 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Fred
Date: 2000-09-18 02:00
I am curious as to which mouthpieces people find are "picky" about reeds and which ones will take most anything. I play a 30yr old Vandoren 5RV which isn't too picky and a Brilhart 2* that will play with matchsticks if that's all I've got. Do you suspect that more closed tip openings (oxymoron - "closed openings" ??) are more sensitive about the reeds you use?
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Author: Bob Sparkman
Date: 2000-09-18 03:28
Hi Fred - a truly complicated subject, and one that probably has several answers; but I've found that, in general, flat curve facings (also an oxymoron) seem freer blowing and more reed friendly than more "arched " curves. Arnold Brilhart was a sax player, and I'd guess his sax player's facing philosophy influenced his clarinet mouthpieces. They are good jazz mouthpieces, but I doubt if many "serious" instructors think much of them. Bill Stegmeyer, who was on the Bob Crosby band when Fazola was, told me that Ivan Kaye had put a #1 alto sax template on a clarinet mouthpiece for Faz after many desperate tries for the right facing for him, and that was what he played. Bill had the same, but a Faz reject; I got it from Bill's widow, gave it to Kenny Davern, who gave it to Pete Fountain who may still have it. Whew !!! I'd almost forgotten that saga! But it does show the lengths we go to to find our Nirvana. By the way, it was a pretty good mouthpiece !!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Author: Fred
Date: 2000-09-18 11:20
Very interesting story, Bob! No wonder I like the Brilhart so much. I use it on my 1928-ish Silver King when I don't want to sound like my R-13.
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Author: Chris Hill
Date: 2000-09-20 03:54
I've found that extremely close facings are a little harder to find reeds for. (This is assuming the facings are on similar blanks.)
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Author: Steve Epstein
Date: 2000-09-20 05:03
I'm getting into more closed - tip mp's lately, especially on my "C" (Patricola Cl-7), where I'm trying to darken the sound, and more importantly for me, reduce the loudness that comes with just normal blowing effort. I've gone from a Woodwind K-10-M to a Vandoren 5RV Lyre to a Selmer HS* that I'm using now. This Selmer is touchy. It's been hard to find a reed that isn't too soft and yet is not a plank to blow. A 3.5 Vandoren traditional caused middle C and some other notes in that range to chirp at the start of blowing them unless I raised it slightly (but within normal limits) above the tip of the mp, but that made it too hard to blow. The Rico Royal 4 I tried it with in the store didn't chirp but I think the Vandorens sound better (and last longer). I think I've now found the right reed in a Vandoren 3.5 V-12. I can't use this mp with any reed on my Evette -Schaeffer Bb; too much resistance. But my Woodwind mp, which plays well on my Bb (If you don't mind loud:), won't emote high C# and above without difficulty, and incredible flatness, on my C.
Don't know if all this is just me, or what.
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