Klarinet Archive - Posting 000735.txt from 2004/08

From: Nancy Buckman <eefer@-----.net>
Subj: Re: Re: [kl] Eb mouthpieces?
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2004 16:10:35 -0400

At 02:59 PM 8/27/2004, you wrote:
>I guess I was actually phrasing the question from a Bb standpoint. I'm not
>sure, but I don't actually recall seeing any crystal Eb mpcs on wwbw.com.

They are out there to be bought, but in my eyes there are so many
mouthpieces that are better than a crystal one for eefer.

>So, if I can surmise what you're getting at - the crystal brightens the tone?

The e-flat clarinet can be incredibly "hard" on the ears. I want a
mouthpiece that makes the eefer sound like a Bb in the sense that it has a
nice ring to the sound and not the harsh brittleness of a crystal
mouthpiece. To my ears the crystal is the wrong medium to combine with the
reed on an eefer. I have wooden mouthpieces on my other clarinets and love
the mellowness they lend to my clarinet sound. Joel Lomax asked me why I
liked the wood mouthpiece so much and the only way I could describe it in
words was to make the comparison to a wooden piccolo. It has a mellower,
softer sound than a metal one. Little instruments (piccolo trumpets,
clarinets, etc.) can screech and if there is a way to control the screech,
they become so much more pleasant to hear when they are played. Just my $.02!
>
>I have an A. Gigliotti on my Bb that I've been real pleased with. It
>might be a
>bit darker and more mellow than what I would prefer though.

I used an O'Brien OB* when I played a crystal mouthpiece on my Bb and A. I
always had pitch problems with it - flatness specifically.

>I'd like to find something to really give the horn a bigger sound. Maybe
>a better barrel is what I'm after? It just has the standard Selmer barrel.

I have also put a Backun barrel and bell on my eefer which helps with
projection. The sound isn't bigger, but it is better. I don't understand
the science behind the Backun products. I just know they "clean up" a lot
of the unpleasantness of the e-flat sound and make the clarinet respond the
way I want, instead of the way it wants. I am not the best player in the
world, but I do get a lot of nice things said about my playing on that
little clarinet. You know you are doing something right when different
conductors ask you to come back and play for them. I get calls all the
time for the eefer and a little less so for the other clarinets. Coupled
with a wooden mouthpiece, I think I would be in e-flat heaven. There are
many different makers of fine e-flat mouthpieces. There is something in
the sound of the Lomax mouthpiece that really catches my attention. While
I can't seem to be able to explain it very well, when I speak to others who
play Lomax mouthpieces, they seem to know what I am trying to describe. I
own three Lomax mouthpieces and each one is a little different, but that
one little quality is present in all of them when I play them. And I can
hear it when others are playing the Lomax mouthpieces too. My advice is to
play many different brands and then decide what you like and don't
like. If you can't tell, then don't waste the money. Equipment can't
always solve the problems you want to correct either. If I was looking for
a bigger sound, before I spent a ton of money on a mouthpiece, I think I
would go play in a big hall somewhere where the acoustics are good. That
is a lot cheaper and will get the same results. A pleasing sound is better
than a big sound any day.

A few weeks ago I wrote to the list about the difference in the sounds of
two different musicians, Russ Dagon and Wes Foster. They are both
excellent musicians BUT.... Russ has a huge sound. I don't think I have
ever heard anyone play like that before. It is not as refined and sweet as
Wes' though. I could get tired of listening to Russ after a while. On the
other hand, I think I could listen to Wes play anything and everything and
like just about all of it and listen for hours on end. That is the
difference between big and pretty. Big is only better if you live in
Texas! ;?}

Nancy

Nancy Buckman
Principal Clarinet / Orchestra AACC
eefer@-----.net

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