Klarinet Archive - Posting 000298.txt from 2005/01

From: "David McClune" <dmcclune@-----.edu>
Subj: RE: [kl] re: "Claripatch"
Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2005 11:02:06 -0500

At the July ICA conference I had some long talks with the Swiss designer
of Claripatch; who is very sincere about his device. Because of my
own booth, I did not have time to play them. But from the conversations
and reading the materials and web pages, I have some ideas of what is
going on.

Think of these patches as a way to experiment with different mouthpiece
facings without actually buying mouthpieces. The patches change the
effective length of the facing AND the angle of the facing to the reed.
In essence it can 'make' a mouthpiece facing be more closed or more
open, the facing can be slightly longer or shorter. If you had a
softish reed and wish you had a slightly more open mouthpiece for that
reed to be great...here is your chance!

However it is a variable in the complex relationship of the reed to the
mouthpiece to your lips, tongue position, oral cavity, breath
support.... You could now sit in the pre-concert warm up and get that
much more paranoid about which reed AND which patch to use. From my own
mouthpiece work, taking dust off a small area of the facing can have
major effects on the playing characteristics of a mouthpiece. These
patches may have similar effects. But which one is correct? Which one
gets you that darker sound or brighter sound (Dan Leeson is rolling his
eyes) more response or less response, etc.

I think of the patches as another tool which may help us to relax and
make music through this hollow wooden stick. I still believe that the
better shape we are in, the less the reed differences are really
audible.

My 2 cents.

Dave

Dr. David McClune
Professor of Woodwinds
Director of Bands
Union University-1862
1050 Union University Drive
Jackson, TN 38305

Office-731-661-5294
dmcclune@-----.edu
www.mcclunemouthpiece.com

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