 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: stebinus2
Date: 2009-03-17 07:51
I have a few old mouthpieces with closed facings that i just cannot get to play very well at all, even using harder reeds that I have. They are a Selmer HS*, a Buffet that is marked 17.5 over 106 and unmarked one. The tables seem to be flat and they have a few small nicks and scratches that do not seem serious. I'm thinking of practicing refacing on them but if anyone has any ideas before I do that please let me know.
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Author: Sarah Elbaz
Date: 2009-03-17 08:03
You can put a tape under the reed- to open the tip - it works well. you can use one or two layers of tape- to open more or less.
Sarah
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Author: stebinus2
Date: 2009-03-17 09:20
Actually was thinking of a more permanent solution but where exactly do you put the tape?
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Author: Ed
Date: 2009-03-17 15:44
There may be issues with the mouthpiece. (facing, bore, baffle, etc) Maybe contact one of the fine mouthpiece craftsmen who can do some adjustments.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2009-03-17 21:15
For me, when playing a closed mouthpiece, I take in more mouthpiece and ensure the clarinet is a little more vertical (less of an angle away from my body) than with an open mouthpiece. Seemed to work on the ones I had. I think this is because typically, closed mouthpiece usually comes with a long facing. My preference is to put my bottom lip where the reed meets the end of the curve, and on a longer facing (usually a closed tip mouthpiece), it's lower down. Also, make sure you aren't biting. You can get away with biting an open mouthpiece and not having it close up on you. Not so much with a close-tip mouthpiece. Lastly, even if it says to use a 4.5, use whatever you have now and build up to the 4.5. It may sound pretty crappy (get that "too soft a reed sound"), but it's great to keep you from biting down. Cause it'll close up and pinch off that sound in a hot minute if you do.
Alexi
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Author: Arnoldstang
Date: 2009-03-17 21:57
Search at Mouthpiece Work in Yahoo groups. It's a board dedicated to mouthpiece facing and refacing.
Freelance woodwind performer
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Author: MBrad
Date: 2009-03-17 23:31
To Alexi:
On the other hand: in my opinion, many clarinetists have tremendous success using softer reeds and a more angled (closer to 45 degrees) approach to the instrument, on mouthpieces with relatively closed-tip facings (say, an M15 or M30). There are too many varieties of sound that you can get with a setup like this that I find it easier to go on the light side to have more flexibility--but that's me, personally, and I feel it works for the way and the type of music I like to play.
Lesson: if a mouthpiece really isn't working for you, then consider trying other equipment. I would say: why not try to reface them, if you know what you are doing or have experience? If not, talk with an expert mouthpiece refacer. None of them seem like necessarily irreplaceable mouthpieces to the original poster, or else he or she wouldn't likely consider tinkering with them. I would never, myself, fool around with my primary equipment without any experience... reeds on the other hand...
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Author: Sarah Elbaz
Date: 2009-03-18 05:52
You put the tape under the reed ( in the closed part of the mouthpiece, of course)
Sarah
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