 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: clarisax
Date: 2004-10-07 03:13
hello, i post on here every once and a while and i find this bboard to be very very helpful. lately ive been having a lot of problems with getting a decent tone (dark, centered, etc...) and i think it may be because of my reeds. this is going to sound weird but i am using vandoren v12 size 4.5 on my morgan rm06 and i find the sound very thin and bright. my teacher told me to call marks music and get a box of old morre reeds. i found those to be basically just a box of tree bark that didnt play. when i play with the vandorens i feel like the reeds are just way to soft and that im blowing right through the instrument without there being any resistance. should i up the reed strength to a -gasp- size 5? i really dont think im "bighting" because initially thats what i had suspected but after being analyzed by my teacher we think it must be the mouthpiece/reed combination. i just dont know, and im getting tired of spending A LOT of money on different reeds all the time. the morres cost over 40 dollars for one box alone. Any suggestions of reed brands and strengths that work well with morgan closed facing (tip opening of 1.06 i beleive) mouthpieces would be greatly appreciated. thanks.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-10-07 03:28
It's too bad that your teacher didn't know enough about Morre reeds to know that the remaining boxes at Marks Music are mostly the German cut, rather than the French cut and are the "newer" old stock, not the "older" old stock.
This remaining stock has been pretty much picked over.
These Morre reeds are no way characteristic of the Morre reeds from the mid 60's to early 70's. Those reeds have never been equaled.
BTW - As a point of reference, a Morre 2 1/2 strength, 12.5 German tip, was about equivalent to a current Vandoren V12 #3 3/4 (mid way between 3 1/2 and 4) ..GBK
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Author: JessKateDD
Date: 2004-10-07 04:20
Alas, my Moree supply ran out years ago. I used the RM06 and alternate between Vandoren Blackmaster #4 and #5. It is a wonderful match, for me at least. If you are too strong for the 5s, there are also Blackmaster strengths 5+ and 5++.
I'm a big fan of Morgan mouthpieces. I ordered 25 from Ralph in March - delivery promised in May. I'm still waiting... But, then again, he doesn't compromise his standards, and I will be quite grateful when they are finally delivered.
Incidentally, if you want to unload that box of treebark, send me a holler.
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Author: Firebird
Date: 2004-10-07 06:22
All of you are using lousy set ups. Here I reccomend Zonda 3.5K with Morgan mouthpcs. Vandoren never seemed to work for me anyway.
Chan
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Author: Roger Aldridge
Date: 2004-10-07 12:13
Clarisax,
I'm not sure if my experience is going to be of much help to you as I use the RM10 and RM15 Morgan models. That disclaimer aside, I'm a fan of Alexander Classique reeds. They have a dark, rich, warm sound on my Morgan mouthpieces. However, I'm not sure how well Classique reeds will work for you. I'd describe them has having a slightly softer tip and stronger heart. Jess' suggestion about Vandoren Blackmaster reeds is an excellent idea. In fact, I was going to mention that but Jess beat me to it. Blackmaster has a stronger tip and may work well for you. I used them before switching over to Classique. When I first strarted using Morgan mouthpieces I spoke with Ralph Morgan about clarinet mouthpieces & reeds and told him that I was using Blackmaster reeds. He chuckled and said that it was something of a best kept secret.
The only other suggestion I can offer is to check on how much of the mouthpiece you're taking into the mouth. Ralph Morgan recommends taking in more mouthpiece than what we may be used to. I experiemented with Ralph's advice on clarinet and saxophone and discovered that he's right...that it did make a difference in my sound. Since then, I've found it interesting to look around at the other woodwind players in the ensembles I perform in to see how much of the mouthpiece they take in. The vast majority of them tend to take in a fairly small amount. According to Ralph, by taking in more of the mouthpiece it allows the reed and mouthpiece to work together at more of an optimal level. I've found that this approach helps to give me a bigger and more vibrant sound. Whereas, if I take in a lesser amount my sound becomes thinner and weaker.
Good luck to you!
Roger
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Author: clarisax
Date: 2004-10-07 23:37
JessKateDD,
did you try the vandoren v12 size 5 reeds too? why did you like the blackmasters better? ive heard that they are smaller reeds and may actually fit mouthpieces, especially morgans with narrower beaks, better than traditional french reeds. is this the case?
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Author: JessKateDD
Date: 2004-10-08 03:33
I've had some students play quite well on the Morgans plus the V-12, but I prefer the Blackmaster. Before I switched to the Blackmaster I was still playing my old plastic box Vandoren 5s. I've been playing Blackmasters exclusively since 1998.
My teacher from college studied with Jettel in Vienna. When I came up with the Morgan plus Blackmaster reed combination, he played it and said I had pretty much copied the VPO setup. Ironically, Ralph Morgan tells me that players in the VPO are now playing on his mouthpiece. Blackmasters are Vandorens made for the Vienna school of clarinet playing.
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Author: sinkdraiN
Date: 2004-10-08 13:07
Yea, I'm interested in the blackmasters too! I like the V12 3.5 on my RM15. What strength blackmasters equal a v12 3.5?
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Author: clarinetdaddy
Date: 2004-10-08 13:51
Have you tried the NEW Vandoren Brand reeds? They are Vandoren 56. I tried a box while I was at the MusicMeza in Frankfurt Germany last April. They are cut differently and seem to work a lot better. Then again I use Morgan's J7 mpc. Which works really great for jazz.
Keep reeding! Miles
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Author: JessKateDD
Date: 2004-10-08 18:02
I only know that Blackmasters work well on the RM06. I have no idea whether they are good or not on the more open facings. A RM15 is very different from what I play.
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