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Wodkowski Mouthpiece

Author: JesseReid
Date: 2010-07-27 04:07

Hey everyone,

My name is Jesse Reid McCandless, and for a few years, I have have been really searching for that mouthpiece which trully allows me to speak as a musician. Something I'm guessing we are all tirelessly searching for. I really believe that I have found what I am looking for In Ramon Wodkowski's mouthpieces.

I know the mouthpiece is incredibly subjective to who we all are as clarinetists, so a little bit about me. I'm a soon to be senior in high school and have been playing clarinet for 9 years, studying with a teacher for 4. The model clarinet which I am currently playing on is a buffet E11. Not exactly the most luxurious horn, but for right now, its all I can afford. I have participated in many high calibur ensembles, such as the california all state wind symphony, and All southern groups.

Anyways, I had never really cared much for my sound, for it was extremely bright. At the time I was playing on a clark fobes san francisco mouthpiece, but it just turned out to not be the best fit for me. I am definetely a fan of a resistant mouthpiece and a darker sound, so I started hunting for different mouthpieces. I tried lomax pieces, all of the vandorens, M&M pieces and a few others, but none of them really fit what I was looking for. Finally, a really good friend of mine said he had emailed a craftsman named Ramon Wodkowski, and that he would be reciving some of his mouthpieces to try, so I went over to his house and tried them.

There were two models, the M and the S; both of these were totally different from each other, but the M turned out to be the piece for me. (It also happens to be a rendition of Martin Frost's piece.) It was the perfect amount of resistance, that brought a rich, dark, creamy sound out of my horn. My articulation significantly improved, and for the first time, I became happy with my sound. It is trully amazing what a mouthpiece such as Ramon's can do to one's playing. I've only had the piece for about a week and a half, and am starting to further my ability on my instrument so much faster than I did on my old one. Making music has never been so much fun!

I recommend that if you are an advanced clarinetist looking for a piece, or maybe even already have one that works for you, at least try Ramon Wodkowski's mouthpieces. Just email him, (ramon@ramonwodkowski.com) and tell him what you're looking for. He will send you some to try. It takes a while, but it is definitely worth it. My piece costs $228, but it is a worthy investment, by far. Thank you Ramon. Just some humble advice from a humble clarinetist.

Thanks for reading,

-Jesse Reid McCandless

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