Klarinet Archive - Posting 000239.txt from 2003/11

From: GrabnerWG@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] Bass Clarinet mouthpieces
Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2003 10:58:16 -0500

Regarding bass clarinet mouthpieces and embouchure issues:

1. The Selmer C* can be a fine choice. Try a lot of them though. I buy a lot of them (buying more today in fact)for my CX_BS model, and I reject more than half because of warped and sunken tables.

Also, the facings vary considerably. Mostly they are too short. It's not unusual to see a C* with the facing length at 40 (measured according to the Eric Brand System). Most serious bass clarinet players play with a facing length of 46 to 48.

2. In terms of embouchure, I use exactly the same embouchure I use on the soprano clarinets. However, I take more of the mouthpiece in my mouth. One of the most critical points in a mouthpiece facing is the next measurement up from the longest measure, or the facing length, as discused above. This second measurement is where the lip must contact the reed in order to control it properly. On most bass clarinet mouthpieces, this comes in at 32 to 35 (again half-millimeters) with most "good" facings coming in around 34 at this point. For comparison, this measurement on most soprano clarinet mouthpieces is 20 to 24.

Therefore, approximately 12 half-millimeters, or 6 millimeters, more of the mouthpiece has to go in your mouth.

More than that, you can't control the reed and you squeak, less than that and you stifle the tone.

Of equal importance is the amount of angle of the mouthpiece in your mouth. Many bass clarinets are made so that the mouthpiece wants to go "straight" into the embouchure instead of at an angle. Many people, NOT ALL, prefer a more "clarinet-like" angle, hence the more curved Bay necks, and the way that Buffet angled the necks on the 1193.

With the correct mouthpiece, reed, embouchure, and correct angle (assuming the instrument seals, another issue) one should have no trouble playing the lowest notes at a whisper and playing all the way to a "double-high" C (six spaces above the treble clef).

Walter Grabner
www.clarinetxpress.com
World class bass clarinet mouthpieces
Bass Clarinet repairs and restoration

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