The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: K.B.M
Date: 2007-07-05 03:33
Hey everyone!
I hope you are all having a wonderful 4th! I'm getting ready to order some mouthpieces, but I was wondering if someone could tell me the difference between an open, medium, and closed facing. I'm trying to decide which type of Gennusa mouthpiece to try. Also, what is the difference between Vandoren's traditional beak and the profile 88? I currently play on a vandoren 3 reed, and I have been using an M30 and B45. Thanks!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2007-07-05 11:45
I've never played on B45 but I've played on B40 when I was younger and I would say that Grabner AW-personal(opening about 1.04) should be similar in reed strength and resistance.
Closed mouthpiece helps you to control the sound and allowing you to use stronger reeds.
Open mouthpiece allows more air flow and is more flexible but is harder to control.
That's why opening around 1.10 is often reccomended to students.
I personally have no troble using openings from 1.00-1.10 for me it's more about how long the facing is and how much mouthpiece I need to take in.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2007-07-05 12:08
If you are unsure which mouthpiece facing you should order, it might be a good idea to contact Ben Redwine directly. He makes the Gennusa mouthpieces, and can be reached through <www.redwinejazz.com>
Jeff
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: jmsa
Date: 2007-07-05 13:07
One of the leading expert mouthpiece makers today is Brad Behn. He is extremely knowledgable and will do everything possible to ensure that you get the proper mouthpiece. He prides himself on extraordinary customer service. You can contact him at bradbehn@hotmail.com to discuss your needs.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: grifffinity
Date: 2007-07-05 13:17
I play on a Gennusa GE with a 100 tip. Between myself and a students trial, I've played on about 10 Gennusa mouthpieces - GE and GE*. I have not tried the GE** which has the most open tip.
I liked all but 1 of the mouthpieces I've tried - and overall they are very consistent from MPC to MPC. The facing length is not long, ( I believe its a 17mm) which allows me to use a softer, thinner blank reed - 3.75 - 4 regular cut Gonzales or 3.5 - 4 blue box vandoreen.
What I like about the Gennusa Excellente is that it is very easy to control, it is not too resistant and allows me to articulate clean and fast. I'm also fond of the Babbitt blank the mouthpiece is made from - it has a pleasing tone to my ear. I find my upper clarion and altissimo are far less shrill than on my old Vandoreen MPC's (5RV Lyre and M-13).
If you currently play on a B45, I'd suggest trialing the GE* and GE**. Weiner Music allows you to trial 6 MPC's at a time and they sell the Gennusa for about $80. If you need a more open tip than the GE**, Ben Redwine does provide a custom facing option for the Gennusa.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: sherman
Date: 2007-07-05 13:44
I would suggest writing directly to Ben Redwine. He is very conversant on this subject and also will respond in a meaningful way. He made me one from another Gennusa and I have found it really excellent.
good luck. (Just put Gennusa or Redwine in your browser).
sf
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: 2E
Date: 2007-07-07 00:59
I was fishing around the vandoren site researching different mouthpieces when i stumbled upon this simple rule that might help ...
"With the same tip opening: long facing = stronger reed, short facing = softer reed."
"With the same facing: open mouthpiece = softer reed, close mouthpiece = stronger reed."
The difference between traditional and profile 88 beaks is simply the angle at which the top makes with the table. Profile 88 is alot more fine, so its a gradual angle compared to the traditional. Ultimately this affects absolutely nothing at all except how the mouthpiece feels in your mouth. Won't affect your sound at all, maybe resistance but its a matter of players preference.
Hope this helps! 2E
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Vytas
Date: 2007-07-07 04:08
Iceland clarinet wrote:
>** "Closed mouthpiece helps you to control the sound and allowing you to use stronger reeds.
Open mouthpiece allows more air flow and is more flexible but is harder to control.
That's why opening around 1.10 is often reccomended to students **<".
You can't just take your favorite #5 reed (or whatever) and use it on Vandoren B40. Of course it will be hard to control because you use wrong reed. You have to use softer reed with open mouthpieces.
Open mouthpieces = softer reeds.
Closed mouthpieces = stronger reeds.
One has to find a suitable reed for his mouthpiece and not the other way around. And when you get that 1.00 mm tip or 1.22mm tip won't make any difference to your sound control.
Vytas Krass
Custom clarinet mouthpiece maker
Professional clarinet technician
Former professional clarinet player
Post Edited (2007-07-09 01:48)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
|