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 Open mouthpieces and projection
Author: Lee 
Date:   2001-12-18 00:36

Hello. is it true that by having a more open mouthpiece,
that you would be able to have greater projection, because right now I am using a vandoren 5RV Lyre13 and I thinking about trying out the B45 and the 5JB mouthpieces because I heard that they could give me better projection.
Is this true.
THANKS

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 RE: Open mouthpieces and projection
Author: Lee 
Date:   2001-12-18 01:00

Also I'm mostly a classical player and I was wondering If I could use The 5JB in orchestra with out it sounding harsh.

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 RE: Open mouthpieces and projection
Author: Fred 
Date:   2001-12-18 01:13

In my opinion, the 5JB is out of the question for orchestral work. However, they are a lot of fun to mess around with - just hard to control and keep on pitch. As mouthpieces go, the 5JB is to the far left of Berkeley.

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 RE: Open mouthpieces and projection
Author: Tim Sites 
Date:   2001-12-18 01:40

The B45 is an excellent mouthpiece and projects well. You are correct that a more open tip will project better, though there is a limit and I might not go as far as the 5JB which will give you a significantly reedier tone quality. The trend in recent years has been toward moderately closed mouthpieces with harder reeds. Though this can work, I find the resposiveness and the ability to control pianissimos and light articulation is hindered with harder reeds, even when they seem to blow rather freely on a close tip mouthpiece.

I have found that 3 to 3 1/2 strength (Vandoren) is all the hardness I need to get excellent response from my B45. The B45 Lyre is slightly more open and the B45 dot is the same lay with a larger chamber.

I have both the standard and the 13 series B45 (though ithe 13 does not seem to be listed on their website anymore). I find that the 13 series is fine for Orchestral playing, but most bands tend toward playing quite sharp and the 13 series will not allow you to tune high enough. The 5JB will not give you a classic orchestral sound so I would say avoid it. If you are having trouble projecting with the B45, it may be your instrument. Also are you using a hard or soft ligature? You will get better projection with a hard (metal) ligature. A simple and inexpensive Bonade ligature is fine, though I have found the new Vandoren Optimum Ligature using the horizontal ridge plate to be excellent (though pricey).

What instrument do you play on?

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 RE: Open mouthpieces and projection
Author: dan powell 
Date:   2001-12-18 03:00

i play both a b45 and 5jb. the b45 projects good enough for classical . the 5jb is WAY to open to use for classical.its made for jazz and excells at it. it has amazing pitch flexability witch is the last thing one would want for orchestra.

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 RE: Open mouthpieces and projection
Author: William 
Date:   2001-12-18 03:48

I have always tried to play with the same quality of sound wheither playing orchestral or jazz and am usually complimented in either venue of performance. Like Duke Ellington always said, "If it sounds good, it is good." And the "good" is usually defined by the substance of ones performance--tuning, musical presentation, jazz stylings (licks)--rather than the quality of the basic sound. A "bad" sound played in tune with great musical sensitivity is better than a "great" sound played out of tune and unmusically. This business of searching for the "jazz" or "orchestral" mouthpiece is not the answer to superior musical effect in performance. The answer lies within your own inner concepts of musical sound and taste and how well you can convey those feeling to your audience through your performance efforts. I, therefore, choose to strive for a consistant quality of sound no matter what stage I happen to be playing from and to rely more on musical ability than on the mouthpiece or even brand of instrument I am playing with. I do look for mouthpieces and clarinets that will allow me to play expressively, with a wide range of dynamics, and also maintain my tonal "center" and play in tune--but when I audition mouthpieces and clarinets, my musical ear is not listening for "jazz" or "orchestral" but rather a sound that is simply, "good." Good Clarineting, orchestral or jazz!!!!!!!!

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 RE: Open mouthpieces and projection
Author: Ed 
Date:   2001-12-18 17:30

The flip side is that a close tip will generally give a more focussed tone. This can penetrate more and carry to the back of a hall. There are many top clarinetists who use this type of facing very succesfully in orchestras.So it may be more a question of what you like.

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 RE: Open mouthpieces and projection
Author: Brenda Siewert 
Date:   2001-12-18 19:50

The 5JB is popular for jazz and klezmer work, but orchestral stuff requires a bit more control than the 5JB will probably allow--although it would be possible if it were your only mouthpiece.

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 RE: Open mouthpieces and projection
Author: Brenda Siewert 
Date:   2001-12-18 19:53

Woops, meant to add another line and hit the "enter" button instead.

I recommend the Greg Smith Kaspars for orchestra and good solid tone with projection. Kaspar and Kaspar-type mouthpieces are famous for excellent tone and projection. A good mouthpiece will make all the difference in the world in how you sound and enjoy playing. Also, your reed strength is important. You might try some Vandoren V12s at about a 2 1/2 or 3 until you're a bit more advanced. A good ligature (like a Rovner) will help as well.

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 RE: Open mouthpieces and projection
Author: Suzanne 
Date:   2001-12-18 21:54

You might also want to consider the B40 for orchestral playing, in addition to the B45.

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 RE: Open mouthpieces and projection
Author: Hiroshi 
Date:   2001-12-19 05:38

To get more projection:
1)Longer air column.
This means from the bottom of your lung through the horn and out.
2)Thicker heel reed.
At least above 2.8mm. Typical example is V12 (3.15mm).
When conducting an experiment, you need someone far to listen to the difference.

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 RE: Open mouthpieces and projection
Author: Hiroshi 
Date:   2001-12-19 05:41

I forgot one thing. Open or not mouthpiece has nothing to do with projection. Karl Leister uses a very closed opening mouthpiece. He does have a good projection.

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