Klarinet Archive - Posting 000092.txt from 2007/11

From: "Karl Krelove" <karlkrelove@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Finding a mouthpiece
Date: Mon, 19 Nov 2007 14:51:38 -0500

Steve,

You may be going down a wrong path in buying a different mouthpiece so soon
after starting an embouchure change like the one you're making. I play
double lip some of the time, and I'm not so sure based on my experience that
the weight of the mouthpiece will really make much if any difference in your
comfort level. I'm assuming the suggestion was made to minimize the pressure
against your upper lip between the mouthpiece and your teeth - if there was
some other reason, then you can disregard the rest of this post. I'm not
sure the weight of the crystal will make much difference when you tuck your
upper lip in. The weight pushing up against your upper lip against your
teeth is caused by the weight of the entire clarinet rotating around your
contact point underneath the reed. If you consider how little the weight
difference between a crystal mouthpiece and a hard rubber one would
represent as a part of the whole instrument, especially so close to the
fulcrum (your bottom teeth and lip), it's hard to imagine that it would
matter.

A couple of ideas occur to me after reading your post. Why are you switching
(back) to double lip? Is it a question of not liking to have your upper
teeth resting directly on the mouthpiece, or are you trying to solve some
kind of control problem?

If you're just uncomfortable with your teeth on the mouthpiece, then I don't
think you'll find it hard to use the mouthpiece you already have. You will
need to tough it out for a couple of weeks, and be sure you're doing enough
with the embouchure muscles (in the lips, not your jaw) to support the reed
and mouthpiece all the way around. Looking for a lighter weight mouthpiece
may turn out to be a waste of energy and money.

If there's some basic problem with response or control that you're trying to
solve, it's possible that a new mouthpiece *instead of* the embouchure
change (or even in addition to it) may be a better road to try. And if
that's the actual situation, trying to duplicate what you already are using
in a lighter-weight material may end up just perpetuating the basic problem.

What exactly have you set out to accomplish with these changes?

Karl

-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Perry [mailto:stephanperry007@-----.net]
Sent: Monday, November 19, 2007 12:54 PM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: [kl] Finding a mouthpiece

... Am I going down the
wrong path thinking I need an open tip and short facing?

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