Klarinet Archive - Posting 000119.txt from 2006/01

From: "Keith" <bowenk@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Mouthpiece selection
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 23:47:16 -0500

Tony,

Yes, I fully agree with your general principles on control systems. Just a
caution that analogies are very useful and very worthwhile in general terms
but sometimes have to be tempered for specific cases (as of course you know
perfectly well).

Walter's mouthpieces are available now at Howarths in London, though of
course there is nothing like spending time with the craftsman in his
workshop. ("Do you like that one? Let me make it better for you!"... And one
minute later, it WAS better!).

Keith Bowen

> -----Original Message-----
> From:
> klarinet-return-85855-bowenk=compuserve.com@-----.org
> [mailto:klarinet-return-85855-bowenk=compuserve.com@-----.o
> rg] On Behalf Of Tony Pay
> Sent: 17 January 2006 03:50
> To: klarinet@-----.org
> Subject: RE: [kl] Mouthpiece selection
>
>
> On 16 Jan, "Keith" <bowenk@-----.com> wrote:
>
> > I have just had the pleasurable experience of selecting new
> > mouthpieces at Walter Grabner's workshop/home. I did veer
> away from the "unstable flight"
> > analogy that Tony draws, though I do not deny its validity
> for people
> > who play much more than I.
> >
> > However though the argument (that a less controllable
> mouthpiece may
> > be the best choice for a highly skilled player) may be true, the
> > flight analogy is but an analogy not a proof.
>
> I didn't mean to say that a less controllable mouthpiece was
> the best choice.
> Obviously you want it to be controllable. I rather came about
> it from the other direction -- namely, that mouthpieces that
> are very 'forgiving', and therefore very 'comfortable' to
> play, tend to be too unvarying in tone colour and dynamic response.
>
> I had that experience playing on a Selmer C85 many years ago,
> I recall. I had to do a radio performance of Boulez's
> Domaines, in the full version. The sound was very
> homogeneous, and the response very even, which is a relief
> when you're doing those sorts of pyrotechnics -- especially
> Cahier F. But listening to the tape, I found it lacked character.
>
> Of course, it depends on what you want.
>
> I don't know what you could mean by a 'proof' in what you
> write above. The underlying concept that makes the analogy
> worthwhile is surely very general, to do with any control
> system that you want to have a wide range of output with a
> fairly constrained input.
>
> As Joe Wakeling says, there's a tradeoff -- an excellent
> mouthpiece for a given person makes an optimal tradeoff for
> that person. (I think I did say that, Joe, in the post --
> something like, "the fact is that there's a tradeoff in
> tolerant mouthpieces.")
>
> Anyway, I'm sure you're right about Walter's mouthpieces.
> When I met him a few years ago -- a delightful experience for
> many reasons -- I bought one of them which I played in
> several concerts. It worked very well, though I'd have to
> try others from his now much expanded range to find the one
> that was the best for me -- and I haven't been in Chicago recently.
>
> Tony
> --
> _________ Tony Pay
> |ony:-) 79 Southmoor Rd tony.p@-----.org
> | |ay Oxford OX2 6RE
> http://classicalplus.gmn.com/artists
> tel/fax 01865 553339
>
> ... I could be arguing in my spare time.
>
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