Klarinet Archive - Posting 000004.txt from 2004/01

From: "Joseph Wakeling" <joseph.wakeling@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] 5rv tone color
Date: Thu, 1 Jan 2004 10:11:50 -0500

Dan Leeson wrote:

<< all things being equal, the moment the air column leaves the mouth, the
sound character has already been formed and there is little you can do in
terms of mouthpieces and clarinets to affect that sound character. >>

Hmm. Dan, have you ever tried playing, say, a tarogato? Uses a clarinet
mouthpiece but the sound is very different. Or a soprano saxophone, for a
more common example.

This is a bit of an extreme case because you're talking about a very
different bore design from the clarinet, but it just goes to show that the
nature of the instrument *does* affect the sound produced. What I would
suggest is that it's just a matter of degree. Changing between a Buffet
Prestige and a Leblanc Opus won't change the sound as much as sticking your
mouthpiece on a tarogato but it *will* change. Different clarinets and
mouthpieces may make it easier or more difficult to produce the sound that
you desire to produce. This is because the sound doesn't arise
fundamentally from either the instrument or your body, but from the
interaction of the two. So if you have a mouthpiece which doesn't suit you,
this can colour the sound in ways that you may find unpleasant, and
similarly for the clarinet itself.

So, inasmuch as you seem to be rejecting the idea that sound colour is
"inherent" in a given mouthpiece or instrument, I would agree with you.
There are no absolutes in this game and anything you do is relative to your
own personal characteristics. But the idea that you can't change aspects of
your sound or tone by changing your setup seems to me to be ... well, daft,
frankly.

-- Joe

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