 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: russjm
Date: 2008-08-09 20:29
As some of you may know, I'm a beginner. I've started playing Clarinet with an old, wooden, F.Buisson model from ebay. Now I quite liked the thing tone wise, but it's a bit tatty, and needs a full service, new corks etc, so I decided to go for a different instrument instead, a B&H Regent with a Vandoren B45 mouthpiece with it. The B&H has just been fully serviced with new corks etc, so it's in great condition for an oldish budget model.
Now, I ran through a few scales on the B&H via the B45 and a Vandoren 2 1/2 reed but straight away struggled with it, getting squeaks from it, and the tone seemed a little strangled somehow. The B45 wasn't much better with a 1 1/2 reed either. After a couple of hours of scales and simple tunes, I ended up with the Regent, with the old mouthpiece from the Buisson, and a Rico 1 1/2 reed on it, and a great tone, and very nice to play.
So basically I've ditched the Vandoren B45, and wound up with my cheaper old mouthpiece which I much prefer and find easier to play. The old mouthpiece is slimmer, whereas the B45 is thicker/wider.
I already understand that the B45 is not ideal for a beginner as I've read on here, my question is, what mouthpiece might be a slimmer, easier model for me to learn on? Or maybe I should just stick with my old one that I already like? If it aint broke................
What do you think?
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Author: feadog79
Date: 2008-08-09 21:38
Clark W. Fobes "Debut" is an excellent student/beginner mouthpiece
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Author: janlynn
Date: 2008-08-09 22:28
I also suggest the Vandoren 5RV Lyre PROFILE 88 - is a a not so wide version.
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Author: D
Date: 2008-08-10 20:01
Have you looked at different shapes of reeds? Even in Vandoren territory I found that the Rue Le Pic 56 (is that right?!) fitted my 5RV, but on my B 40s they were hopeless and I ended up with the V12 for a while. I am now playing on a selection of V12s and traditionals which were found in the bottom of my double case......(I need to go reed shopping) but the Rue LePics just don't work on the two B40s I have so I spot those straight away. The others I can't tell apart.
I also notices that the tip opening does make a huge difference to me personally. I use a 3.5 or 3.5+ on the 5RV and a 3 on the B40s.
Before you invest in another mouthpiece, do consider if your reeds are the best match shapewise.
Also, on the Vandoren website they do say what size reed that recommend for each mouthpiece, and generally they are probably going to get that right although I'm sure there will be exceptions and there a lots of questions certainly not answered there. According to them the Ru LePic shoould work on my B40s. mmmmm. If your current embouchure doesn't have the strength to use a matching mouthpiece and reed, then you are going to get unpleasant noises for a while until it firms up.
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Author: russjm
Date: 2008-08-10 20:23
Thanks for that.
Maybe I should just persevere with the B45 and build up my lip strength, rather than get used to the cheaper mouthpiece. I'll keep trying it.
Reed wise, I didn't know that there were different shapes, just different thicknesses. The Vandoren 2 1/2 just feels like a slice of granite right now, whereas the cheaper Rico feels nice.
I know youngsters start with thinner reeds, I just though as an adult I'd be fine with a slightly heavier one like a 2 1/2 or even 3, I was wrong about that too.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2008-08-10 20:37
If you know what you're after (or rather - where your XYZ brand is good and where it could be better), contact Brad Behn (google), I got two of his Ouverture mouthpieces (student models) with different facings. From what I gathered, Brad is very flexible in applying different facings to his mouthpieces.
FWIW I'm using Mitchell Lurie 3.5's (started with 2.5's) and I prefer them a lot over RR and VD. Another "off brand" I've been looking into are Selmer's Primo reeds (Gonzalez stencils), and they sound very promising either.
(I have no affiliation with either business mentioned here)
--
Ben
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Author: D
Date: 2008-08-13 20:46
If you think about it, most mouthpieces are designed to work with a reed somewhere around a 3 or 3.5. That is for pros who play all day every day. That is the simply dictated by the strength that a human mouth builds up. So don't be surprised that you are not there immediately. You'll probably settle on a strength and mouthpiece that suit in a year or two, and then find that if the weather changes dramatically or you go on a business trip for a few weeks you will be back on a different reed again. Don't fret over it, just keep a box of a couple of strengths handy that are mostly played in and remember...this is supposed to be fun! If you want reed stress then go to the oboe! I've been playing a couple of months now, one reed is fine, can play quite difficult stuff. Next reed, about half the notes of the scale come out and all I get is a sort of sqwark the other half. And this AFTER my teacher checks and adjusts and declares them playable.
Actually, this sounds daft but have you tried: getting a reed good and wet - soak it in water and also play if for a while - then sort of burnish the back with a large coin? Put it on a flat surface, flat side down and gently press with a coin from the bit where the diagonal starts down to just shy of the tip. You are not doing major surgery, just pressing hard enough to seal some of the open fibres in the reed. Doubtful this is an approved technique but it works for me so I won't knock it.
Another thing to think about is where the strength to resist the reed pressure is coming from in your body. Try to imagine a rigid column of air which goes from your belly up through you, out the mouth and all the way through to about a foot away from the fat end of the clarinet. I used to feel like the clarinet was trying to choke me and get down my throat. It was mainly because I was trying to use only the muscles in my throat and it used to make me feel a bit sick. Your body is full of muscles, you might as well use a few more of them. It is important that there is enough air movement to get the air out the other end of the instrument, does no good if it stops half way down, the air column and all the fancy physics stuff goes floppy!
By the way, if you are blowing like crazy and your reed just closes up on the mouthpiece then it is too soft or you are blowing too hard. It's like getting grass to vibrate when blowing between your thumbs, too much or too little air is equally unproductive.
Post Edited (2008-08-14 18:24)
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Author: russjm
Date: 2008-08-13 21:17
Actually I've just started to soak reeds, and I've found it helps too. I've actually got a Vandoren Trad 1 1/2 reed in the B45 at the moment, and it seems good to me so far. The 2 1/2s just wouldn't work for me at all at this early stage of my playing. I've got a Vandoren 5RV Lyre on the way too, so I'm hopeful that'll help me too as it should be easier to blow.
I'm a singer too, so I'm aware of singing from my stomach rather than my throat, I'll use that same theory when playing the clarinet.
Good luck with the oboe though, I'm having enough trouble with the clarinet, so I'll stick with that. Really enjoying it though, I'm a gigging bass player, and the clarinet is a nice distraction from that.
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Author: russjm
Date: 2008-08-18 18:32
Well the 5RV Lyre has made a world of difference for me, much easier to play then the B45, and with a Vandoren 2 1/2 reed in it, it's great.
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