 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Clariphant in Bb
Date: 2006-10-12 00:29
When I bought a new r13 in 9th grade, I thought it would also be good to replace my severely scratched Morgan Protone with another mouthpiece. The one I decided on was the John Pierce mouthpiece. I've realized since then that it was not necessarily the best choice for a general use mouthpiece, but I've gotten used to it and can't really find anything I like better (the duckbill is very comfortable for me, and it doesn't tune sharp like my morgan)... my question is whether or not it's okay to use size 4-4.5 Mithcel Lurie reeds with it. I've tried softer reeds, but they make it sound thin/unfocused and won't produce altissimo notes without severe biting or anchor tonguing. The only problem I've noticed is a tendancy to put less and less moutpiece in my mouth as I continue to play which leads to anchor tonguing once there isn't enough space left to tongue, almost like the mouthpiece is slipping out of my mouth, and I get teeth marks in my lower lip if I play long enough...
Basically, I'm asking if it's okay to use such a hard reed strength with a "jazz" mouthpiece. From what I gather, the mouthpiece is open, but it has a very long facing, so maybe that's why harder reeds work better for me (?)
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Author: Clariphant in Bb
Date: 2006-10-12 01:11
One more thing:
I should mention that my wisdom teeth are coming in, and my dentist says that I shouldn't have them taken out, because my oral cavity is larger than average (has enough room for them). Could this movement in my mouth be reason for any embouchre changes or reed strength changes?
Also, I'm using the same mouthpiece and reed combination for marching band, but I notice no pain in my lower lip or movement of the mouthpiece whatsoever while marching. I'm using a B12 for marching, however, so could the weight of the instrument be causing problems? My Greenline R13 is noticeably heavier, so is there a chance that I'm not keeping my right hand steady?
Edit: Sorry, I forgot you could edit posts.
Post Edited (2006-10-12 01:24)
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Author: Bnewbs
Date: 2006-10-12 02:23
I can't speak to the teeth theory, but personally I would not use a reed much harder than a #3 on a open tipped mouthpiece. I have tried Oliveri #3s on a VD 5JB and that was pushing it, but to each his own. The instrument weight shoudn't have much effect. Since the tounging and biting down is getting to be an issue I would try some closer tipped mouthpieces, maybe an M30 or M15 Lyre. Or if you have the money talk to one of the custom guys, a Grabner K14 might work.
Ben
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Author: awm34
Date: 2006-10-12 04:06
I've found that Mitchell Lurie reed strengths are high by at least 1, i.e. I can play their 4.5's & even 5s when my reed strength for other brands is 3.5.
Alan
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Author: C2thew
Date: 2006-10-12 07:46
I was about to say holy crap your playing on 4.5's?!?! then when I read the relative comparison to other reed strengths boils down to a 3.5 made some sense. Play whatever feels comfortable, yet recognize that your playing style and habits develop young. it's hard to change performance habits in my point of view. Take tonguing for example.
Since i had to teach myself how to play the clarinet, i developed the habit of using my tongue to hit the roof of my mouth. over time, i managed to maintain tone quite well, and my tongue found it's comfort niche. Upon starting a few short, private lessons, my instructor told me that my jaw was moving for each time i wanted to emphasize a note. It's been about 4 weeks of trying to learn how to stacatto, i can't hit the clarion register without rendering the pitch to go flat.
long story short, make sure good you develop good playing habits. everything else is adjustments.
Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. they are but improved means to an unimproved end, an end which was already but too easy to arrive as railroads lead to Boston to New York
-Walden; Henry Thoreau
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Author: Roger Aldridge
Date: 2006-10-12 17:42
I haven't tried the JP mouthpiece. So, I'm not in a position to give any advice to you about reed strength other than to experiment with different brands & strengths to see if you find one that might be a better match for your mouthpiece and you as a player. A simple rule of thumb is "if it works for you....".
Having said that, I have some thoughts that might be of help:
In recent years I've come to question the correlation in jazz circles between having a big/projecting sound and needing to use a large tip opening. When I hear some of my saxophone buddies who use metal mouthpieces with big tip openings they sound loud in the immediate area; but, if I walk to the back of the performance space I sometimes discover that their sound drops. I recently had a conversation about this with Walter Grabner and he told me that he's had similar observations. What I've done, on the other hand, is to use mouthpieces that have a moderate tip opening, very large chamber/small baffle, and (importantly) especially high quality hard rubber. With this kind of set-up I have a big dark sound that easily projects through a large ensemble and fills up the room...all the way to the back.
One of the key pieces of information in your original message is how you are taking in less of the mouthpiece into your mouth. It's been my experience -- thanks to Ralph Morgan's recommendation -- that taking in MORE of the mouthpiece is one of the "secrets" for getting a big robust sound and not needing a really open mouthpiece. If you take in more of the mouthpiece this helps the reed and mouthpiece to work together at an optimal level. Plus, it's been my feeling that SOME players may be using open mouthpieces as a way to compensate for not taking in enough of the mouthpiece...which, in some cases, might lead to bitting.
I'm a big fan of Ralph Morgan and Walter Grabner mouthpieces. If you're looking for a dark sound that really projects I highly recommend the Grabner K14 mouthpiece -- very dark and creamy sound. It's tip is 1.08 mm. This is considered to be small in many jazz circles. But, its sound is HUGE and it projects effortlessly in a big band or orchestra. Ralph Morgan's clarinet mouthpieces are also excellent. Protone is the Morgan student line of mouthpieces. They are made with a 30% hard rubber formula. On the other hand, Morgan RM (classical) and J (jazz) models are made from an extremely high quality hard rubber formula -- which, to my understanding, is actually purer (ie, no filler) than the formula used in Zinner blanks. I've found the Morgan RM mouthpieces to be exceptionally good. It would be a matter of finding which facing -- RM10 (1.10 mm), RM15 (1.15 mm), and RM28 (1.28 mm) -- is the best match for you. For whatever reason, the Morgan J (jazz) pieces did not do much for me...probably due to the shorter facing curve.
Good luck!
Roger
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Author: Ken Mills
Date: 2006-10-12 21:41
Take two mouthpieces of the same facing and one of them can use a softer reed than the other. This is because of the difference in the size of the inside of the duckbill (or the chamber). Look at the baffle, the wall opposite the window. If it is shallow near the tip, ie, close to the window, then a harder reed can be used. More air pressure is put on the reed to blow it off the table! So it vibrates in protest, that is how the sound is made. With the shallow baffle you should have a big open throat to the mpc bore to improve the force of the air stream.
I filed the sidewalls of the throat more open on my Vandoren 5JB which already has a small chamber, the French sound you know, and got enough power for outdoors to beat anybody. But I prefer the Selmer CP100 which is huge near the tip and all over inside. So a soft reed is more suitable and I can tongue rapidly better on it as it has only a medium open and long facing of 1.22mm.
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Author: Clariphant in Bb
Date: 2006-10-13 01:06
Thank you for all the suggestions. I have a Morgan RM-10, and I think it's okay, but I just feel more comfortable with a larger tipped mouthpiece. It might just be a case of liking what I'm used to though...
I actually have 2 JP mouthpieces, and I use 4.5's on one of them (the primary one) and use 4.0's on the other. I guess there is some variance in the tip openings or some other attribute of them.
Post Edited (2006-10-13 03:02)
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