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Re: For bass: Vandoren B30, B44, B40

Author: LarryBocaner ★2017
Date: 2012-03-07 00:38

Disclaimer: I supported a family of four playing bass clarinet for some forty years professionally.
1. I totally agree with Ed Palanker that for symphonic or concert band playing there are many better choices than Vandoren mouthpieces. I find them, in all facings, to be deficient in fundamental sound. I believe this is an internal problem -- not related to the breadth of the tip opening.
2. The idea that all one needs to do to "improve" stock mouthpieces is to further open the tip is, IMO, pure balderdash. It might allow you to produce louder volume, but at the same time it makes it much more difficult to play softly in all registers (at least with an "honest" reed.) If you want to play loudly, by all means go that way; if you want to make music, stick to a moderate tip opening with the appropriate reed strength.
3. Having taught a legion of bass clarinet players over the years, my observation is that the mouthpieces they presented with when they first came to my studio were overwhelmingly -- crap! Even those who came in with Selmer C*'s, which, as noted above, suffer from execrable quality control, could in many instances do better.
4. I'm currently playing on a Roger Garrett Zinner-based mouthpiece which I acquired after my retirement from the National Symphony. Has pretty much the same facing as the Lelandais (faced by the late Robert Miller) with which I played for almost my entire career, but requires a lot less effort. People seem to like the sound of it.

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For bass: Vandoren B30, B44, B40 new

Noverbuf

2012-03-05 09:17