 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: mrsbean
Date: 2006-08-29 20:39
My son is in beginner middle school band. We purchased a refurbished Buffet wood (E11?) clarinet for him, and it came with a brand new mouthpiece.
The band director is telling me that we need to purchase a Vandoren 5rv mouthpiece.
Is this necessary for a beginner? How does the Vandoren 5rv differ from a stock mouthpiece at the beginner level?
The clarinet and accessories were a lot of $$$ (at least for me); I'd prefer not to purchase a new mouth piece right now. I played clarinet for seven years in middle school and highschool, and I don't remember there being such specifics even when I was in symphonic band.
Thanks for your help.
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Author: Merlin
Date: 2006-08-29 20:49
The stock mouthpiece is acrylic, and has a very poor facing curve which is far too open at the tip.
The Vandoren is a reliable, moderate, well respected mouthpiece, made out of hard rubber.
If you want to spend less on a very good student mouthpiece, contact Ben Redwine, and order one of his student mouthpieces.
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Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2006-08-29 21:47
(Disclaimer - I sell the Redwine Gennusa GE*S mouthpiece and Forte' Clarinet)
We did a lot of research among middle school and high school programs to find a mouthpiece for our own Bb clarinet and found that for beginning and progressing students that it was probably best to replace the mouthpiece that comes with several of the major brand student clarinets - although the Yamaha 4 mouthpiece has been given several good reviews by some users.
We also spoke to many teachers of students and the favorites that emerged were the Gennusa GE*S, Clark Fobes Debut, and Hite Premier. Also mentioned were the Pyne Poly Crystal, and the Vandoren lineup of B45, and 5RV. Some of our own BB sponsors - e.g Walter Grabner, and others, are now offering low cost mouthpieces of high quality. Most of these former mouthpieces cost less than $40. There have been several threads - check them out - about the B45 which make interesting, if not confusing reading. It is hard to say what is the best mouthpiece for any given individual and the students private teacher is a good person to consult.
I am leary of blanket recommendations for a particular mouthpiece for all students. Even among professionals there is disagreement about what is the best mouthpiece so it may take a journey of several mouthpieces over years to find the best one for your child. With developing embouchure his/her needs may change too.
L. Omar Henderson
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Author: CEC
Date: 2006-08-29 21:48
You can find the mouthpiece Merlin references, here:
http://www.redwinejazz.com/2ProductsPage.htm
It is the "intermediate Model" priced at $45.
If the band director insists upon the 5rv, it can be had from Woodwind and Brasswind at discount for about $60.
A good mouthpiece will help your son's skills develop quicker with less frustration.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-08-29 22:17
L. Omar Henderson wrote;
> I am leary of blanket recommendations for a
> particular mouthpiece for all students
Very true and very wise advice.
A band director (yes...I am a band director and teacher) can no sooner make a blanket recommendation of a mouthpiece for all students to use than he can tell them what size shoes to wear.
Embouchure, bite angle and pressure, jaw structure, teeth, etc... are DIFFERENT for each student.
One size does not fit all.
Student mouthpieces are in the $40+ range. With a teacher's guidance, order a few different models online. After a brief trial, pick the one that best suits your student.
Return the rest. A small restocking fee will be charged, but you will then have a mouthpiece that YOU selected, rather than someone selecting it for you...GBK
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2006-08-29 22:17
A lot of good advice above.
I often recommend to students/parents Clark W. Fobes' mouthpiece because it is so good and so cheap ($28).
However, I also agree that it is unreasonable to expect all students to play the same mouthpiece: What works great for one works badly for another.
As said above, WW&BW or MuncyWinds are good sources for the best price on (almost) any mouthpiece you buy.
James Tobin
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: mrsbean
Date: 2006-08-29 23:34
Thanks so much for all of the information.
I find what you say interesting because his band director says that in 7th and 8th grade they want all of the clarinet players to have the same mouthpiece for "tuning reasons."
???
Anyway, the band director was very nice and emailed me back that he can use what he has for now and that he should upgrade in a few months. However, if it can help him be less frustrated, then maybe I should order it now.
Thanks again.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2006-08-30 04:49
"they want all of the clarinet players to have the same mouthpiece for tuning reasons."
Sorry, that's just ignorance.... Regardless of the playing level, the same mouthpiece (or reed, or clarinet or whatever) will not automatically make people play in tune. It is also possible that two players can play in tune on different mouthpiece, but not on the same mouthpiece.
Vandoren mouthpieces that the band director is recommending are excellent, but it is really much better if you can try a few different models from them and not automatically go with what your band director says. Although, the 5RV is one of the better options for beginners who want an excellent mouthpiece (for complete beginners, the cheaper ones ilke Fobes Debut are probably better, just because of their price).
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Author: am0032
Date: 2006-08-31 00:16
Band directors put up with alot of stuff that really makes their blood boil. They really love it when a student tells them that they don't need the required equipment because people from an online bulletin board said they don't. I'm sure they will be the director's favorite student now.
Adam
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Author: Erdinet
Date: 2006-08-31 01:36
This topic is also covered on Vandoren's educational website www.whyvandoren.com. They have a variety of educational resources and and reccomendations there. Of course the answers all point towards Vandoren products, but at least it is a resource. Check it out...
Adam
"There is a big difference between kneeling down and bending over."
-Frank Zappa
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Author: KristinVanHorn
Date: 2006-08-31 02:30
I like my Yamaha 4C. i have tried a few of the expensive ones but i liked the sound of the 4C.
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Author: Merlin
Date: 2006-08-31 04:20
Band directors put up with alot of stuff that really makes their blood boil. They really love it when a student tells them that they don't need the required equipment because people from an online bulletin board said they don't. I'm sure they will be the director's favorite student now.
There are also a great number of band directors who know diddly squat about appropriate equipment for beginners.
The thing that made my blood boil when I did that job was school politics, and the lack of support from admin regarding disciplinary issues.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2006-08-31 05:46
"Band directors put up with alot of stuff that really makes their blood boil. They really love it when a student tells them that they don't need the required equipment because people from an online bulletin board said they don't."
If a tiny thing like that makes their blood boil, they should consider meditation to help with their serious case of personality disorder......
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Author: am0032
Date: 2006-08-31 11:45
I'm sure if the parent showed this board to the director, their whole philosophy of teaching clarinet would change instantly. They will start meditation too.
Adam
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Author: dat99
Date: 2006-09-03 04:04
I really do not know much about the vandoren mouthpieces. I started on a fobes debut which was very good. When I got my buffet clarinet I thought the mouthpiece was terrible. but when I was a kid, I had a bundy clarinet with a bundy mouthpiece which was pretty good. I guess the mouthpieces that come with the clarinets today are junk.
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Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2006-09-03 04:30
"I find what you say interesting because his band director says that in 7th and 8th grade they want all of the clarinet players to have the same mouthpiece for "tuning reasons." ???
Interesting comments. Several years ago, I used to play on a 5RV. Although it produced a nice tone, I found it resistive to play. As I learned more about mouthpiece facings and tip openings, I began to understand why. With its relatively short facing and medium tip opening, this is why it was resistive for me. However, I did notice that the tuning was rather "fixed". By that, I mean that it was very difficult for me to vary the tone frequency and go off key.
Could this be the reason why the band director wants the 5RV?
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2006-09-04 15:42
Dan,
That could make sense. 5RV has relatively stable tuning in my experience - it takes more effort to play the notes out of tune. I can kind of see the appeal of mouthpieces of that category for school band! :-D
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