 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: winthropguy
Date: 2010-07-30 23:27
After playing on a Vandoren B40 and a Fobes Nova, I tried - and purchased - a Grabner mouthpiece. I love the tone, resonance, and dynamic range I can get out of it - but I am having some problems making the adjustment. I find that I have to be much more careful about keeping my chin pointed (which isn't a bad thing for me to pay more attention to, anyway) and jumps between octaves are giving me trouble. I've been running scales slowly and doing long tones across the full range, thinking that it's a matter of adjusting (and learning) tongue position and ensuring that my embouchure's stable. Am I on the right track? Does anyone have any tips or exercises that might help?
Setup: Leblanc Concerto, Grabner K11, Rovner lig, Zonda 3.5.
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2010-07-30 23:37
If wide leaps are giving you some trouble, open up the back of that Baermann book and do the scales in fifths, sixths, sevenths, etc...
Otherwise I think you're on the right track. There's no way to get used to new equipment but to play and reflect.
You might as well also try to find some of the rep you already know that leaps about for the same reasons.
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2010-07-31 00:16
If I were you I would try a bit stiffer reed too see if that helps. I used V-12 #3.5 on the K14(also medium facing but more open) now I play on the SW1(now his more open Chicago model) which is much more closed(around 0.97mm) but has a short facing so I can use about the same strength reeds as on the K14 but to get better control in the high register I find the new V-12 #3.5+ strength to help me a lot.
Grabner suggest V-12 #4 for the K11 and If I remember right I found the Zonda 3.5C(isn't each # coming in 3 different sub grade?) to be fairly close to V-12 #3.5.
So my suggestion is to try a bit harder reed to see if that will help.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2010-07-31 12:48
Best advice I ever got was here on this board from Tom Puwalski.
Play an open "G" starting as close to the tip as possible (take in the LEAST amount of mouthpiece) as you continue to blow the open "G," slip in more and more mouthpiece until you get a big SQUAWK. Back off just slightly, and THIS is the ideal spot to grasp this mouthpiece.
I don't know the Nova but the B40 is a very short lay mouthpiece. If you are taking in the same amount of mouthpiece on the new one that you did to successfully play the B40, chances are you are NOT taking in enough of the beak to control it.
...............Paul Aviles
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2010-07-31 20:12
Quote:
Play an open "G" starting as close to the tip as possible (take in the LEAST amount of mouthpiece) as you continue to blow the open "G," slip in more and more mouthpiece until you get a big SQUAWK. Back off just slightly, and THIS is the ideal spot to grasp this mouthpiece. Yup. That embouchure works GREAT.
I recently purchased a K11* (as in one week ago) and it seems to be working for me. Although, personally, I feel as though it really needs a slightly SOFTER reed than a 3.5 Almost like a 3.25. It worked fine for a concert with me two nights ago with a 3.5, but I feel as though I selected the softest 3.5 I had in my reed case as my concert reed that night.
Alexi
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2010-08-01 00:38
The B40 has a 21.5 mm long lay which is much longer than any of the Grabner which have I think mostly around 17mm long lay at least for his K13 and K11.
So switching from B40 to a Grabner is a bit of a step. I personally have found that if I say play on a 1.10mm open mouthpiece with a 17mm lay I would find more difference by just chancing it to a 18mm or 16mm long lay than chancing the opening 0.03mm +/-
Post Edited (2010-08-01 00:46)
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2010-08-01 04:19
That brings up an interesting debate. Unless you're a young student and need to improve everything about the way you produce a tone I present you with the two choices.
#! do you change the way you play so you can play a certain mouthpiece, as with teachers that insist all their students play what they play regardless of how uncomfortable or difficult it may be for them. or
#2 do you look for the mouthpiece that you, or your student, can sound and play the best?
I always do the later myself. Probably only about one tenth of my students ever played the type of mouthpiece that I use though I usually had them at least try it. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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