 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Classical Saxophonist
Date: 2014-04-24 04:13
Clarinet was my first instrument, but I switched to saxophone after 1 year of playing. Now, I'm a music education major.
Anyways, I'd like to start playing clarinet again and I'd like some mouthpiece advice.
The Vandoren B46 seems interesting. The Vandoren website says that it is suited for people who also play saxophone. Is this mouthpiece any good? The tip opening is similar to my classical soprano saxophone mouthpiece (a Vandoren Optimum SL3). However, the B46 is not available in A=440. Will that affect tuning?
I play only classical on the saxophone (except for marching band), and I would intend to play classical on the clarinet as well.
Post Edited (2014-04-24 04:17)
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Author: kdk
Date: 2014-04-25 00:20
If you want to stay in the same facing ballpark, I guess B40 Lyre, B40, B45 or B45 Lyre might be similar. Or use the B46 and pull out a little to bring the pitch down.
I'm not altogether sure you need to look for a mouthpiece with facing measurements similar to your soprano sax facing. The mouthpiece shape and the width of the respective reeds will make any sax mouthpiece feel different from pretty much any clarinet mouthpiece. I'm not sure what Vandoren means when they say "best suited to musicians playing both clarinet and saxophone."
I'd try several, starting with Vandorens, since they're easily available, in several models including the B46. The clarinet is a different enough animal from a sax that you may be more comfortable on something more middle of the road. The only way to know is to try several.
Karl
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2014-04-25 01:19
The B46 clarinet mouthiece is not generally seen as a "classical" model although there is no absolute reason not to try it.
Sax embouchure is significantly different to classical clarinet in that for sax one tends to play quite relaxed in the middle of the pitch whereas classical clarinet sound requires a much firmer embouchure to play the clarinet at or virtually at the top of its pitch.
I think this is a major reason to disregard the comparison of tip opening between your sax and the clarinet.
If you want a classic sound you will probably be much happier on a closer lay.
The 440 question is a bit of red herring.
All Vandoren mouthpieces will play quite happily at 440 with a "normal" length barrel. The 13 series have bigger chambers which make them play slightly flatter than the standard series and Vandoren have hyped this into a bit of a marketing ploy. Many players using 13 series find they have to use a shorter barrel to play at pitch.
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Author: mihalis
Date: 2014-04-25 02:40
I absolutely agree with Norman. It depends what you play.
I used the B46 for more than 30 years.
If you want to play in a saxophone style get a B46.
Now I am using a Walter Grabner's K14 mouthpiece and I am
very happy.
Mike
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Author: Bob Barnhart ★2017
Date: 2014-04-25 06:20
I have played the B46 at times in the past and may again--I like it a lot. It is a very free-blowing mouthpiece that I would probably use for jazz more than classical as for me it produces a bit brighter sound. However, when I was subbing with the San Diego Symphony years ago, Dave Howard (Bass Cl. LA Phil) came and played guest principal for a couple of weeks and was then playing a B46. He had a super dark sound on it then and still does, although i think he's using a B40 today.
Recently, I had to play a work for solo clarinet and women's choir that required some fiendish multi phonics. The B46 allowed me to figure out how to play them although I switched to a B40 13 shortly afterwards and performed the work on that mouthpiece.
BTW, my B46 is quite old and has the traditional beak. Not long ago I tried a B40 Profile 88, but actually preferred the traditional beak with this mouthpiece.
Bob Barnhart
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Author: Classical Saxophonist
Date: 2014-04-26 01:43
Thank you for all the replies.
What would you guys say is the darkest sounding classical mouthpiece offered by Vandoren?
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2014-04-26 17:16
The darkest-toned Vandorens are the M30D and the M40D. These can even be played on many German-bore instruments as well as on the usual French bore ones.
Post Edited (2014-04-26 17:17)
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