Klarinet Archive - Posting 000268.txt from 2009/10

From: "Kevin Fay" <kevin.fay.home@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Clarinet Mouthpieces
Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:26:32 -0400

Diego Casadei posted:

<<<Well, I'd like to comment that, _given_ that you are able to get the
sound that you like most without problems, it's better to couple a harder
reed with a closer mouthpiece than vice versa. A harder reed is
mechanically better than a weaker one, which degrades more quickly and (on
the average) tends to be richer in high harmonics (for those who care, this
means a "brighter" sound and a larger probability to squeak).>>>

The assertion that " it's better to couple a harder reed with a closer
mouthpiece than vice versa " is not fact, but Diego's opinion/conjecture.

My experience is that a "medium" reed - say, about a 3 or 3.5 on Vandoren's
scale - works better to produce the tone, ease of articulation and
flexibility I want for performance. I find this to be true on any of the
custom mouthpieces I've used - Backun/Morales, Greg Smith, Richard Hawkins,
Dan Johnston or Roger Garrett - as well as the various commercial Pomaricos,
Vandorens, Woodwinds, Yamahas that I have in the closet.

My opinion is no more valid than Diego's, of course. Based purely on
anecdotal evidence (the professional clarinet players I know and/or have
worked with over the years), however, I think it's much more commonly held
than Diego's.

This doesn't mean you can't get a good sound from stiff reeds and a closed
mouthpiece with a long lay. (This would rule out a lot of folks in Germany
and Austria.) Nevertheless, I don't think that there is a significant
portion of American clarinetists who grab the stiffies and then try to find
a mouthpiece that works with them.

If you are not a particularly accomplished player - and especially if you're
using a student/intermediate instrument - I'll echo Nancy Buckman and
suggest that you try a Fobes Debut. It's a good, mainstream mouthpiece
that's *very* reasonably priced.

Vandorens will cost at least twice what the Fobes does. Some of them are
very good mouthpieces indeed. Other than the M40, however, the tip rails
tend to be quite narrow - unless the tips of your reeds match precisely, you
might have more of a tendency to develop inadvertent register changes (i.e.,
squeaks). I have a B45 Dot that gets a beautiful sound, but won't use it in
performance for this reason.

OTOH, if you're a professional-caliber player and a gearhead, buy one of
everything and knock yourself out. Searching for the Holy Grail is a
popular recreational activity; goodness knows I've spent way too much time
and money on it myself. (If you find it, do tell!)

kjf

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