 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: silhouette
Date: 2009-01-11 02:05
I've been playing on a B45, but it's too resistant for me, and my endurance isn't great on it. Also, my tone tends to be very airy in the chalumeau register.
I have difficulty taking in enough air (asthma), so I need would like to get a new mouthpiece. I'm deliberating between the M15 and the M13L, and I really don't know which one to get and what the difference is between the two. Help?
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Author: CarlT
Date: 2009-01-11 02:15
I'm not qualified to say yet, but soon I will find out at least what's best for me. I will be trying out at least the M13, M13L, and M15 soon.
You may wish to use the search engine and read up on the various MP discussions. I agree that the B45 is too resistant for me, for I have tried that one. I am hopeful that the ones mentioned above will do the trick for me.
As I was wisely advised, it would be nice if you could envolve a teacher in your quest for a good mouthpiece.
CarlT
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2009-01-11 03:06
You can see the difference in measurements on vandoren's website. When it comes to Vandoren's, I like the M-series mouthpeices. My fav is the M30. It's a great mouthpiece for the price. I also like the M15, but I prefer to play on the softer reed that the M30 allowed.
(BTW, the M30 is NOT my current mouthpiece, but I've used it for a few months and found it to be very good for a good price)
Alexi
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Author: NBeaty
Date: 2009-01-11 03:14
I like the M13lyre best. I have played the M13 lyre, M15, and M30 before (all for at least a year each.
The M15 is a bit on the mellow side and requires stronger reeds than I like to play on.
The M30 is good, but these seem to be much more variable from mouthpiece to mouthpiece (one might be really good, and the next not so great). The sound can get a bit mellow and\or spread due to the long facing. It has a great blowing ease though. This is my backup mouthpiece at the moment.
I'm currently using the M13lyre and would recommend it to most any player to at least try. They, like all other vandorens, need to be tried in batches (some places let you try 6 at a time) to find one that really works well.
Hope this helps,
Nathan
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Author: weberfan
Date: 2009-01-11 12:47
I've been playing the M13 Lyre for much of the past year and I like it very much. I recently added an M15, which to my ear creates a slightly more mellow, more covered sound. (Both are 13 series) I happen to like the ring I get with the M13L, but both are easy-blowing and great for upper clarion and altissimo voicing.
In general, I'd agree with NBeaty's assessment, though I'm not sure you necessarily need stronger reeds for the M15. I use a Vandoren #3 on both mouthpieces. (I've also had luck with Rico Grand Concert 3.5 and Lurie 4.5)
Post Edited (2009-01-11 14:33)
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Author: cxgreen48
Date: 2009-01-11 13:00
silhouette,
what reeds are you playing on right now?
I used Vandoren Traditional #3 on my B45 before and found it a little resistant and airy. Now I use a M30 which is a lot easier to play. Vandoren Traditional #3 is actually a tad too soft for it IMO. I'm now using Vandoren V.12 #3.5 (sanded down with ATG reed system).
Also, have you learned to adjust reeds? I bought the ATG reed finishing system last year and it was a great investment. All my reeds play better, although some still kind of suck (although I strongly believe it's because of bad cane quality).
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Author: Aprilyn
Date: 2009-01-11 13:25
What clarinet do you have? If it is the buffet R13, the M13 series is made for it. I bought the M30 on my R13 as my teacher recommended it but I found it made my clarinet too sharp. I tried out a friends M13 on my instrument and it was like a canon & easy to blow, great if you want a dark tone. At the moment I am using a lomex classic symphonie mouthpiece medium open.
On the Vandoren website I found an artice about the M13 and 15:
"the M13 has the narrowest tip opening in the Vandoren range, a slightly bigger chamber (a more hollow baffle) and a wider bore. In terms of sound, the M13 is the most brilliant, it has a small tip opening, a long facing and a fine tip rail, for easy blowing, staccato and high-pitched harmonics. The M13L is slightly more open and is also suitable for playing with stronger reeds (3.5/4) It is ideal for a darker sound and supple intervals"
"The M15 is played with strong reeds. It is a fairly closed mouthpiece with a long facing. It produces a deep sound, rich in harmonics and allows the musician even greater expressiveness. It is easy to match with the appropriate reeds. "
There is an M15 which is tuned to 442 Hz and a "series 13" M15 tuned to 440Hz.
I've never tried an M15 so I can't give you a personal opinion about it.
