 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: jez
Date: 2003-02-28 18:10
Today I've been having a go on 2 different mouthpieces, both expensive, custom jobs, 1 US (Morgan) 1 UK (Weinberg).
Both worked very well, no intonation problems, good sound, seem very attractive initially.
My reservation is that they seem TOO easy to play. The sound just comes without any real effort. I think I need something to work against. I'm used to having to try harder somehow and I think that the end result is better for it.
Is this the current trend with mp makers? How is this effect achieved, facing or tone chamber? Does anyone else agree that control can only be achieved with some resistance? Am I just being perverse in thinking it seems wrong to expect the equipment to do all the work? Should I just settle for the easy life?
jez
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2003-02-28 19:53
jez,
You're certainly not crazy --- most advanced players do need a certain amount of resistance, which of course varies with the individual, against which to blow --- especially when trying to maintain tone and intonation at lower dynamic levels. I've had a few mouthpieces in the past which were too easy to blow. Some of the characteristics of 'easy-blowing' mouthpieces I've seen include perfectly symmetrical facings with a very gradual transition between the flat table and curved facing, and generally a fairly long facing. Frequently such mouthpieces have sort of a bright, fuzzy/woody sound without a very clearly-defined center, and sometimes they 'close up' easily with high breath pressure. Chamber design, at least with clarinets, has very little effect unless extremes of chamber size and/or baffle height are used such as in many sax mouthpieces nowadays.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2003-03-01 00:43
Some resistance can be good, but be careful of going too far. Years ago, I had the opportunity to meet Herb Blayman, former principal clarinetist of the Met. I actually met him a number of times through a friend who was a former student of his. He said that he felt that the resistance should be in the reed and not the mouthpiece. In that way you could manipulate it as needed for the musical setting and surroundings.
I think it can also help to not have too much resistance as too much effort is then put into getting a sound rather than musical things such as phrasing and subtleties of tone color. I agree with Brenda, try a slightly harder reed. A few years ago i had a mouthpiece that I thought was a bit too free and perhaps a bit bright. One day i put on a slightly harder reed and it turned out to be a fantastic mouthpiece.
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Author: PJ
Date: 2003-03-02 06:17
I read the same article the other night that Jim suggested. Great article; really opened my eyes a lot as he stated things in a simple way that I had always heard explained in way too technical a manner.
However, within this article he discusses asymetrical facings at some length. I gathered from his words that he completely opposed these types of facings and suggested they never be used. Once I would have agreed. However, I recently acquired a custom mouthpiece made several, several years ago that had an asymetrical facing. I've been playing this mouthpiece for quite sometime and have found it to be superior to anything else I've played (and I've played several custom as well as commercial pieces). I'm changing my thinking all together on this. I've found that I'm allowed more flexiblity between styles of music, more reeds are playable, and I'm able to get a wider dynamic range while keeping the same tone color where I couldn't get this before. Now, incidentally, like Jez's mouthpiece, I thought a little too free blowing at first, but I did go a half strenght harder reed and solved the problem.
My question would have to be: Is this all due to the make-up of one's mouth or is it all in personal preference? Anyone else have any views on this?
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Author: PJ
Date: 2003-03-02 06:20
Sorry, wrong article. I was referring to the article on mouthpiece facings.
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