Klarinet Archive - Posting 000841.txt from 2004/01

From: GrabnerWG@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] Mouthpiece blanks
Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2004 10:39:24 -0500

In a message dated 1/29/2004 10:01:02 AM Eastern Standard Time, forestaten@-----.net writes:

> The late Elmer Aiello, from Leblanc U.S.A......(and force behind Woodwind
> mouthpieces for years), once told me that it was very difficult to "measure"
> all of the critical dimensions related to a clarinet mouthpiece. He often
> had very interesting comments:
>
> 1 "the radial curves in the baffle areas of a mouthpiece make for infinite
> combinations" (He felt that the baffle areas of a mouthpiece was where the
> real magic of a mouthpiece could always be found....having all other
> manageable aspects of the mouthpiece in place; i.e. table,
> facing, bore,
> etc.)>>

I got my first mouthpiece "craftsman" lessons from Elmer, and what Forest is quoting is right on the money.

Another thing to to talk about is the amount of polish or finishing to apply to the baffle area. Logically, it would sem that the highest degree of polish would be the best. In fact, you can over-polish the interior areas of the mouthpiece and loose the "character" of the sound, leaving a pleasant "pretty" sound that has little projection beyond 6 feet.

As you polish, you loose material. SO getting to the right "radial curve" with the right level of polish can be quite a trick.

I have ruined more than one promising bass clarinet mouthpiece by polishing the relatively large surfaces too quickly and not stopping to play check often enough.

Walter Grabner
www.clarinetxpress.com
C clarinet mouthpieces

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