 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: OmarHo
Date: 2010-06-14 03:57
Hi all,
I've had a M13-Lyre and a M30 both in the same year and they both eventually went chirpy on me and I'm assuming "wore out". I clean my mouthpiece every 2 months or so with a solution of vinegar and water, and never swab through. I'm a serious student and am always playing...
Is this common among new Vandoren mouthpieces?
Thanks in advance.
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Author: chris moffatt
Date: 2010-06-14 12:36
Wearing out per se seems a bit unlikely. I have a couple of mouthpieces at least 40 years old and still going strong. Maybe refacing is what you need if there has been some warping. Or perhaps an examination of reed/ligature/embouchure - has anything changed?. I'd suggest the place to start, if you are sure it isn't you, is to have a mpc tech look at them. OTOH it could be cheaper just to buy a new mouthpiece - and the search will be fun
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Author: kdk
Date: 2010-06-14 13:07
Neither the length of time you've used these mouthpieces nor the way you clean and maintain them is likely to have anything to do with the chirping. It's really unlikely that the mouthpieces have "worn out." Mouthpeice chirps can be caused by scratches, cuts or chips in the facing rails, especially in the tip rail or the side rails near the tip. They can also come from badly balanced reeds.
The easiest way to track down the cause of your chirps is to (1) check the mouthpiece - especially the rails - for obvious physical damage, then (2) start swapping out different reeds and a different mouthpiece (borrow one - the mouthpieces may not turn out to be the problem). If the chirp follows you through these changes, then you need to check for leaky pads on your instrument, which could be creating just enough instablility to encourage squeaks even if the clarinet seems to play well. If all else has failed, try to analyze your embouchure to find any distortion you may have gotten into as a reaction to (trying to avoid) the chirping.
Karl
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2010-06-14 13:53
I agree, mouthpiece don't just wear out by norman playing and cleaning. It is possible for the rails to have clasped slightly through uneven pressure over the years, but even that would take many, many years of playing. It's something you can't see with the naked eye but mouthpiece re facers can tell. You're not talking about a small fortune to try a few new ones so I suggest you do that and see if it makes a difference. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2010-06-14 14:21
A quick test to get a "rough" idea if the mouthpiece/reed combo at least has a fighting chance, is to close off the bottom with the heel of one hand and draw air IN from the mouthpiece. The reed/mouthpiece should seal closed for a few moments, opening with a "POP." If it doesn't seal at all, this would indicate severe imbalance with the reed, deep chips or scratches in the rails, or both.
..............Paul Aviles
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2010-06-14 16:58
If you have any worries about wear or warpage, get a crystal mouthpiece. Just don't drop it or bang it into anything.
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Author: OmarHo
Date: 2010-06-14 22:12
I'm going to try some out and see if there's a difference, but just throughout these past few days recently I've noticed the sound to get stuffy, strident at times, hard to control in general, and the response to be sluggish.
I have checked all my reeds and they are all perfectly flat, but I have checked my mouthpiece it seems like the right rail is slightly more open than the left...so that could be the cause for the inconsistency...
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Author: kdk
Date: 2010-06-14 22:42
Most of what you've described (excepting the difference in the rails) sounds like either reed or instrument problems. Flat bottoms don't in any way guarantee responsive reeds.
As far as the rails go, how are you measuring the difference? The actual differences between rail length in a truly asymmetrical facing are not enough to see without some kind of tool, even if it's as basic as moistening a piece of plate glass and holding the mouthpiece against it to see where the rails contact the glass. There are more accurate tools to measure the curve, but it can't really be eyeballed. How do you know the rails open differently?
Karl
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Author: OmarHo
Date: 2010-06-14 23:33
I've always done the water trick with the glass, because I obviously do not own proper measuring tools.
Nothing is wrong with my instrument though, or my reeds, they are balanced and flat. And I've never really experienced anything this bad...I've had horrible reeds in the past and even they didn't sound this bad..
Again, I'll do some trial and error with new mouthpieces and get some different people to play mine.
Thanks.
Post Edited (2010-06-14 23:44)
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2010-06-15 00:58
Any chance that you are experiencing reed issues due to changes in heat/humidity with the season?
Jeff
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2010-06-18 01:10
I was having difficult-to-resolve problems with mouthpiece and/or emboucher up until I switched over to Legere plastic reeds. All my mouthpiece problems went away from the moment I strapped one on, and as far as I can tell there has been no change in the quality of the sound that I make.
Tony F.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2010-06-18 02:14
Which, of course, is the point of many of the responses in this thread - they weren't mouthpiece problems if a Legere or any other reed solved them - they were reed problems.
Karl
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