 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: kmcnabb
Date: 2007-03-25 04:46
I have a daughter in a performing arts school playing clarinet and want to buy her a new mouthpiece and ligature for her wooden clarinet. Since this is new to me (I'm a string player), can you give me any advice on what is the best to purchase? I've heard that the hardened rubber mouthpieces are good, but hear good things about the Van Doren B40 also. We want to get her something that is not grossly expensive but will give her a better sound than her current plastic mouthpiece. She uses #4 reeds and is the Principal in her orchestra. Any advice on mouthpieces and ligatures is appreciated!!! Thanks!
Kristen
Fiddler
Mother of Clarinet student
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Author: pewd
Date: 2007-03-25 04:51
hard to answer without knowing more about her.
does she take private lessons? if so, consult her private teacher.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: kmcnabb
Date: 2007-03-25 04:55
She gets private lessons at the school, but when I asked what type she wanted, she listed what the other clarinet players have, and didn't really have an opinion or exact type in mind. But thanks for the reply, I'll keep on researching.
Kristen
Fiddler
Mother of Clarinet student
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2007-03-25 15:46
Kristen -
To a non-clarinetist, I know this is very confusing. By far the best way to make sure your daughter gets a good mouthpiece is to go to a local professional player, who will probably have several on hand for his/her students. If not, it's worth paying him/her to go to a well-stocked music store with your daughter, have both of them play what's available and choose the best one for her.
If you can't find someone to pick out a mouthpiece, my recommendation is to get a custom maker's student mouthpiece, such as the Fobes Debut http://www.muncywinds.com/product.php?productid=816&cat=0&page=1, which will be a tremendous improvement over stock plastic mouthpiece your daughter is probably playing now and the best $29.95 you'll spend.
Remember that if your daughter decides on a clarinet major after high school, her university teacher will almost certainly recommend his/her preferred mouthpiece. Thus, what she gets at this point is unlikely to be a lifetime choice.
If your daughter wants to pick out a mouthpiece for herself, here is probably more information than you or she can use.
First a matter of nomenclature. Hard (not hardened) rubber is used for almost all clarinet mouthpieces, including Vandoren. Student mouthpieces are often made of plastic, and a few hand-made mouthpieces are made of wood and sometimes crystal (don't say "glass" -- the makers and players get offended).
Vandoren mouthpieces are made by computerized machinery and are good quality. They will be a considerable improvement over the stock mouthpieces that come with most clarinets. The B40 is well liked. For orchestral work, many people also like the 5RV-Lyre, which your daughter should try. Vandorens are available by mail order for around $65, but it's better to go to a store with a big stock and try out several of each model, since they vary from example to example. Some mail order sites will send you several mouthpieces to try.
The next step up are the student mouthpieces from the makers listed below, which cost less than the Vandorens and usually play just as well or better. Above those are intermediate-level mouthpieces from the same makers for around $100.
Practically all professional players use hand-made mouthpieces. The great advantage is that most makers are excellent players and make microscopic final adjustments that significantly improve their mouthpieces. For the ultimate refinement, you go to the maker's workshop and get a mouthpiece adjusted to your particular clarinet, embouchure and playing style. However, these mouthpieces cost from $165 to $500. For a professional player, the improvement is worth the additional cost. For a good high school player, it's a closer call. Roger Garrett has the lowest price, followed by Walter Grabner.
The following makers (in alphabetical order) have good reputations:
Murray Backun http://www.backunmusical.com/
Brad Behn http://www.behnmouthpieces.com/
Peter Eaton http://www.eatonclarinets.freeserve.co.uk/
Clark Fobes http://www.clarkwfobes.com/Productpage.html
Roger Garrett http://www.iwu.edu/~rgarrett/RogerGarrett/Clarinet%20Mouthpieces.html
Walter Grabner http://www.clarinetxpress.com/
Michael Lomax http://www.lomaxclassic.com/
James Pyne http://www.pyne-clarion.com/
Tom Ridenour http://www.ridenourclarinetproducts.com/
Greg Smith http://www.gregory-smith.com/
There are also specialized barrel makers who don't make mouthpieces, including
Segal http://www.clarinetconcepts.com/
Spriggs http://www.pspriggs.com/
Most of these makers sell directly by mail order and will send several mouthpieces on trial, though they will require a deposit.
Some makers -- Fobes for example -- do not sell mouthpieces directly, but only through mail order retailers, including:
Muncy http://www.muncywinds.com/
Woodwind & Brasswind http://www.wwbw.com/
Weiner http://www7.mailordercentral.com/frederichweinerinc/
These sellers also Vandoren and hand-made mouthpieces from most of the above makers.
The barrel also makes a big difference. I play a hand-made mouthpiece with a matched handmade barrel (from a semi-retired genius). That combination makes even a student clarinet sound good. The least expensive excellent mouthpiece-barrel combination is $350 from Walter Grabner. If you can afford it, have him send samples to try.
Good luck to you and your daughter. The search for the perfect mouthpiece never ends, and most professionals and many amateurs have a drawer-full.
Ken Shaw
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Author: kmcnabb
Date: 2007-03-25 21:02
Thanks for the information, I appreciate you taking time to educate me. This will help a lot!
Kristen
Fiddler
Mother of Clarinet student
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Author: claritoot26
Date: 2007-03-26 18:21
Hi,
Ken's got the mouthpiece info covered. You were also asking about ligatures. Some popular ones to try are Vandoren Optimum, Bonade, Rovner, and BG. The Rovner and BG come in several different styles and should be tried out in a store. But, the ligature doesn't make as much difference in the sound as the mouthpiece. So, get the mouthpiece and reed combo first per Ken's suggestions, then go try ligatures. The ligature selection will be much easier than the mouthpiece selection. Good luck to you and your daughter.
-Claritoot26
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2007-03-26 18:57
There's much nonsense in ligature ads, and even on this board.
Start with an inexpensive light metal ligature, with no ridges, attachments, plates, indentations or other fancy stuff. I usually use a Martin, but any light metal one will do. Tighten the screws snug and then back them off 1/4 turn.
Many professional players us an inverted Bonade ligature, but the company's manufacturing control is not good, and almost all of them have to be bent with pliers to make the ribs lie flat on the reed.
If you prefer, you can get a fabric ligature, but again, don't get taken by the high-priced stuff. I often use a Rovner Lite.
In fact, the best ligature of all is a length of strong string. Many people (including everyone in Germany) use string. A round shoelace works perfectly, applied as shown here: http://www.woodwind.org/clarinet/Uploads/strnglig.html
For the nonsense, see http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=153557&t=153550
Ken Shaw
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