If you go to the vandoren website http://www.vandoren.fr/en/home.html. click Downloads at the bottom of the home page and it will bring up a new window with articles/magazines you can look at. One of the them is about clarinet mouthpieces (where the articles I quoted are from). Hope that helps
Aprilyn
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Author: kdk
Date: 2009-01-11 15:13
Two thoughts about this:
1. If your sound is airy in the chalumeau and you seem to lack endurance with the B45, the likelihood is that whatever reeds you're using are too stiff. You'll get less resistance with either the M13 or M13 Lyre, but it may be that a reed change may be a less expensive way to solve the problem. Might be worth experimenting.
2. Between the M13 and M13 Lyre, the difference, as far as I have ever heard, is only in the two facings, which aren't very far apart from each other. A difference in tip opening of .015 mm (M13=1.005, M13 Lyre=1.02) isn't very much by mouthpiece standards. The difference in length (M13=Long, M13 Lyre=Med. Long) is also small - in fact the two M13 Lyres that I own each measure differently, and the longer one is exactly the same length as the "Long" facing on the M13. With a combination of slightly more tip opening and slightly more curve length, the Lyre will be the more resistant by a little. Most likely, though, if you're comparing them to a B45 (significantly more open - 1.195 mm - than either of the other two) your choice between them if you play on each will be influenced heavily by the specific sample of each that you're testing and the reed you're testing them with. In all probability you'd be equally comfortable on either, but if possible you should try more than one sample of each facing because they are so close in their specifications that sampling variations could end up being more important than the actual differences in specs.
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Author: Bluesparkle
Date: 2009-01-11 16:03
I have an M-15 and like it quite well. Easy to blow, and I don't struggle too badly in the high register with ghost tones like I do with some mouthpieces. It's a personal preference, but I just don't like a "bright" sound, especially if you are playing with a group. I think the M-15 is darker and more mellow.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2009-01-11 17:22
Sorry, I misread the original post. The same general comments that I made concerning the M13 vs M13 Lyre apply to M15. The M15 is .015 mm more open (which should provide marginally more resistance than the M13 Lyre) but is longer as well (which should result in slightly less resistance for the M15), so the difference in resistance, barring differences in the internal shape of the blank (does anyone know for sure?) is really minimal. Again, sample and reed differences may make more difference than the actual facings do.
Karl
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Author: silhouette
Date: 2009-01-11 19:00
Thanks everyone for clarifying a few things for me!
To answer the questions, I play on a Buffet R13 using V12 3.5's. (I used to play on traditional 3's, then traditional 3.5's but I didn't like the sound I got on them.)
I have learned to fix my reeds, but I'm a high school student and I don't really have too much time to do that, so most of the time I leave my reeds.
I've looked at the vandoren website before, but the numbers don't really help me out too much.
But you guys have helped me.
I've ordered two M13s and two M13Ls to see which one I like best. I've tried on my teacher's M15, and it's pretty amazing. I'm waiting for the four I ordered to come before I decide.
Meanwhile, I'd like to know what people's experiences between the three or more specifically the M13 and M13L (because I'll likely to get one of those).
Again, thanks!
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Author: weberfan
Date: 2009-01-11 19:15
I ordered the M13 and the M13 Lyre and tried them both before I chose the M13 Lyre. As I said earlier, I was using a Vandoren #3.
They both helped me play higher notes with more ease and without grunts or ghost notes, and they both improved my projection.
At a lesson (I'm an adult student) my teacher had me tape over the mouthpiece markings, and I played for him in a blind test. He listened while walking around the studio, then from just outside the door.
We both agreed that the M13 was a bit more brittle (for lack of a better word) and perhaps a trifle shrill--or perhaps my playing was.
As I said before, the M15 seems to produce a slightly more covered (warmer?) sound. I've been favoring it recently over the M13L. No marked difference in ease of playing.
I play on a professionally refurbished 50-year-old Evette & Schaeffer clarinet. My back-up is a Yamaha YCL-250. But my experience is my experience, and as it's often said here, YMMV...Your mileage may vary.
Post Edited (2009-01-11 20:42)
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Author: CWH
Date: 2009-01-11 21:40
Having played both the M13L and M15, I too prefer the former. Just remember it's going to require a harder reed than you’re probably accustomed to.
Study, Practice, Play and Enjoy.
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Author: Claire Annette
Date: 2009-01-11 23:11
I made the switch from B45 to M13L this summer. I've been delighted with the results.
(Also started playing Gonzales FOF.)
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