 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: nickma
Date: 2004-12-23 16:58
This was the title of a piece posted 5 years ago, suggesting that the most important thing was to find the right mouthpiece, and only then should one look for the clarinet...
Well, I couldn't agree less!
With an Eaton International and a Selmer 10G, I have 2 rather different Bb clarinets, with different feel, different bores (I think) and somewhat different characters.
I have 3 mouthpieces that I like: a vintage Bay with 2 lines up and 2 down, on an M-M facing that plays more like a M0-M, a Nagamatsu 4-23, and a Bay Triomphe also on a M-M facing, that plays more like a M-M.
The vintage Bay sounds wonderful on the Eaton, giving it a vibrancy and directness that is killed when using the Eaton mouthpiece that came with the instrument (2nd hand). Yet the Triomphe, I assume made for narrow French bores, loses it's equilibrium when paried with the Eaton, which is narrow but fractionally wider.
The Nagamatsu does, I have to admit sound pretty good on both.....so that doesn't assist my hypothesis much.
Notwihtstanding, my feeling is that given clarinets have different bore dimensions at the top of the upper joint, and different barrels according to that and other design and intonation ideas, how can one choose a mouthpiece first and then look for the clarinet thereafter?
Surely this is an exercise in limitation of choice.
What are your views?
Nick
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2004-12-23 18:25
As has been said better by others, I'd rather play on a junk clarinet with a really good mouthpiece, than play on a great clarinet with a mediocre mouthpiece --- any day!
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-12-23 18:32
I agree with Dave but will phrase his post in a different way:
The further away from the initial source of the sound, the less important the equipment.
Therefore, the mouthpiece/reed/ligature combination is of primary concern, followed next by the barrel and then the remainder of the clarinet ...GBK
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Author: Gandalfe
Date: 2004-12-24 03:48
Or even more interesting, what is a good mouthpiece? I purchased a Selmer Paris C for my wife when she started playing clarinet again this year. I also replaced her Selmer Signet with a high-end Leblanc clarinet. When we compared to the two instruments, the Leblanc was spot on according to the tuner across the full range of the Leblanc. The Selmer Signet didn't fair as well. We conducted this test with the new Selmer Paris C mouthpiece on both instruments.
Since my background is in saxes and there I stay with nice safe Meyers, Otto Links, and such, I am not the right guy to ask about mouthpieces for clarinets. But as my wife is happy with the current mouthpiece, maybe this is a moot issue.
Jim and Suzy
Pacifica Big Band
Seattle, Washington
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Author: nickma
Date: 2004-12-24 19:25
Mary, you're certainly on the ball, tough to argue with you unless you're into duck calls, but I think we have to assume you're changing horn for the purposes of this old chesnut....
Agree that mouthpiece is more important than clarinet. That says however, if you're wedded to a mouthpiece you can't comtemplate life without, you'll never change from one type of clarinet to another. Which is fine of course, but you'll never know the difference...
Nick
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Author: allencole
Date: 2004-12-24 19:41
Let me take this from cart-and-horse to chicken-and-egg.
Sooner or later, you need a quality mouthpiece. Prefereably, it should come first so that you are well-equipped when trying new clarinets. Of course, your new clarinet could cause you to be disatisfied with your old mpc and cause you to go shopping once again.
But get yourself a good mpc so you can at least see what your horn is capable of.
Allen Cole
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