The Clarinet BBoard

The Clarinet BBoard The C4 standard

New Topic | Go to Top | Go to Topic | Search | Help/Rules | Smileys/Notes | Log In

Previous Message | Next Message

Re: Behn Vintage Mouthpieces A+

Author: L. Omar Henderson
Date: 2006-04-18 13:48

Perhaps this is out of place because I have not tried the Behn Vintage or Backun mouthpieces but hope to have the time at the Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium to window shop several of the great mouthpiece makers of our time including these new additions. I would recommend to anyone that is shopping for a new mouthpiece that they attend the Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium or ClarinetFest this summer in Atlanta if possible. The makers themselves - probably Behn, Backun, Redwine, Grabner, Lomax, Fobes, and perhaps Hill, Johnston, Smith, Hawkins, Pyne and maybe others of the elite current artisans will be there in person and can customize their art to your personal playing characteristics. Their experience can help select styles to send mail-order but face to face is a better option if possible. I am friends with many of these artisans and I respect each of them for their respective but different artistic talents and mouthpiece styles produced.

I believe that attempts at recreating original rubber formulations and new mouthpiece design and manufacturing techniques may produce a different type of resonance, tonal characteristics, and ease of use to a mouthpiece but the inner dimensions, table, rails and facing are the critical factors in mouthpiece performance and where the mouthpiece artisan's talent and experience comes to fore. No one style, rubber used, or precision manufacturing will be best for everyone because of the noted differences in individual players native architecture and compendium of playing experience and style as well as the variables of the clarinet and barrel used. Also, no one will be able to create a mouthpiece that will reproduce the tone of the past master players because they were individuals and had individual tones produced by their own architecture and hardware. Make up your own mind about what is best for you!
L. Omar Henderson
P.S. The list or artisans is not inclusive but just the ones that I have seen at past OK and ClarinetFests performing their "magic".

Post Edited (2006-04-18 21:26)

Reply To Message | Avail. Forums | Flat View

Newer Topic | Older Topic

Topics

Author

Date

Behn Vintage Mouthpieces A+ new

Llewsrac

2006-02-26 22:59