 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: yearsofwisdom
Date: 2011-08-14 05:22
I currently have a vandoren M30 and i'm not satisfied with the control that i get from it. I have alot of trouble controlling dynamics and coming in on notes softly. I am a wind ensemble/ orchestra player in high school. Essentially i am looking for the best tone i can get with alot more resistance than the m30 since i am using vandoren v12 4s and they feel soft to me....I'm hoping to order online without having to try a bunch out.(ridiculous, i know but my parents certainly wont be happy to be charged 1000 dollars).
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2011-08-14 06:55
Try refacing it by someone thats a pro at it. There's lots of very gifted people on this site that can do it. Me included! Before buying an MP see if your's can be adjusted. I find most the the V-30's to be a shade stuffy and not too hard to adjust.
If you look around for the bigger music shops you can usually find Vandoren mouthpieces around $75 or so. I use Washington Music Center and since I'm now in Los Angeles I go to RDG for buying. Excellent prices and wonderful people to work with at both places. You shouldn't need to spend $1000 for a MP!! Also there are a lot of really good mouthpiece companies besides Vandoren. Good luck and let us know what you wind up doing.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
Post Edited (2011-08-14 08:06)
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2011-08-14 13:43
Bob's suggestion of having your current mouthpiece refaced is a good one. The cost of a reface tends to vary between about $50 and $100 depending on who you have do it. However, the nice thing about getting a reface as opposed to a new mouthpiece is that you can tell the refacer what characteristics you are looking for and they can reface your mouthpiece with that in mind.
I've been very happy with the mouthpiece I bought from Vytas Krass a while back and would definitely recommend him. He frequently sells new mouthpieces made from vintage Riffault blanks for around the same price as a reface so those would be an option to consider as well as well.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2011-08-14 16:05
Over the years I've had a lot of mouthpieces refaced by Richard Hawkins. Really like his work. I'd have no qualms recommending him for the work.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-08-14 16:28
You're not far from NYC. Make an appointment at the Vandoren store there and try out every MP they have. That way you get to try all types of facings, they have a huge stock. Once you find the facing you like the best then try several of those to pick the best. Bring several reeds because one will work better with a softer reed and another with a harder reed. Refacing can work great but then again. ESP
eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: William
Date: 2011-08-14 16:34
Your statement--"i'm not satisfied with the control that i get from it"--suggests to me that you also may be putting your cart before your horse. In other words, you are expecting the mouthpiece to solve your control problems and excusing your own inexperiance. This may not be at all the case, but I thought it should be mentioned along with Bob's advice for refacement. Almost any mouthpiece, no matter who makes it, can be adjusted to play better, just like any clarinetist who persists long enough can learn to play on any mouthpiece/reed setup. It has been rumored that the great clarinetist Artie Shaw would go into a music shoppe, buy the cheapest mouthpiece there and reface it himself until it played for him. The eminent clarinetist and teacher, Daniel Bonade, also suggested that you "go home and learn to play the mouthpiece" and not expect the mouthpiece to play for you. Also related was legendary teacher William Stubbins constant plea to his Michigan University clarinet students to "play the reed, don't let the reed play you." The one thing in common is their conviction that the clarinetist must learn to be "in control" of their instruments (& mouthpieces), not the other way around.
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Author: yearsofwisdom
Date: 2011-08-14 19:02
William I agree. Frankly, i know it's not me since i didn't have these control problems 4-5 years ago when i first got this mouthpiece. Only recently in the past year have I noticed that this mouthpiece lacks the control that i need for more difficult pieces.
Also, does anyone have any experience with the b40 13 or the b40 lyre? My teacher suggested getting a lyre. What's the difference? and based of the characteristics that i want, which should i get?
Also, which online store is cheapest and most reliable for these mouthpieces?
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Author: OboeLover4Life
Date: 2011-08-14 22:15
How much exactly is the most that you're willing to spend?
There are fantastic mouthpieces by Garrett ($85) and Genussa ($110) that are a great alternative to a Vandoren.
Around the $200 ball park Hawkins S or B, Walter Grabner and Behn Artist are very well known and beyond excellent! There are many other makers, including Behn, that can be more expensive still.
As for the B40, I'm afraid I don't have much experience with Vandoren outside of their M models. But Good luck and hope you find a solution!
If music be the food of love, play on. ~William Shakespeare
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