Klarinet Archive - Posting 000096.txt from 2006/10
From: <myrnabs@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] RE: Wood mouthpieces
Date: Sun, 08 Oct 2006 19:34:16 -0400
Mr. B. Crumpler,
I appreciate your advice. I see you are a professional, and I am honored
to have you answer my question.
You couldn't have been more specific. I do believe you are 100% correct. It
is the player, but lately I've been
asked by many peers this particular question. I don't know when all this
started to really matter, but
everyone has gone mad buying this and that. I used the same mouthpiece for
years, given to me by my music
instructor. I started out with a VB45, and while reading on this board I
have realized that this mouthpiece
is not for orchestra, I have no idea why it was given to me. I will say that
it's no wonder that I am having
the hardest time trying to play on a V5rv or Vm13. I just hate them. I just
like the open ones better. But
I am looking into buying a custom made mouthpiece, I will be traveling to
meet with a mouthpiece maker in a
couple of weeks. I will keep your advice in mind. He said that I was more
than welcome to try out all of his
mouthpieces, so I'm going to give them a whirl. I am going to purchase one
of your CD's, so I can play on my
way to school all day. It's an hour drive to and from, and God knows I need
good music. I love your playing, YOU ARE AWESOME!!! Best wishes and Thank
you so very much for being kind with your advice.
P.S.
What is your favorite brand of instrument? That seems to be another very
important aspect in today's world.
With Great Respect,
Myrna B. Saldana
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bryan Crumpler" <crumpletox@-----.com>
To: <klarinet@-----.org>
Sent: Sunday, October 08, 2006 5:35 PM
Subject: [kl] RE: Wood mouthpieces
> Myrna,
>
> The life expectancy of a wooden mouthpiece probably isn't very long (i.e.
> a few years) unless you live somewhere with very stable and consistent
> climate. They are easily prone to warping with changes in temperature,
> leaving performance very unpredictable for the traveling clarinetist.
>
> As for their tone... that's debatable. In all objectivity, the subjective
> "darkness" of the sound has very little to do with the fact that the
> mouthpiece is made of wood. Let's squash that idea up front. At some
> point, people have to realize that they themselves are the largely
> responsible for the sound that is produced. To make a point, I always say
> that tone is about 5% mouthpiece, 20% reed, and 75% you... I hear about so
> many clarinetists wasting hundreds and hundreds on mouthpieces or gadgets
> or whatever equipment to get "that sound", and it's honestly a waste of
> your time and money. There is no magic bullet, and no one size fits all...
> For example, people have been raving for decades about how special,
> "dark", and liquid Karl Leister's sound is... but guess what... he plays
> on *plastic* ...yes... PLASTIC... believe it or not. And most people
> condemn the use of plastic mouthpieces because of the horrible sound. This
> is probably because they're just too stubborn to acknowledge the fact that
> it's not the mouthpiece that's responsible for making the bad sound...
> it's them.
>
> But more scientifically speaking, I'm guessing that wooden material
> fundamentally dampens more of the odd harmonics in the sound wave that
> other materials. So, it may be "easier" to achieve a "darker" tone than
> you might achieve with an identical mouthpiece made exactly the same, but
> in a different material. But the fact of the matter is no mouthpiece is
> exactly the same... and no clarinetist plays or blows exactly the same...
> so you can't rely on that utopian theory at all.
>
> I don't know the exact physical properties of the woods used for
> mouthpieces ... but at least in terms of audio engineering, the subjective
> idea of a "warm" sound (which is what I presume you mean in describing the
> tone as "dark") is generally produced when there is a good balance of even
> and odd harmonics in the sound wave. Many recording engineers and audio
> mastering engineers exploit this fact when using aural exciters to "warm
> up" the sound of a "cold" digital recording. If the sound is bright (i.e.
> "cold"), then you dampen the odd harmonics or try to find a proper balance
> through trial and error of adjusting the even and odd harmonics with an
> harmonic or aural exciter. Mouthpiece makers do this by finding the right
> combination of facing length, tip opening, window size and and baffle
> height, while clarinetists do this by adjusting reeds, air speed, and
> firmness of embouchure. Theoretically, thus, the more you strip the sound
> of the odd harmonics, the "darker" or "warmer" the sound. BUT there is
> surely a threshhold for when the sound just becomes thick or too muddy
> without any life. This is the case with a mouthpiece with too high a
> baffle, too wide a tip opening, or when you slap on a reed that is too
> thick... which, once again, has nothing to do with the material of the
> mouthpiece.
>
> So, it's probably easy to guess what my answer is to the third question
> about whether wooden mouthpieces are better than ones made from zinner
> blanks???
>
> Bryan
>
> www.whosthatguy.com
>
> -------------------------------------------------
> New CD Release MONOCHROME: Now available at www.whosthatguy.com
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> -------------------------------------------------
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> Date: Sun, 8 Oct 2006 13:57:22 -0500
> To: <klarinet@-----.org>
> From: <myrnabs@-----.net>
> Subject: Wood mouthpieces
> Message-ID: <002a01c6eb0b$96a54920$071e0e4b@Marelda6409>
>
> Does anyone know the life expectancy of a wood mouthpiece? Do they work
> well? I hear that they project a darker tone, is that correct? Are they
> really any better than the Zinner mouthpieces?
>
> With Great Respect,
> Myrna
>
>
>
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