 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Liz
Date: 2001-03-17 21:19
About a year ago, I switched from a beginner mouthpiece (Hite "Premeir") to a B-45 because i needed a wider tip opening. But now I'm improving my emboucure and I don't sqeeze the reed shut as much. I've heard that the B-45 is a hard mouthpiece to play on. Do you agree that this is true?
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Author: Dee
Date: 2001-03-17 21:23
I find it to be rather easy to play on. When my embouchure starts to tire, I will sometimes switch from my 5RV mouthpiece to my B45 to get in a little more playing time. Or if I have a chest cold, I will use the B45 so I don't wear myself out so much.
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Author: David Kinder
Date: 2001-03-17 23:22
For me, the B-45 is very difficult to play on. I used to have 2 of them and I used them for a couple of years. Later I switched to the M13 and I've really enjoyed it. However, I found that when I would use the M13 and switch to the B-45, I couldn't get the same tone and I'd have to work twice as hard to get the proper air through.
It's still a great mouthpiece!
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Author: Nate Zeien
Date: 2001-03-18 01:38
Liz, it all depends on your playing level, and personal preference. At one time, I thought that the B-45 was rather hard to play, and took too much air. Things have changed, and I now use more air than I used to, which is generally a good thing, but should not be rushed. Now I find it to be a fairly easy to play mouthpiece. Still, it has a nice sound, and is a nice mouthpiece. Mouthpieces are something of a personal preference, but a good mouthpiece is still a good mouthpiece. The Vandorens generally are. Although the B45 may not be my personal favorite, it still comes in a strong second in my opinion and preference for use playing classical music. I guess what turned me off to the B45, personally, is that the altississimo range seemed to be lacking, compared to another mouthpiece I tried. As a klezmer musician, I could not bend the notes as easily as I could on some other mouthpieces. In the first three registers, where you will find most all clarinet music to be written, it works quite well. Keep in mind though, I am a klezmer and jazz musician, and my preferences and criteria are probably considerably different from others. If you are looking to buy a mouthpiece, a B45 is a must on the list of mouthpieces to try out. As you can tell from the above posts, there is only one way to find out if the B45 is hard to play on. Try it out for yourself, as it varies from person to person. -- Nate Zeien
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Author: Mike B.
Date: 2001-03-18 03:28
The Hite Premier may be a student mouthpieces, but it is also one of the easiest and nicest mouthpieces to play on (IMHO). I was simply amazed at how good the Hite mouthpiece is, even when compared to a high end professional model. I finally found a better model than the Premier...the Hite J series.
The B45 is a good solid all around mouthpiece. However, it may not be particularly well suited for your chops and/or reed and/or clarinet. Or, perhaps you just have not gotten used to it yet. Here is where a good teacher can be of great assistance.
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Author: Jim
Date: 2001-03-19 03:53
I switched to the B45 a year ago from a "junk" mouthpiece. I should have done it long ago. At first it took more air and made my face hurt, but I quickly got accostomed to it and enjoy the enhanced sound and volume.
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Author: Earl
Date: 2001-03-19 14:26
I think you'd like the Vandoren 5RV-Lyre better than the B45. I believe the cost is the same.
If you can afford one, the Borbeck 13 mouthpiece is super. I'm refering to the most expensive Borbeck. You might experiment with various ligatures and settle on the Peter Spriggs "floating rail" libature. It's probably the best. A bien tot, ET
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2001-03-19 21:06
Liz -
The B45 is the most open non-jazz mouthpiece that Vandoren makes. Open mouthpieces are in general easy to play when you match them with a fairly soft reed, and they let you play very loud, just by blowing harder. Furthermore, they will play with practically any reed and blow freely.
The down side is that you have trouble getting good color into the sound. They tend to blare. Also, you they don't automatically play in tune. You have to lip them in tune. Also, it's hard to play softly and still have a sound that carrys.
Close facings are the mirror image of open ones. A close facing needs a fairly hard reed, and you have to adjust your reeds and balance them very carefully to get them to play at their best. You have to find other ways to play loud instead of putting more air through, which just results in resistance and stuffiness. Instead, you have to learn to support, take more mouthpiece into your mouth and develop better embouchure control. Your reward is greater intensity in your sound, particularly at low volumes, and steadier intonation.
Most people play an intermediate facing, which balances the virtues and minimizes the problems. Once you get to the point where you know what you want to change, it's time to move on from a machine-made mouthpiece, such as Vandoren, to a hand-made one, adjusted by the maker to fit your instrument, embouchure and playing style. My own mouthpiece is medium length and slightly more open than medium, since that's what works best for me.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Blake
Date: 2001-03-21 15:48
I use my b-45 for marching band and 5RV Lyre for concert band. used to use a Selmer HS* for orchestra. Blake
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