 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: jmberch
Date: 2006-10-24 00:18
I've been trying out different mouthpieces for awhile, and I can't find the one that does what I need. I would like to be able to play on around a size 3.5-4 reed. I want to have a round tone, be able to play as loud or as soft as I want, and not have half as much back pressure as i do now. I don't want a jazz mouthpiece....I've tried quite a few mouthpieces...and either I can't bite down hard enough...or my tone is to thin and the back pressure is overwhelming...I can't play on the size reed I want....I have lots of problems. I know mouthpieces vary from clarinet to clarinet and from person to person, but would anyone mind leading me in the right direction. any help will be appreciated, thanks
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Author: jmberch
Date: 2006-10-24 00:47
i get brighter tone....and I feel like my embochure is loose...I like to bite down when i play
Post Edited (2006-10-24 00:47)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2006-10-24 01:00
The prevailing problem sounds like your embouchure. Biting is NOT ALLOWED!!! The idea is to engage all the muscles AROUND the lips so that you have equal pressure from above, below and the sides. If you do this and concentrate on these muscles and NOT THE JAW, you will have a much more flexible sound.
The other big item to having a nice round sound is to have a good steady stream of air. Constantly push the air, stomach continues to stay out. If you do these two things you won't have time to bite.
...........Paul Aviles
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Author: jmberch
Date: 2006-10-24 03:15
I don't mean bite....i'm sorry, i put it wrong...I just feel like my embochure is loose...like not closing around the mouthpiece...if you know what I mean
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2006-10-24 11:09
Dear jmberch,
If your embouchure is in good shape, the next step is to have a decent mouthpiece. I have good luck with a Vandoren 5RV Lyre (Profile 88, 13 Series with 56 Rue Lepic #4s) which has a good standard facing and plays like a much MUCH more expensive mouthpiece.
Naturally there are so many others to chose from of varying price ranges (all up from there I'm afraid) that really need to be tried to see if they will work for you.
Just try to stay with mouthpieces that are not too open. Open mouthpieces will just lose focus and cause too much wear and tear in the end.
..........Paul Aviles
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2006-10-24 13:21
May I echo Paul's advice ? I have a glass O'Brien mp refaced to a 5RVL, which plays well, but I like the more open/longer lays with softer reeds. At someone's suggestion I re-tried my old Woodwind G8 and found it to be a "rapid-responder" with low back pressure. When my old Selmer A is returned, I'll try it more thoroughly [sp?] to perhaps achieve a more "Bb sound". Luck in your search, Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Paul Globus
Date: 2006-10-24 17:49
Hello,
Just a bit of friendly advice from a long-time professional player.
I see you're having trouble with mouthpieces. They only become a problem, in my opinion, when we try too many. In the old days when I started playing (the late 1950s), we played on the mouthpieces that came with the instruments. Everyone did that, even the best pros. We learned how to play those mouthpieces, that's just how it was.
When we try too many, we lose the ability even to evaluate. And it doesn't take long to become confused -- five or ten minutes and one's opinion whether the mouthpiece passes muster or not isn't worth a dime.
Try a Vandoren B45. They're relatively inexpensive and, once you learn how to control and voice it, just fine for ensemble or solo playing. The good thing about the B45 is that it's neither too open nor too closed, nor is the facing too long or too short. It's just sort of in the middle, which can give you a good basis for comparison with mouthpieces that are designed with different configurations.
And by the way, you don't need an ultra expensive, custom-made, state-of-the-art, high-tech, super-duper miracle mouthpiece to sound good. Some really first-rate players, past and present, play on Vandorens and production mouthpieces of that ilk. The sound you make is what is in your head.
Good luck.
Post Edited (2006-10-24 20:52)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2006-10-24 19:20
Dear Paul G.
What great advice. I must confess that I tend to get obsessive about acquiring more stuff - mouthpieces and fountain pens. The harsh reality of my latest binge is that I am back on the mouthpiece that I was playing on three mouthpieces ago (before my latest binge).
On the other hand it does pay to be a little more open to experimentation. The "old" mouthpiece (the 5RV to which I refered earlier) was a mouthpiece rolling around in a colleague's drawer. I tried it only because I had a few minutes to kill and wanted to see what that one was like.
Somewhere there must be a balance between getting stuck with something that may limit your progress and getting stuck limiting your progress in the constant search for the Holy Grail. I have yet to find that happy medium.
............Paul Aviles
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Author: Paul Globus
Date: 2006-10-24 20:01
You're quite right about that. The happy medium, so called, can be elusive.
What is truly amazing to older players such as myself (I began playing in 1959 and played my first professional gig ten years later) is how equipment obsessed we have become. I can even remember a time when we played just about every reed in a box and did almost no sanding or scraping or adjusting of any kind. We just adapted and made the reed work for us. This approach actually builds flexibility into one's technical ability.
I agree that there can be big differences between mouthpiece A and mouthpiece B. No question. But we should all remember that practice is what separates the great players from the rest of us. Equipment is important but far from the answer to our playing problems.
Paul Globus
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2006-10-24 20:19
During my last vacation I took my backup (a Bundy) with me, plus a mouthpiece I formerly found, well, difficult compared to my usual one. On the first day I regretted my decision, on day three I had adapted to it and started concentrating on the score again, and by the end of week 2 it felt like I've never been using something else. And all the time I used the first of two reeds I had with me.
I guess that supports Paul Globus' observations.
--
Ben
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Author: jmberch
Date: 2006-10-24 20:23
I'm not looking for an expensive mouthpiece...i like the way you described it...but I'm just looking for something thats comfortable. I think i'm gonna get one of the vandoreans...the music store here doesn't let you test them.
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Author: Paul Globus
Date: 2006-10-24 20:27
Concentrate on adapting to whatever mouthpiece, reed and ligature is attached to your instrument and you will do well. Force yourself to make it work for you and things will fairly quickly begin to fall into place. Trust me.
I wish you well.
Post Edited (2006-10-24 20:52)
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2006-10-24 21:18
VeryWell Said, both Pauls [A and G]. Happily, if a mp is not "extreme", I like it and become "Accoustomed to Her Face" [or "Every day is Ladies Day With Me"], as some of the good shows say. Yes, 1959 is early, PG, mine started about 1939 and yes, we played what we had, mps and reeds, and "made do". The "good ole daze" Regards, Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: KellyA
Date: 2006-10-24 21:19
I play a Clark Fobes CF+ mouthpiece with gonzales 3.5 reeds. Prior to this mouthpiece I was playing a vandoren b45 just because it was popular with other members in my section. I tried the b45 again last year and found it very stuffy, hard to play, and lacked power. My point is that you should find a mouthpiece that works well for you. And give yourself time to make a good decision. Find a music store that carries some different brands and try them out a few different times, I brought a friend with me right into a practice room to get their opinion on the sound from each mouthpiece. Also, it's OK to play more than one mouthpiece, in fact it will build adaptability in your playing skills. Good luck and take it slow.
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