 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Clarineterin
Date: 2012-10-10 02:30
Hello!
I am a graduate student and I am working on Artie Shaw's Clarinet Concerto and was looking into getting a jazz clarinet mouthpiece. Does anyone have any recommendations?
Also, I was looking at the Pomarico Jazz Series Clarinet Mouthpiece and there are two versions of it a Jazz* and Jazz** Can someone explain to me the difference between the two?
I am also looking at the Vandoren 5JB Jazz Bb Clarinet Mouthpiece as an option as well.
Thanks!
Erin
Post Edited (2012-10-10 02:36)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2012-10-10 09:41
The Pomarico double star is more open. The Vandoren 5JB is god-awful open.
For me the 'Jazz' nomenclature is a misnomer. Though it may help to have a more open mouthpiece for glissandi and vibrato (and vibrato related sound affects), it is the execution (your individual technique) that makes 'jazz.' So if you already have a more open mouthpiece in you quiver, you may do better to work with that than throw yourself into an abyss trying to achieve 'jazz' with a totally different setup.
................Paul Aviles
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2012-10-10 16:25
DrewSorensenMusic wrote:
> Benny Goodman played on a Morgan (I've read he used an
> equivalent of the RM10 or RM 15)
>
> Drew S.
I suspect that he played on a lot of different mouthpieces over the years. I did get a chance to see one of his clarinets and mouthpieces in person at Yale a few years ago. The clarinet was a K-series Selmer and the mouthpiece was a Woodwind G7*.
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Author: DrewSorensenMusic
Date: 2012-10-10 18:57
I own and play the RM10. It has a 1.10mm tip opening. It feels too open for me. I like to play close tipped mouthpieces. Thinking of switching to the RM6 at 1.06mm. The RM15 is 1.15mm.
Drew S.
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Author: Bill
Date: 2012-10-10 22:53
An RM10 was my first custom mouthpiece. Would that I had stopped there! I still have one of the pieces of paper he put in the plastic tubes instructing you how to test/play the mouthpieces. Great man.
Bill Fogle
Ellsworth, Maine
(formerly Washington, DC)
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Author: ned
Date: 2012-10-11 05:41
At the risk of being labeled a grouch............this topic has been posted god knows how many times in the past................for heaps of responses, including mine, do a search on this bulletin board.
Just in case you can't find anything......my two bob's worth is ''ALL mouthpieces are useful for jazz - it not the design of the thing that's important - it's what you blow out the end, however, which is important''.
To paraphrase that famous number ''It Ain't What You Play, It's The Way That You Play It''
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Author: Alexis
Date: 2012-10-11 13:42
Hi Bill,
A little off-topic, but would you mind elaborating on the paper and plastic tubes to test the mouthpieces?
Alex
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Author: chris moffatt
Date: 2012-10-11 15:39
What Ned wrote.
One more time; there are NO jazz clarinets, there are NO jazz mouthpieces, there are NO jazz clarinet barrels, there are NO jazz clarinet reeds. There are NO jazz clarinet swabs, pads, corks or cases. There are only jazz clarinettists. That's it! Having the same setup as Benny Goodman once had ain't gonna make you play like Benny Goodman.
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Author: DrewSorensenMusic
Date: 2012-10-11 15:46
I agree and disagree with Chris and Ned. Sound is sound, there really is no jazz sound, or rock sound, or classical sound, per se.
I do think there are different concepts of tone, however, which is probably why there are so many different mouthpieces. I wonder if a "Jazz" mouthpiece doesn't mean a higher baffel and larger tip opening. I guess the reasoning would be to create a brighter and louder sound. Personally, I despise "Jazz" mouthpieces, but then again, I don't really play jazz unless it's asked for in a musical theatre pit.
I'm not a mouthpiece manufacture, it's just an assumption.
Drew S.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2012-10-11 15:59
Chris- But there are jazz ligatures, right? That must be the answer.
I agree with much of the above. Many jazz players use mouthpieces that would be right at home in any classical setting. Eddie Daniels uses something very standard. Even so, each player needs to find what helps them get their voice. If one were looking for a New Orleans traditional jazz sound, it may be easier with a different mouthpiece.
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Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2012-10-11 21:52
IMHO, "jazz mouthpieces" exist in the minds of clarinet mouthpiece manufacturers who in turn try to convince the playing public that there is such a distinction. If you will do a comparison between them, you'll probably find that those listed as such have a tendency to be open to very open tipped mouthpieces. This, I believe, allows a player to facilitate certain tonal changes that might be more problematic on a closer tipped mouthpiece.
Yes, I also believe any mouthpiece can be used for jazz. I think it all depends upon what your concept of jazz is and which mouthpiece would help you to achieve the playing nuances that you are looking for.
By all means, do a "search". It's a wonderful feature on this site.
I suspect that you will have to try out several if not many until you find one which helps you produce "the sound concept that you should already have in your mind". IMO, that's the starting point.
Good luck!
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Author: beejay
Date: 2012-10-11 21:54
As I said in another post, I seem to end up sounding the same no matter what mouthpiece I use. The only advantage to using an open tipped or jazz MP is that you can use softer reeds, bend the sound a bit and play a bit louder. I'm using an old Otto Link 5 star, and it is quite powerful compared with my Van Doren CL5, but apart from that, my tone doesn't change. As others have said, it's the embouchure that counts, not the MP.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2012-10-11 23:37
> As others have said, it's the embouchure that counts, not the MP.
Or your reaction to the acoustical feedback with a different mouthpiece.
Those who drive a stick shift car will know that one settles to "drive by ear" - you know when it's time to change gears - and what happens if one rides in a borrowed/rented car that sounds different.
We probably sound the same on most mouthpieces because we have that concept of "our sound" in our heads and unconsciously adapt in order to get that sound, regardless of reed and 'piece. (interestingly, the concept varies with different styles of music, but still we're extremely flexible)
So save your money for a bouquet of flowers or a sixpack of beer for your partner who has to endure these jazzy attempts. :-)
--
Ben
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Author: Klarnetisto
Date: 2012-10-13 01:31
I mentioned this on another thread earlier, so in summary:
I don't play jazz per se, but years ago was very active playing Balkan and Middle-Eastern music, which have essentially the same musical requirements: vibrato, pitch-bending, looser embouchure...
I tested about a dozen mouthpieces at the local store searching for the ideal mouthpiece for the task, and finally chose the Vandoren 5JB. I found it to be the mouthpiece which allowed those techniques the most easily, naturally and musically, and yet still allowed one to produce a classical tone and stability just as easily.
Recently I've found that the 5JB works better on some clarinets more than others. I discovered that it really brings out the full character and musical capability of my Pan American Moderne (a high-quality clone of Conn's model 524, frequently referred to as a jazz clarinet because of its brilliant and powerful tone).
For other opinions, see:
http://www.clarinetpages.net/stuff-phil-recommends/what-clarinet-is-best-for-jazz
Klarnetisto
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