 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: bwilber
Date: 2007-05-30 19:28
I have read that the mouthpiece is 75% of how good a clarinet sounds. Is this true? If so, can a good mouthpiece make an average clarinet sound really good and can an average mouthpiece make a good clarinet sound poor? What is the best mouthpiece a person can use? Thanks for any help.
Bonnie Wilber
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2007-05-30 19:38
Even a humble Bundy sounds great with the right mouthpiece, a good reed and the right player. Likewise, a mediocre player with a poor mouthpiece won't be able to make a good clarinet sing.
--
Ben
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2007-05-30 19:40
Before all the discouraging posts start flying around I would just like to say that it is, for a me a total package. You want a clarinet that is adusted properly, no leaks, easy spring work (that hold down the appropriate keys with appropriate strength without being over bearing), a decent mouthpiece and good reeds. There is no substitute for the guidance of a good teacher on this quest as well as plain ol' EXPERIENCE.
There are decent mouthpieces for cheap money such as the Vandorens (soooo many facings to chose from this is probably a good starting point). Also the Genusa and Hite student models are good places to start.
There is no BEST mouthpiece, since that depends on how you play (the way you hold the mouthpiece in your mouth, blow air, the type of reeds you prefer). That being said you can spend a fortune on custom mouthpieces and rare vintage models and may not get the results you could find in the above group.
It's a personal thing. Just don't spend more than $70 US or so as a beginner.
...........Paul Aviles
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Author: oleliquoricestick
Date: 2007-05-31 00:37
Good advice! But be willing to try several diifferent ones........the facings, or angle of the mouthpiece creates a different aspect to your playing. Try a few in the Vandoran line, one closed, medium and open. See what you like. Thats a great place to start. It WILL help, to answer your question. It took me decades before I found out about even trying another mouthpiece. So, in a way.....I am not dependant on the mouthpiece I chose to play, I rely on skills, developed through, what some would say, less than desirable pieces. I believe it has made me a better player. Now I have learned to pick out a diffent MP and develope style and dynamics in a greater fashion.
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Author: rgames
Date: 2007-05-31 01:57
I would say that the _combination_ of mouthpiece and reed determines 75% of your sound. Then the clarinet, itself, then maybe the ligature. I've never had any luck changing my sound, response, or intonation using bells, barrels, or other gadgets.
Unfortunately, which combination of mouthpiece and reed works best is very individual, so it's impossible to pick a "best" one. However, because they have the most impact on tone, tuning, and response, they're the best place to start experimenting to see what works for you.
The bad news is that it will probably change throughout your life. That's how the mouthpiece manufacturers stay in business...
rgames
____________________________
Richard G. Ames
Composer - Arranger - Producer
www.rgamesmusic.com
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2007-05-31 07:04
A good mouthpiece is very important. Like Paul Aviles said above, if you're a beginner, there's no need to spend too much on a mouthpiece.
With my good mouthpieces, I've been able to make ANY clarinet sound just as good as my best clarinet (tone-wise). The big differences are that the worse the clarinet, the worse the tuning usually is between notes, and the more the resistance changes from note to note (which means it's nearly impossible to maintain a consistent dynamic level throughout a passage and to make it sound in tune). Ideally, you (or at least I) want a clarinet that is in tune, and has even resistance throughout the notes and registers.
Like mentioned above, Vandoren mouthpieces are pretty cost effective. And with so many facings, there's probably going to be SOMETHING in their line that appeals to you. And when you find one that is comfortable and easy to play on, try a few of that particular model to get a better one of the batch.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: clockwiser
Date: 2007-05-31 08:59
How about the actual player? I thought the play itself determains the most of the playing.
With the best mouthpiece and reed combination and best clarinet on a beginner won't sound any close to a good player with an average set-up. IMO
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Author: BobD
Date: 2007-05-31 10:41
The combination of All of the Above pretty much wrap it up.
Bob Draznik
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2007-05-31 11:48
Good answers above! When I was a beginner, alas, nobody told me these things. I played on a 1957 Conn from grade school all the way through high school with the original mouthpiece and had no idea that mouthpiece was a hunk of junk.
After not playing for years, I started up and quickly got involved in the usual addiction to equipment. That old Conn is not a good instrument, certainly not one I'd recommend, but it's shocking how much better it sounds with a decent beak, including an inexpensive but good student mouthpiece, such as the Hite Premiere and the Fobes Debut. Those are excellent values for the money. They're free-blowing and not weird or "special" in any way--will work decently for most people on most instruments.
