 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Paul
Date: 1999-12-12 15:56
Hi,
I've posted a couple of times and had good advice so far, thanks. I am just getting into learning the clarinet and have now had an introductory lesson with a teacher. After quite a bit of reading about the importance of the mouthpiece, I thought a reasonable thing would be to bite the bullet and actually buy a "good" mouthpiece at this time (to use with the student Yamaha 20 clarinet I am borrowing). Having no basis for comparison, I discussed getting a Vandoren B45 (which seems pretty popular) with my teacher, however she suggested an M13 Lyre would be a better long-term prospect. I tried one and it seemed ok as far as I could tell - if anything a little easier to blow than the stock yamaha student mouthpiece I had been using, and the thinner "profile-88" shape did seem a bit more comfortable. Having searched the archives at this site though, opinions on this mouthpiece have been (perhaps not surprisingly) mixed, although most responses were fairly old. Looking at the specifications of this mouthpiece I noted that it has one of the smallest openings available - I do not understand whether this of itself may be a limiting characteristic - I have seen references to large openings as being more "flexible" but really don't know what that means (ie can you play more notes more easily or what?). Also I noted that this mouthpiece is said to be particularly suited to "American tuning (A440)" and may have a tendancy to play a little flat, with some suggesting it is best used with a shorter barrel. That didn't sound very appealing. I fully understand that opinions on mouthpieces are a very personal thing, and one should try a few and see what you like, but until I have accquired some basic skills on the instrument that's kind of a catch-22. I was thus inclined to go with my teacher's suggestion, but for the above reasons I'm not so sure. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Paul
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Author: drew
Date: 1999-12-12 16:39
Paul, this is such a good question!
Your teacher should be helping you select a mouthpiece. This so important that it is well worth dedicating an entire lesson (or more) to mouthpiece selection only. If necessary, have your teacher accompany you to a local music store, assuming that you have access to a well stocked one. If this is not the case, mouthpiece selection can be done by mail-order. The only way to select a mouthpiece is to play it with your instrument (no other instrument will do).
Be suspicious of anyone who recommends a specific make/model of mouthpiece. Such a recommendation usually comes fron someone who has had success with a similar mouthpiece; it is unlikely that you would make the same selection.
Mothpieces should be selected on four criteria:
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Author: drew
Date: 1999-12-12 16:44
Sorry, hit enter!
The four criteria are intonation, tone quality, response, and ease of blowing. Mouthpiece selection can be a bit time consuming, but the payoff for you selecting the best mouthpiece far exceeds the time, cost and effort you put into it.
One other comment, avoid mouthpieces that have excessive facing characteristics (very large or very small tip openings, very long or very short facing lengths).
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Author: barry
Date: 1999-12-12 22:43
I play a B45 with a 3 reed,and I think it is a heck of a good mouthpiece. But be aware that not all B45s play the same.Yyou just have to try until you find one that suits you. Drew's advice is good. you really need a teacher or experienced player to tell you when you have got the right mouthpiece.
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Author: Dee
Date: 1999-12-13 00:11
As a relative beginner, you do need a good mouthpiece but don't get paranoid about it. Either the Vandoren B45 or the M13Lyre should be fine. At this point in time, it would not be beneficial to go on the "great mouthpiece hunt." Your needs and preferences will change as you move from beginner to intermediate to advanced and as you develop your musical "voice."
Until you are more developed, I would suggest that you go along with your teacher's recommendation unless you don't like the mouthpiece.
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Author: paul
Date: 1999-12-14 17:10
I have to agree with Dee. It took me years of practice with one single mp to learn what I liked and didn't like and most importantly, why things were this way for me.
Settle in on a mp and work with it for a while. Then, wait for a couple of years before you look around for other mouthpieces. I personally waited for 2 years before shopping for a new mp. As an adult novice, I pounded out 2 years worth of drills on the B45, just to make a good foundation. I believe that step is absolutely essential.
After all of that work and patience, I finally took the plunge and purchased a better mp. The new mp is almost exactly like the one I already had. However, the quality of workmanship and the resulting tone are significantly better. I stepped up from a mass produced Vandoren B45 to a custom made pro grade Borbeck 13. These two mps are almost exactly alike in playing characteristics, so the transition was a breeze. The custom made pro grade Borbeck mp is a quality item through and through. I paid for the quality. That's because the Borbeck mp came from a very high quality German blank (unfinished mp) and it was custom hand finished for me to my specifications by Mr. Borbeck himself.
You might wonder how I found out about the Borbeck mp. Simple. My pro tutor introduced me to it about 2 years ago. His Borbeck 13 was an absolute dream to play back then. He advised me to wait a while before I made the major investment in the mp to make sure I had the foundation of skills to get the most out of it. It took me 2 years to save up the money from my piggy bank, too. 
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Author: pepin
Date: 1999-12-18 01:09
I have tried many mouthpieces and have long ago settled on Mitchell Lurie mpc.They are easy to play but are a bit thin in the altissimo. It is not too critical as most of clarinet repertoire avoids altissimo sound
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Author: Mark Charette, Webmaster
Date: 1999-12-28 12:13
Jerry Hall wrote:
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Paul contact me at my e-mail address and I will help you out.
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Jerry,
It'd be nice if you'd post your thoughts here rather than having people email you and keeping things private only.
You also need to let people know something of your background in mouthpieces (and that, at least in the past, you've been a mouthpiece engineer and have been selling your own mouthpieces).
I know that you feel some other mouthpiece makers overcharge; that's fair, but the marketplace should be the place to settle this question, not here.
Cheers,
Mark C.
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