Klarinet Archive - Posting 000038.txt from 2009/03

From: Bechi <bechi@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] Mouthpiece-Inspired Madness
Date: Mon, 09 Mar 2009 12:49:35 -0400


I've been wanting to buy a new mouthpiece for quite some time now. =20
Hell! Maybe even TWO new mouthpieces just for the sheer joy of it! =20
My problem is that I'm just completely and utterly intimidated by the =20
prospect of finding one, let alone two! I've been playing for about 2 =20
years now after a 20 year hiatus so I think my embouchure has more or =20
less reasonable "settled", although I'm sure that it's always a work =20
in progress.

My current set up is a Selmer 10S with the HS* mouthpiece my high =20
school band director's wife insisted I play, Legere Quebec-cut (3=BC) =20
and Vandoren 56 Rue Lepic (3=BD) reeds, Rovner Eddie Daniels and Bois =20
Delrin ligatures. I'm not 100% sure what I'm talking about when using =20
lingo, but I believe I'm looking for a mouthpiece that is free and =20
easy blowing (I tend to COMPLETELY lose my embouchure after a few =20
hours of playing) and that can help tune the A & B just under the =20
altissimo register which are horrifically sharp for me even when =20
almost everything else is moderately in tune.

So far, so good. Here's the part where I want to pull the covers over =20
my head and hide - there's only a bazillion mouthpieces out there, =20
each one coming in multiple flavors, and from what I hear, further =20
variations between each individual representative of each flavor! I'm =20
prepared to taste-test a dozen or so candidates to find *the one* (or =20
two!), but just finding a reasonable sample to start with seems =20
impossible! My latest thought is perhaps limiting myself to a few =20
samples from Walter Grabner's and Morrie Backun's offerings; my =20
rationale being that being hand crafted, there will be no "klunkers" =20
per se, each mouthpiece either works with me and my horn or it doesn't =20
(chances are it's not just a bad representative of that particular =20
mouthpiece). Does that make sense? If so, would test-driving one of =20
each model I'm interested in be sufficient to start? Would it then be =20
necessary to try 2 or 3 additional samples of each "finalist"?

Help!

Thanks,

Bechi

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