If you're playing on a mouthpiece now that you suspect of being strange or bad, then buying one of those inexpensive but reliable, middle-of-the-road choices (and keeping it on hand for testing against other possibilities) can help give you a solid basis for comparison, while you find what's the best mouthpiece for you.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2007-05-31 12:19
Clockwiser...
I personally agree with you. My sound is determined by me and not my equipment.
The clarinet, mouthpiece, and reed contribute the aspects of sound that allow you to determine that I am playing a clarinet and not another instrument.
All of the things that allow a clarinetist to hear and like/appreciate my individual sound...to be able to pick me out of a "crowd" of other clarinetists is mine. A combination of my physical make up and the training that I have received to create an indiviual sound.
So Bonnie...I would recommend the Fobes Debut, Hite premiere, maybe the Vandorens...but go find a teacher whose sound you would like to emulate and have them teach you that.
Good luck!
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: vjoet
Date: 2007-05-31 14:34
With a poor mouthpiece / reed combination, a $10,000 Wurlitzer will sound poor.
To my way of thinking the clarinet is composed of a sound-generating unit (mouthpiece, reed, barrel) and a pitch generating unit, the keys.
(Over simplified, to be sure, for the oral cavity and embrouchure have much to do with it too. But I think the analysis holds, for with a poor mouthpiece / reed combination, no amount of tweaking cavity and embrouchure will compensate for the poor sound-generating unit.)
A good mouthpiece / reed combination is absolutely necessary. Your teacher is the best to suggest combinations to try.
vJoe
(amateur)
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Author: rtmyth
Date: 2007-05-31 15:06
Very important, but finding one is not too easy.
There is a minimum of quality control by the manufacturers,resulting in all makes and models varying in dimensions. In my experience,just for starters, only a small percent have the uniformity, symmetry, tip width, and rail widths, which are minimum requirements. For a useful discussion of desired qualities vis a vis construction, see Ridenour's Educator's Guide to the Clarinet. Then get three or more of the "same" mp on trial basis. You will likely be surprised by the variations amongst the suposedly same items.
richard smith
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2007-05-31 19:51
Since the reed and mouthpiece are the essential generators of clarinet (and saxophone) sounds, it is the "gate" or limiting step.
You can't much add sound afterwards...
Conversely, I believe that the comfort of the mouthpiece for each user is paramount - if it is a strain to play, the player will not be able to sufficiently practice to handle the widdly bits at hand.
Finding the right combination of reed and mouthpiece for a given player, that's the purview of the makers out there, I've had best results with one made by Dave Spiegelthal (a regular poster), Walter Grabner and one I made myself which incorporated a facing from DS and an internal shape similar to WGs.
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2007-06-05 15:02
A good mouthpiece is absolutely essential to the clarinetists's tools for success. It's a personal decision, however, as to what constitutes a good mouthpiece. I say it's the one you sound best playing, whether it's a Vandoren 5RV or a Backun/Morales or Kaspar. It could even be a stock mouthpiece that has been refaced.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2007-06-06 01:04
A mouthpiece make s a HUGE difference in your sound. For years, I played on an old David Hite my teacher ordered or me in the late '70s, and it served me well. It was a preplacem,ent for a beloved O'Brien crystal piece that broke at the tip.
I took a number of years off of playing, and when I came back to the clarinet, the mouthpiece was not exactly what I wanted any more.
I have been playing with one particular mouthpiece made from a Zinner blank for the past two years, and even though it opened up my sound and gave me a much better tone that the Hite, I was still lacking something in what I wanted to produce.
I just took delivery yesterday of a Walter Grabner K13 and K14 for trial for the next two weeks, and noticed a BIG difference with the first few scales and runs I played today. So far, I like the 13 better, but I want to give them a week or so for me to get used to them and appreciate the subtle differences between the two. I know I will be keeping one of them, just not sure which one I will end up liking more.
Jeff
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Author: bassbuddy
Date: 2007-06-06 01:23
Just the other day when I was playing Bb with my teacher (I'm getting reaquainted after 6 years of bass), he put his mouthpiece on my Bundy (in decent working condition), played it a bit, and said,
"Sounds like my Buffet"
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Author: bwilber
Date: 2007-06-06 11:31
Just curious Bassbuddy. What brand and model of mouthpiece did your teacher put on your Bundy to make it sound like a Buffet? I think that's the one I want to get. Thanks.
Bonnie Wilber
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