Klarinet Archive - Posting 000162.txt from 2004/05

From: "Dan Leeson" <dnleeson@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Walterh Grabner New Mouthpiece
Date: Sat, 8 May 2004 14:05:59 -0400

John, I am glad you like Walter's mouthpieces. I have heard many
complementary remarks about them.

I want to comment on your use of the word clarinet "sound." It's
a subtlety to be sure, but what I think that what you like in
Walter's mouthpiees (or anyone else's for that matter) is the
"character" of the sound that you achieve with it. No matter
what you do to a clarinet, it is going to "sound" like a
clarinet. That is what clarinets do; i.e., they make clarinet
sounds. A B-flat clarinet sounds like a clarinet as does an A,
as does a C, as does an E-flat, and as does the basset horn for
that matter, or even the contrabass. They all have a common
clarinet sound. Even Pee Wee Russel, the old time dixieland
player with the worst sound character I ever heard, still sounded
like a clarinet. No one would have ever said, "What is that
instrument he is playing?"

The distinction between those instruments and the thousands of
players is that the "character" of sound changes from instrument
to instrument, from mouthpiece to mouthpiece, from embouchure to
embouchure.

It's a good term to use and allows one to speak about the
varieties achieveable on the same physical instrument family.

Mind you, "character of sound" is like "pornography." A justice
of the supreme court said, "I can't define it, but I know what is
when I see it."

Dan Leeson
DNLeeson@-----.net

-----Original Message-----
From: OArkas@-----.com]
Sent: Saturday, May 08, 2004 10:38 AM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: [kl] Walterh Grabner New Mouthpiece

Hi, Folks:
I just wanted to put in a good word for Walter Grabner! I'd read
about his mouthpieces several times. I wrote to him and asked
about what he might recommend for me: I mainly play my Buffet
Albert C (but sometimes the A or the Bb) when I want slighty
different tone qualities). I play Greek folk music, so our sound
is a bit esoteric.
He sent me two different mpcs. I expected the CXZ_AW to be the
better one for me; the other one was the CXZ_JAZZ. The CXZ_JAZZ,
however, turned out to be fantastic!!! It really produced the
tone that we Greeks like! My brother who plays laouto in my Greek
band happened to come by and I played it for him. He also said
it was great.
I like it so much that I ordered another one for "just in case"
if you know what I mean.
I want to recommend Walter. He was very helpful, and his new
"Jazz" mpc works great for me and my Greek folk music on the
"klarino" (as we call the instrument).
Thanks,
Kalakos
John Pappas

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