 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Fisssssh
Date: 2016-10-24 08:36
I have an audition coming up soon, for a band with very competitive entry, and I decided to upgrade my mouthpiece in order to improve my tone and help me to play with less effort, as my old Vandoren B45 was quite resistant.
At this point I have narrowed it down to two mouthpieces that I really like. One is a Morgan Classical mouthpiece. This mouthpiece plays extremely well- the intonation is great, the altissimo notes speak well, it has a wide dynamic range, and is very comfortable to play on. The only downside is that it has a somewhat shallow tone in the clarion and below, and makes kind of a buzzing noise in the lowest notes.
The other one is a Vandoren M30. It belongs to my teacher, but she is allowing me to borrow it to compare to the other one. This one, overall, does not play with as much ease as the Morgan. It is not very resistant, but the reed becomes restricted easily and the altissimo notes are difficult to play. But the thing I love about this mouthpiece is that it plays very smoothly and has wonderful tone. It has that warm, pure sound that is characteristic to the clarinet that I have always been working toward. I believe that this mouthpiece was used by my teacher for about a year.
I am not really sure which one is the better option, but I know that I would choose the Morgan Classical if there was some way to improve the tone. So my questions are:
-Will it help to play with a harder reed, or will that just cause it to become more resistant and fuzzy?
-Does the tone get better over time from playing on the mouthpiece more? Does it develop a certain character after being played on more, sort of like a reed?
-Is there anything else that can be done to create a fuller, warmer sound?
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2016-10-24 16:43
I played for several years on a Morgan hand-made by him. However, when I listened to recordings of my playing, I heard the same shallowness of tone you hear. I think this is due to the duckbill shape. I sound better, it seem to me, when my jaw is lower.
Try putting the thickest available pad, or even two of them, on top of the mouthpiece, and play double lip at least as an experiment.
Today, I play on an Opperman mouthpiece, which has more color and "ping" in the tone, as well as the roundness we both look for. The closest commercial mouthpiece to what I play is the Vandoren 5RV Lyre, which you might try.
Ken Shaw
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Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2016-10-24 21:34
I like Ken's suggestion about putting on a mouthpiece pad and experimenting with double lip. That's a good first step.
I believe that one should always play on a mouthpiece that's comfortable. You've tried a number of mouthpieces, and the Morgan fits that description. It sounds like it has other great qualities too. For that reason, I think you should buy it. You don't want to be fighting the mouthpiece and/or reed during an important audition.
Along with experimenting with double lip, there are other things that are worth trying for a better sound. Try different ligatures. As far as harder reeds are concerned, pick the hardest one you feel comfortable using. See if you can a reed that's well suited to the mouthpiece, since some reeds don't work well with certain mouthpieces. Contact the company, because I'm sure someone there will have good reed advice.
I don't have any experience with Morgan mouthpieces, but there are reviewers at Woodwind-Brasswind who say they have good results using V-12 number 3 or
3 1/2 reeds with them.
Post Edited (2016-10-24 21:35)
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2016-10-24 22:08
My preference is the opposite of clarinetguy. I pick the softest reed I feel comfortable using. Of course you need enough reed strength to push the sound in loud passages. As your embouchure gets stronger, it can deal with harder reeds without tiring, but you shouldn't use harder reeds just for the sake of hardness. It's not an athletic contest.
By the way, this goes double for larger instruments. My contra reeds are just strong enough to produce the lowest notes without a flapping sound, and I've never had trouble playing loud on contra.
Ken Shaw
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Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2016-10-24 23:00
Ken, we may have a slight difference of opinion, but I strongly agree with your point about "not using harder reeds just for the sake of hardness." I know some well-meaning band directors who tell their advancing students that they should all be moving to harder reeds. Perhaps for some, but that advice isn't appropriate for everyone.
Fisssssh asked about trying harder reeds to improve the tone quality on the Morgan. Again, it might be worth a try, but if playing starts to become uncomfortable or tiring, it isn't worth it. Clarinet playing should never be an uncomfortable experience.
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