 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: HANGARDUDE
Date: 2013-04-16 11:17
I recently got a Vandoren B40 Profile88/13 mouthopiece back. At the brief moment I tested it went sorta OK, but after I bought it, it went a bit muffled. Is this because every mouthpiece has a break-in period? Or something else?
Josh
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2013-04-16 11:51
I am not familiar with any type of break-in period for the mouthpiece itself. That said it can take a while for you to adjust to the mouthpiece. A reed change may be necessary.
What reeds are you playing would be the next question? But a better question would be why did you buy it if it felt "ok", and what were you looking for or expecting in the first place?
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2013-04-16 14:08
Unless made of wood, mouthpieces DO NOT need a break-in period because the material is dimensionally stable when you receive the mouthpiece.
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Author: rtmyth
Date: 2013-04-16 14:31
Maybe for you, but not for the mp. Give yourself some time.
richard smith
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Author: kdk
Date: 2013-04-16 14:49
When it "went a bit muffled" were you using the same reed you originally tested it with? Did you test it in your own practice area or at a store?
Room acoustics and reeds affect the way you hear a mouthpiece (or any other part of the equipment). And reeds very much affect the flexibility you have in varying the sound and intonation for the musical demands of a specific context.
Whatever changes happen to mouthpieces happen at a more glacial rate than this unless there's accidental damage.
Karl
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Author: NBeaty
Date: 2013-04-16 15:43
The B40 can sound quite muffled, especially with reeds that are too hard.
Keep in mind it is very open, requiring a much lighter reed than more close tip openings.
The mouthpiece will not break in, but can only break- as in dropping it on the floor!
You will adjust over time to the mouthpiece, with reeds and embouchure, to get the best playing experience possible.
Some times when we try a mouthpiece and just happen to have the perfect reed for it that day, and through the next reed cycle we fall out of the "honeymoon period" and realize we still have to work with finding the right reeds to make ANY mouthpiece work as well as possible.
On a side note: I often hear (especially amongst graduate students) that their clarinet is blown out or "just doesn't play like it used to. While this is possible to some degree, one would HOPE that they don't play the same way at 25 that they did at 18 and their needs and desires in a clarinet have CHANGED far more than the clarinet has!
If you experience any of the following:
Reeds feel too hard (even when stepping down a few strengths)
Stuffiness won't go away
Resistance is too high
Articulation becomes slow and labored
Feeling as if you have to force the setup to function
Step down to a smaller tip opening. The M13Lyre and M15 are my favorites of the vandoren line and provide the most comfortable blowthrough for many players. If you still feel you need a large tip opening, the M30 is still very open, but has a large enough tip opening to not play with as much resistance as the B40.
Best of Luck!
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Author: curlyev
Date: 2013-04-16 18:31
When I switched to a different mouthpiece (vintage hard rubber G8), I had to adjust, and it took a couple weeks and some reed changes. In my case I had to adjust to the mouthpiece, rather than the mouthpiece having to be "broken in." I've also had to stop using extremely hard reeds.
Clarinet: Wooden Bundy 1950s
Mthpc: WW Co. B6 refaced by Kurtzweil
Lig: Various Rovners
Barrel/Bell: Backun
Reeds: Legere 3.75
OKC Symphonic Band (just started this summer)
*playing 22 years (with a 5 year hiatus) and counting*
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Author: HANGARDUDE
Date: 2013-04-17 01:13
Hi there everyone,
Thank you for your replys. Well, to give a better idea, I'll tell you the 3 mouthpieces I've used so far:
When I started 4 years ago, I was using a Yamaha 4C. Last year I changed to a Rico Reserve X5(I would have used the X0, but it is too bright). It took me a great effort to adjust because of its resistance. My mouth strained quite a bit too. So in March I changed to B40 Profile 88/13.
Another reference is that up to this moment I am playing an inferior Yamaha plastic clarinet. However, I'm switching to the better quality Buffet E12 in May. I'm also buying the Rico Reserve X0 for I need it to play Klezmer music.
Josh
Post Edited (2013-04-17 12:15)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2013-04-17 02:14
I'm not familiar with the facings of the other two mouthpieces you used but I can say for sure that in addition to the comment above that the B40 has a large tip opening, it also is a short lay (which means that you need to take in LESS mouthpiece to get to the ideal spot for your embouchure). Here it bears repeating that the fastest way to test for the "sweet spot" for any mouthpiece is to play an open G, starting with as little mouthpiece as you can manage and then take in more and more (as you continue to play open G) until you get a big SQUAWK. Once you squawk, just back off (slightly less mouthpiece) from that point and that will be the ideal spot for that mouthpiece.
I always bristle at the generic advice to "take in more mouthpiece" to improve sound when the ONLY criterion will be the exact point where the reed and mouthpiece part vs. where you set your lower lip.
If you find this spot quickly, you should be able to adapt to almost any mouthpiece immediately. However, I still require a week or so to fully get settled in even once I've found one I just can't live without.
...............Paul Aviles
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Author: tims
Date: 2013-04-21 07:43
It is common to try out mouth pieces at a store or a convention, and think it plays well then get home and it seems to play completely different. Much has to do with acoustics of the playing environment where you tried it being different from that where you normally play.
But another common problem is that when trying out mouthpieces, we compare one new mouthpiece to the last new mouthpiece we tried and so that we come away with the feeling of how it played relative to other unfamiliar mouthpieces, but not relative to what we are familiar with. Always play your current mouthpiece before and immediately after trying a new one. This gives you a stable standard of comparison.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2013-04-21 12:18
Amen "tims."
The same applies to trying clarinets.
....................Paul Aviles
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2013-04-22 00:40
Never heard of that. It was probably your different reeds, your embouchure condition or the acoustics of the room you played in and are playing in now.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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