 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: P4sEnvy
Date: 2013-02-13 20:15
I recently purchased a Vandoren B45 mp - mine was a knock-off brand from my first plastic clarinet..yuck! - and after a few months of trials I figure that I just cannot play on my standard reed with it.
I used to play on Vandoren 3.5s, blue box, with ease.
However, after switching to the B45 I just could not at all!
I moved down to a Vandoren 3 - and still.. just didn't work right.
I currently am playing on a Rico 3.
I did try the 5RV before purchasing the B45, however I just didn't like the way it felt.
Is this common in B45's? Lower reed strength? Is it because the opening is so dang wide?
Thanks in advance!
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Author: MGT91123
Date: 2013-02-13 20:41
I've been having the same problem, too! Vandoren blue box 3.5s, down to 3s. I've fixed everything that's possibly my fault and am having a tough time. I haven't squeaked/squawked/ squealed like I am in the two years I've been playing.
I wonder too, if many it's just a bad mp in general.This even has my instructor whose been playing for 30+ years, stumped.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2013-02-13 20:46
B45 is much more open than a 5RV, so it's unlikely you would have liked either with a reed that played well on the other. It's hard to tell from your post what reeds you used to test these - or whether you tested the B45 at all before you bought it. Yes, a B45 will need a softer reed than will the kind of mouthpiece that ordinarily comes with an entry level clarinet. A 5RV is more likely to work with the reeds you were using, although you say you didn't like it.
In any case, you have the B45, which you must have bought for a reason, so now you need to experiment with reeds to find what works on it. If a blue box #3 is close to what you want, try #3 Vandoren 56 Rue lepic. If you're comfortable with regular Rico #3s, try a #2-1/2 VD traditional or 56 Rue lepic. It may take a few tries, which will be an expense, but once you find what you're looking for it should keep you happy until the next big weather change.
Karl
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2013-02-13 20:51
Certainly the Vandoren B45 can't be labelled as a bad mouthpiece. There are many thousands of them performing very well, and some pros that I know use them. I no longer use mine, but I did for some years using Vandoren Blue box 3's or Rico reserve 3's. They don't squeak for me.
Tony F.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2013-02-13 22:08
MGT91123 wrote:
> ...I've fixed everything that's possibly my fault and
> am having a tough time.
Well, that's a claim I doubt even your teacher would make. There's *always* something you can improve no matter how long you've been playing.
> I haven't squeaked/squawked/ squealed
> like I am in the two years I've been playing.
> I wonder too, if many it's just a bad mp in general.This even
> has my instructor whose been playing for 30+ years, stumped.
If you're comfortable with a fairly open, medium length facing, a B45 should work acceptably. As Tony says, lots of people play on them, though on the other side of the coin, not everyone likes them. It *is* at the open end of the Vandoren Series 13 line. Assuming there's nothing wrong (damaged) with *your* B45, you have two choices: keep looking until you find a reed strength you're comfortable with on it, or try some less open mouthpieces and see if one of the other facings is more comfortable.
If #3 VD Traditionals are stuffy, try #2-1/2. Try Rico Reserve Classics, or Mitchell Lurie, or one of the othere Vandoren models at #3 0r #2-1/2.
Try M15 or M13 Lyre and see if you really feel better with the closer facing, or try one that's in between, maybe 5RV or 5RV Lyre. Try a Rico Reserve X5 mouthpiece, which is in the same price range as the Vandorens.
There are lots of possibilities if you've truly eliminated basic operator error as a cause for the squeaking and other response problems you're experiencing.
Can your teacher play comfortably on your B45/#3 setup?
Karl
Post Edited (2013-02-13 23:54)
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Author: P4sEnvy
Date: 2013-02-14 01:24
Well - the thing was that I knew I have needed a new mpc.
I talked to my director - he suggested either a B45 or a 5RV - both reasonably priced and fairly good.
It just so happened that I was borrowing a close friends R-13 for my All-State auditions - he had a 5RV in the case.
I asked if I could take it for a few days, he agreed.
I played on it with my standard 3.5 V - and eh. Did not like it so well - so I told my director to order me the B45.
At the time I didn't even take into account the reed - which now I feel pretty stupid about, but hey - we all make mistakes!
Anyway - I plan on ordering some 2-1/2 V's - see how they do.
Thank you Karl!
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Author: avins
Date: 2013-02-14 08:41
I went through the same thing , I tried quite a few VD MPs . I took home the B45 but it was very hard to blow in the Trad 3 and 3.5 I realised then that its really meant for light reeds of around 2.5 which I didnt like , so I changed to m30 , and what a difference , I think its an ideal mouthpiece for Trad 3.5, though a little too hard , for me ,anyway, for reeds of Trad over #4
I also didnt get on with the 5 RV and now awating for a new supply of M15 which I hope will be nice for reeds of over #3.5 Trad and Rico Reserve Classic
All the best
Avins
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2013-02-14 18:50
Unless your band director has specific experience playing or teaching clarinet, I would not take mouthpiece reccomendations as gospel. The best way to select a mouthece is to try as many different ones as you can, and bring a wide variety of reeds with you when you test them. This is something best for you to do with A COMPETENT CLARINET TEACHER. It might even be worth paying for a few lessons, if you don't currently study with someone, just for some qualified advice. It seems like the 5RV and the B45 are the default choices of band directors, regardless of the ability or skill of the students. This does you no favors at all!. If one type of mouthpiece worked for everyone, there would not be hundreds of good mouthpieces from which to choose.
Jeff
“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010
"A drummer is a musician's best friend."
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Author: Bill
Date: 2013-02-16 16:06
Gonzalez makes a 2.75 reed that is very nice. Was just this morning reading Pamela Weston's "Clarinet Virtuosi of Today" and Stanley Drucker's wife Naomi used a B45 (at the time of Weston's interview). The B45 has a somewhat less focused, more robust, somewhat more plangent sound. If Wikipedia can be trusted, it was designed by Bernard Vandoren in the late 1960s and is Vandoren's most well-known mouthpiece.
Bill Fogle
Ellsworth, Maine
(formerly Washington, DC)
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Author: Taras12
Date: 2013-02-16 20:21
OK, now I'm really confused. I wish I had a one on one teacher, but I live in "Nowhere" Montana. The nearest "real teacher" is about 90 Minutes away by car. So please explain a few things.
I have a Bliss L310NS (2nd generation model (composite with grenadilla 66 mm barrel, not Backun). I was looking at the B45 to replace the mp which came with the horn. The original MP with a Rovner Dark ligature, can produce a dark sound (I say" can" because as a beginner (about 8+weeks) I have a long way to go with my emboucher). I use a 2 1/2 VanDoren Blue Box reed. How does one know which mouthpiece is best? How do you know how to pair a reed with a mouthpiece? I don't want to end up with a dozen boxes of reeds before I "find" the right one.
Tristan
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