 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: janeuk
Date: 2003-07-25 17:51
I've been playing clarinet for just over two years now and am truly obsessed by it!! My teacher says my technique is fine but I'm not too happy with the tone I produce. After reading the bboard I was thinking of changing reeds/mouthpiece/ligature but am unsure whether to change all together or one at a time and see if I notice any difference, and what should I change to. I am playing a Buffet E13 with standard Buffett mouthpiece and ligature that it came with and Vandoren standard 2.5 reeds.
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Author: Vytas
Date: 2003-07-25 18:05
With standard Buffett mouthpiece??? IMO. These mouthpieces are unplayable!
Old Buffet mouthpieces were made from excellent blanks but they usually have very lousy facing.
Vytas
Post Edited (2003-07-28 21:55)
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2003-07-25 18:07
A 5RVLyre would be a logical choice for a mouthpiece that teaches you how to voice your tone, and also will give you good results with ease of response. The stock mouthpiece is just a dud.
David Dow
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-07-25 18:58
I'm very surprised that your teacher didn't have you discard the Buffet mouthpiece as soon as it came with your clarinet. Shame on him/her! These are nothing more than cheap plastic "space fillers'" in the case, with a facing that is anybody's guess.
As D Dow suggested, a 5RVLyre is a good first choice, as are the Fobes Debut or Hite Premier, both of these mouthpieces having carefully applied facings ...GBK
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2003-07-25 19:28
Don't throw out the baby with the bath...
Change only one variable for a valid comparison to your current rig.
Using the SAME reed strength (select a good reed for this) - find a store willing to allow a demo of mouthpieces.
You're looking for ease of play (top to bottom) with a solid sound.
It should not be a struggle to play your next mouthpiece.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2003-07-25 20:08
Some Buffet clarinets come (or at least did in the past) with hard-rubber mouthpieces made by ESM (Ernst Schreiber), the same company which made all the "Made in Germany"-labelled Evette-Schaeffer clarinets for Buffet --- and the bass clarinet ESM mouthpieces I've tried were actually pretty good, so it's possible (I suppose) that janeuk's stock Buffet mouthpiece is one of these, and thus potentially playable.
But.......if it is indeed one of the plastic ones, then by all means toss it in the circular file.
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2003-07-25 20:59
You will all find this hard to believe- I know one professional clarinet player who actually plays on a Buffet mouthpiece!!! He sounds really good on it. He tried out a whole bunch in a shop once, found this one that he liked and bought it for almost nothing.
Still, I would agree with the previous posters, and recommend that you try something like a 5RVLyre. Buy the mouthpiece that plays better than what you have.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2003-07-25 21:44
Well, what does your instructor suggest? He/She should be the first source of suggestions since he/she offered the criticism. Personally, I am of the opinion that to categorize all Buffet stock mps as junk is overkill. I have a couple that are not that bad.
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Author: Mark Pinner
Date: 2003-07-26 00:01
I don't know how such a general condemnation of the stock mouthpiece can be valid. A little while ago I saw a local respected clarinet teacher, head of woodwind at one of our biggest private schools, selecting a clarinet and mouthpiece for a student. It was either an E11 or 13 I can't remember. He was also trying mouthpieces to suit. There were about half a dozen mouthpieces B40, B45 and a couple of Selmers, C85's and an HS. He didn't like any of them so I blind tested him with the standard Bufet stock C model out of the case and that was what he chose. I have a couple which I use with my old Albert system horns and they are fine if a little close. These subjective condemnations are just that. Each to his or her own. One suggestion I would make is to try a reed harder than a 2.5.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2003-07-26 01:11
God. This is hard cause there are so many variables to consider. Reed strenght and quality, mouthpieces, ligatures, and just the fact that you might have gotten a bad mouthpiece in the batch.
Here's my amateur advice. First I'd figure out the type of mouthpiece you have. Is it open? Closed? Medium lay? My guess is a "medium" all around. In that case try a few more "open" and a few more "closed" mouthpieces, and of course a few different "medium" ones. That'll eliminate a lot once you decide which tip opening you're most comfortable with.
Pick a few of the popular ones in that style. Keep in mind that some mouthpiece makers have a wide variety of openings (I play a gigliotti which makes a P, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Closed to open, respectively). Pick a few of the popular ones (they must not be too bad to be so popular). I'd say stick to the recommendations on the board. And take your time. It took me something like 3 or 4 months to pick out my mouthpiece and get it to be "perfect" for me (key words FOR ME).
Keep in mind while testing these mouthpieces (by now should all be closed, open, or medium), to try different reed strengths (I'd say from 2.5 to 3.5 for now). It makes a whole lotta difference. Then after you settle on a mouthpiece, order a few different mouthpieces of the same exact model! Due to the fact that most mouthpieces are "mass produced", the wear and tear on the machines and whatever else used produces slight, but noticeable differences in each mouthpiece of the same model.
After you pick one, play it for a while and get accustomed to it, then start on the ligature search. That's the "easy" one!
Good Luck.
Alexi
PS - You could also pick a mouthpiece that sounds good to you, and just have it professionally refaced. That way you get the tone that you want, and then just have someone make it comfortable for you to play. That's what I (and many others on the board as well) ended up doing.
US Army Japan Band
Post Edited (2003-07-26 01:14)
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Author: janeuk
Date: 2003-07-28 20:34
Thanks all for your comments, as soon as the children are back at school and I have some spare time I'm off to the local music shops to see what mouthpieces they have that I can try. and i have someslightly harder reeds on the way. BobD,it wasn't my teacher who criticised my tone, just my own criticism. Will let you all know how I get on
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Author: BobD
Date: 2003-07-28 21:32
jan: realized it as soon as I sent the post, sorry. Bobd
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