 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: clarchick
Date: 2011-01-11 09:30
I just purchased a Backun O mouthpiece. I can tell the tone will be great however i cannot find a good reed for it. V12 3.5 and 4-no go. Any ideas?
Also, what does it mean if a mp is open or closed? Thanks!
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Author: kdk
Date: 2011-01-11 10:40
What does "V12 3.5 and 4-no go" mean?
> Also, what does it mean if a mp is open or closed? Thanks!
The opening at the tip between the reed and the tip rail. The tip opening is measured in 1/100s of a millimeter. Close tips are in the range of 97 (0.97 mm) to about 104 (1.04 mm). Tips are usually called medium if they're 105 to maybe 110 or 112. There are no hard and fast boundaries - people mostly talk about comparisons - one mouthpiece is more open or less open than another. Vandoren mouthpieces go up to an opening, I think, of 127, which is quite open in anyone's book.
Karl
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2011-01-11 14:09
According to Backun's website his mouthpieces with the "O" facing have a 1.11 tip opening. You may want to try a bit softer reed as this is a bit more on the open side. Maybe try a #3.
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2011-01-11 14:40
The first thing you do when trying out a new mouthpiece is trying different reeds and see what works best and how many good reeds you find(called reed-friendly).
So that obviously failed.
Try "How to pick a mouthpiece" on David McClune's website
http://www.mcclunemouthpiece.com
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Author: NBeaty
Date: 2011-01-11 19:25
How does one decide a mouthpiece is good without having played on it with an acceptable reed?
4 is quite hard for that tip opening. I wouldn't play anything harder than a 3 with that tip opening, most likely.
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Author: Bill Patry
Date: 2011-01-11 19:43
My daughter plays on thatt exact mouthpiece and uses Gonzales 2 3/4 reeds. That works well for her, but she is young. I agree with NBeaty that a 3 is a good upper limit
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-01-11 23:00
The tip opening is not the only thing that determines what strength reed you use. I use a more open mouthpiece than that and I use # 4 reeds. The length of the facing, the thickness and slant of the rails, the baffle to mention just a few. Of course your embouchure etc. Yes, you should have tried the MP with enough reeds to see what works best for you but at this stage I suggest you try several strengths to determine what works for you. You may have to try several brands as well. Sounds like you did this backwards. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
Post Edited (2011-01-11 23:02)
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Author: NBeaty
Date: 2011-01-12 15:59
Indeed Ed is right about there being many factors in mouthpieces that affect reed decisions.
However, consider the following:
Generally, I can play a good 3.5 blue box on most all mouthpieces ranging from 0.96 to 1.04 in tip opening with a wide range of rail thicknesses and facing lengths (between 30-38). Beyond 1.04 to 1.15 I would probably play a 3.
(The factor that would mess things up would be asymmetric facings more-so than any of the aforementioned factors.)
The changes in response and resistance in regards to these factors would mean you would probably pick different reeds in the box of the same strength (the harder ones in the box for the 1.00mm instead of the softer ones for the 1.04mm, for example).
So, with the backun zinner 1.11mm tip opening and probably medium length facing and standard zinner rail widths, I would say that a 4 would be too hard for most people. It's not far fetched to say that playing that mouthpiece with a v12 4 would require more bite and pressure than I would consider acceptable.
I refaced a zinner last night, with similar rail widths as backuns, with a 0.99 tip and 18.5mm length and it sounds great with a 3.5. At this close of a facing, it's possible that a softer 4 would be acceptable (although not my preference). The same reed (a very resonant and responsive 3.5 blue box) on a 1.11 tip opening would indeed be very difficult to play.
Thinning out the side\tip rails, opening up the throat, lowering the baffle, or lengthening the facing would probably not produce a mouthpiece I would consider acceptable for that reed strength. Diminishing returns would be evident when making these adjustments.
Your mileage may vary...
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