A maker
will want to use a skin-thin patch simply to avoid scratches on
mouthpieces that are not a good fit for those who are trying them. You
will not need an extremely thick patch to protect the surface in this
temporary case.

Now, I do have even teeth, and I do have a solid embouchure. However, I
prefer to use a slight patch because my teeth are VERY VERY sensitive to
the feel of the surface of the material of the mouthpiece itself.
Sometimes it even hurts my teeth. Using a thin patch is more pleasant.
Additionally, some who play with a double lip find a patch facilitates
double lip use. Others do not. It's all very individual as far as
preferences go.

HTH

Patricia Smith

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