 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bani
Date: 2004-07-23 08:13
How good do glass mouthpieces sound? How well do they play? Thanks for the info.
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2004-07-23 11:34
Just like politicians,
Some are good, some are bad and none can be trusted in a bar...
Seriously, if you can take care of one and it plays well, it could last your lifetime... drop it, and the results may be tragic.
Do a search (top of the page) and find loads of earlier discussion.
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2004-07-23 13:18
Bani,
To help you in your search, they're called "crystal" mouthpieces, though they do indeed look and feel just like heavy glass. I have one, and it sure does look cool.›
________________
Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2004-07-23 14:19
I've acquired several of these over the past thirty years. (Don't we all accumulate a box of stuff that's clarinet relatived?) While I feel comfortable with an old Selmer HS* table one (the information is engraved right on the table itself, in a curling script that's a bit hard to read), I have the perception that there is a "crackling" sound transmitted from the moisture in the mouthpiece, at least to my ears. I've tried getting others to "hear" this, but none of the listeners (musically enabled or not) have ever heard a thing.
As it's only a "good enough" mouthpiece and not one of the best, it stays in the box as a curio. Nothing wrong with the mouthpiece, other than what I hear when I use it.
leader of Houston's Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra
info@sotsdo.com
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Author: bill28099
Date: 2004-07-23 15:43
I have a crystal mouthpiece stuck between my teeth 2 to 5 hours a day 7 days a week. I used them as a high school student and use them now 45 years later. They work best on older larger bore horns, I play a Leblanc Symphonie Bb and a Leblanc Symphonie II A. I've tried modern mouthpieces on these instruments, some very expensive, and have not been pleased with the results.
My experience is that the typical crystal mouthpiece that is in daily use has a lifetime of 6 to 12 months. No matter how careful you are you're going to drop the thing and it will end up chipped or shattered beyond playablility. If you decide to use a crystal mouthpiece use a good thick tooth patch on it or over time your upper front teeth will start of hurt.
One of the tasks that I plan to undertake in the near future is to have someone build me a hard rubber mouthpiece to the approximate dimensions of an old Clarion HS*. I really can't believe it is the material that make them play well for me. However, I do know that the bore diameter of an HS* is bigger then any mouthpiece I own, for example, an 85 year old Buffet and a 55 year old Vandoren 2RV.
A great teacher gives you answers to questions
you don't even know you should ask.
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Author: Robert Small
Date: 2004-07-23 20:46
I just recently started using a crystal mouthpiece: a Pomarico Jazz model that I had opened up a bit by Dave Spiegelthal. This piece gets alot of sound but without the edginess usually produced by very open pieces. A nice combination of power and warmth. And it seems to be a very good match for my medium bore Leblanc LL. And, yes, it does look cool.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-07-25 04:23
bill28099 said:
> My experience is that the typical crystal mouthpiece
> that is in daily use has a lifetime of 6 to 12 months.
I have been using the same pair of Vandoren crystal mouthpieces (selected from about 2 dozen) since the early 1970's.
They have been used every day for more than 30 years ...GBK
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Author: bill28099
Date: 2004-07-26 02:58
OK GBK tell me your secret. I've been back at playing since last Oct. and have dropped one 30 year old Clarion HS* in the process. I cried a lot but still have a 45 year old one in one piece. However, I'm going to go and buy another Selmer #2 just in case.
A great teacher gives you answers to questions
you don't even know you should ask.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2004-07-26 14:01
I'm much the same, Bill, I keep the remains of the sop. glass/crystal my teacher gave me with his/my Full Boehm Penzel-Mueller, yarrs ago, to remind me about being Very Careful. I have some 5-6 sop's [most refaced], 2 Bass cl GG/Pomaricos [one now being refaced by Dave S] and a brand new alto cl Pom #3 mellow, V G direct from Italy !! Yes, glass is about twice as "heavy" as HR/plastic, and IMHO is the reason for its warmer/darker?? tonal character, and yes, all of mine have either a rubber [or clear plastic {V}] mp "cushion" for playing comfort/secure-embouchure "feel". "I've grown accustomed to them" [as in M F L] Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: florizell
Date: 2004-07-28 08:39
ok, time for someone to enlighten me!
what is the meaning of this IMHO haaaaa?
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2004-07-28 13:27
OK, F Z, In My Humble Opinion, its an easy way to disclaim "positiveness that I'm correct" now or ?always?, and allow [solicit] differing OPINIONS, which ,to me, is one of the "secrets of the success" of our BBoard. Don't we have a "laundry list" of abbreviated phrases in our archives, GBK/Mark?, perhaps posting it again might result in faster-posting speed, if thats a desireable goal. Incidentally, I like glass mps for both playing and show! Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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