 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: jeeves
Date: 2008-10-23 21:25
I was looking @ the chart on vandoren's website that has mouthpieces. I was wondering what tip opening, facing length, and the traditional vs. american pitch are. Also, how do they affect how the mouthpiece feels?
Jeeves (who obviously doesn't have the answers to all of the questions like askjeeves)
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Author: NorbertTheParrot
Date: 2008-10-23 21:47
Tip opening is the "thickness" of the gap between the reed and the mouthpiece, typically a bit more than 1 mm. A wide tip opening will be more resistant, so will require a softer reed than a narrow opening. Vandoren provide a chart of recommended reed strengths for each mouthpiece.
Facing length is the length of reed that doesn't touch the mouthpiece, typically about 20 mm. A long facing requires you to take more mouthpiece into your mouth.
The tip/length chart is only really useful if you already have a mouthpiece that works for you, you know its dimensions, and you are trying to find the Vandoren equivalent.
The idea of "traditional" and "American" pitch mouthpieces is that the latter play slightly flatter. Vandoren claim that an American pitch mouthpiece works better than a traditional if you want to play at A=440 on an R13. This is all a bit dubious; you need to select the mouthpiece that plays in tune for *you* on your clarinet. Other manufacturers don't tend to make this traditional/American distinction.
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Author: jeeves
Date: 2008-10-23 21:59
Luckily, I have a frame of reference that I like (M13 Lyre). The only thing i'm not clear on now is the affect on the sound. For example, a shorter tip opening allows playing on a harder reed, but does this benefit sound in some ways and adversely affect it in others (i'm not sure what a possible adverse effect would be, but the positive would be a better sound w/ hard reeds). Same w/ facing length. Does taking in more mouthpiece w/ longer facing benefit the sound, or is it just player preference (like, maybe someone likes the feel of lots of mouthpiece)?
???-extra question marks for the ones i probably forgot in the rest of the text
Jeeves
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2008-10-26 04:36
Funny, I was just experiencing my own angst on this very topic. After years of longer lay playing, I got a dose of a B40 that plays great as long as you take in less mouthpiece. Of course the tip opening is rather large and this may require a softer reed than what you'd use on an M13, I still charge ahead with my trusty Vandoren 4s.
As for the mouthpiece chart, I just sent a question off to Vandoren to clarify sizes since they DON'T provide the dimension for the length of the lay and three of there mouthpieces seem to be exactly the same, B40, B45 and B45 Dot.
...........Paul Aviles
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Author: NorbertTheParrot
Date: 2008-10-26 18:11
Paul - as you imply, the Vandoren website shows the B40, B45 and B45 Dot as all having the same facing length and tip opening.
That doesn't mean that these mouthpieces are "exactly the same". There are several other parameters that might be different - chamber volume, width of rails, width of tip etc. Indeed the site describes the B45 Dot as being "large chambered".
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2008-10-27 13:05
Paul -
May be of some help:
http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=235265&t=235265
*
jeeves -
There are numerous threads on this site discussing preferences for long/short and open/closed mouthpieces. I don't think they reach many clear conclusions.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2008-10-29 12:26
Dear Bassie and Steve Sklar,
WONDERFUL information !!!! Much more than I got writing to Vandoren directly.
You guys are the BEST.
..........Paul Aviles
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