 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: JesseReid
Date: 2010-07-27 04:07
Hey everyone,
My name is Jesse Reid McCandless, and for a few years, I have have been really searching for that mouthpiece which trully allows me to speak as a musician. Something I'm guessing we are all tirelessly searching for. I really believe that I have found what I am looking for In Ramon Wodkowski's mouthpieces.
I know the mouthpiece is incredibly subjective to who we all are as clarinetists, so a little bit about me. I'm a soon to be senior in high school and have been playing clarinet for 9 years, studying with a teacher for 4. The model clarinet which I am currently playing on is a buffet E11. Not exactly the most luxurious horn, but for right now, its all I can afford. I have participated in many high calibur ensembles, such as the california all state wind symphony, and All southern groups.
Anyways, I had never really cared much for my sound, for it was extremely bright. At the time I was playing on a clark fobes san francisco mouthpiece, but it just turned out to not be the best fit for me. I am definetely a fan of a resistant mouthpiece and a darker sound, so I started hunting for different mouthpieces. I tried lomax pieces, all of the vandorens, M&M pieces and a few others, but none of them really fit what I was looking for. Finally, a really good friend of mine said he had emailed a craftsman named Ramon Wodkowski, and that he would be reciving some of his mouthpieces to try, so I went over to his house and tried them.
There were two models, the M and the S; both of these were totally different from each other, but the M turned out to be the piece for me. (It also happens to be a rendition of Martin Frost's piece.) It was the perfect amount of resistance, that brought a rich, dark, creamy sound out of my horn. My articulation significantly improved, and for the first time, I became happy with my sound. It is trully amazing what a mouthpiece such as Ramon's can do to one's playing. I've only had the piece for about a week and a half, and am starting to further my ability on my instrument so much faster than I did on my old one. Making music has never been so much fun!
I recommend that if you are an advanced clarinetist looking for a piece, or maybe even already have one that works for you, at least try Ramon Wodkowski's mouthpieces. Just email him, (ramon@ramonwodkowski.com) and tell him what you're looking for. He will send you some to try. It takes a while, but it is definitely worth it. My piece costs $228, but it is a worthy investment, by far. Thank you Ramon. Just some humble advice from a humble clarinetist.
Thanks for reading,
-Jesse Reid McCandless
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2010-07-27 04:19
Any specs about the mouthpieces like opening and facing length and what strength and brand of reeds you are using?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2010-07-27 07:32
There are no details about each model on his page. If there was I wouldn't have asked. I have been checking out his website for some time and it seems to be update very seldom.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Phurster
Date: 2010-07-27 09:45
Wish I could find that elusive 'perfect mouthpiece'. I am using three different ones at the moment and whilst they are all good in there own way, I cannot say that any gives me the perfect sound (or at least my approximation of it).
I have a B40 13 vandoren, viotto b3, Grabner k14. all very good. The testimonials about Greg Smith seem positive and when he writes he seems to know what he is doing. So a smith and a Wodkowski are next on the agenda.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: clancy
Date: 2010-07-27 14:27
In response to Iceland's post:
As my website indicates, several of my mouthpiece models are now available and selling internationally. I will be posting detailed model information in the coming months - in the meantime anyone interested should simply contact me via my website and we can discuss which model would be appropriate for them.
At the moment I am inundated with orders for new pieces and refurbishing work, the waiting list is long and I have a busy playing career so its a complicated balancing act.
I will be making a major expansion into European/US sales in the autumn, and making several trips to major US cities to visit with clients in person. Details of forthcoming visits will be posted on my website and via Facebook.
Thanks for the interest!
R Wodkowski
www.ramonwodkowski.com
Post Edited (2010-07-27 16:01)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
