 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: locke9342
Date: 2015-07-06 09:22
What do you look for when trying new mouthpieces? Are there any particular passages you play to test them out?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2015-07-07 00:08
I'd rather talk to, and think it most beneficial for you, for me to talk to the TYPES of passages, rather than quote you "Composer, Work and Movement."
E.g. I could suggest you try Capriccio Espagnol or Midsummer Night's Dream, but you may not play these pieces, or find them at the same level of difficulty as other players.
Testing should be based on the types of music you'll encounter. As a classically trained clarinetist, how well does the mouthpiece play loudly and softly? How well does it hold pitch, particular on 12th across the register?
How are the throat tones? How well does it respond to legato and staccato play? Can you reach the highest notes you can play/in the repetoire (e.g C7?)
Is it picky about reeds? Does the mouthpiece wear you out, etc.?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2015-07-07 17:09
I'm an amateur, but fwiw....
Although I do test unfamiliar mouthpieces by playing passages that require extreme altissimo, huge interval jumps in rapid staccato and other things I don't necessarily do a lot when playing real music, I've found that playing my most familiar music gives me the best idea of how a mouthpiece will suit me. I also experiment with different brands and strengths of reeds, especially when I try out new-to-me vintage mouthpieces. A reed that's perfect for me on a Vandoren B45 mouthpiece can make an excellent 75-year-old mouthpiece seem like a disaster.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: seabreeze
Date: 2015-07-07 19:36
Bring along a copy of the venerable and ubiquitous 40 Studies by Cyril Rose.
Study number 3 tests the hold on the low tones and the ease of bridging wide interval gaps. No. 6 tells you if the staccato is light and resonant, dull and thumpy, or hard and pecky. No. 27 tests the quality of the legato and the tuning across some rather awkward finger combinations from clarion into the lower altissimo. You should memorize some of the cat solo from Peter and Wolf to test how secure the lowest tones are. Ditto for the articulated passages in Midsummer Night's Dream to test for squeaks. Playing all the way through Cyril Rose No. 36 will let you know if the mouthpiece favors endurance or wears you out. Remember you are buying the mouthpiece to "serve the music." It has to meet the demands of musical passages that are somewhat taxing.
You don't, however, need anything too fancy or difficult like the Nielsen or Francaix Concertos or the Martino Set for Clarinet to test a mouthpiece. Just a selection of familiar and readily playable material will work fine.
Always check the mouthpiece on an electronic tuner and, if possible, have a friend whose musical opinion you trust tell you how you sound on the mouthpiece.
Post Edited (2015-07-07 19:38)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: fskelley
Date: 2015-07-08 00:40
Perhaps when you are testing mouthpieces it would be good to somehow not know which is which until you've made your selection(s). Tape over the names? Test in a dark room? Wear a blindfold? I strongly suspect that would change some choices.
In the same vein, I wonder how many of us could pick our favorite mouthpiece out of a pile of 10 or 20 random good quality alternatives, again if there were no way to know which is which.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: fskelley
Date: 2015-07-08 08:44
It's not hopeless, just difficult. I hope one day I can sit down with a mouthpiece expert and get an intelligent evaluation of what mp characteristics would really work best for me. Meanwhile not much I can do other than try any mp I can, and evaluate as honestly as I can. Light a candle, don't curse the darkness.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2015-07-09 00:02
I have read through all of the above responses as well as David McLune's advice on selecting a mouthpiece.
Most of the responses had to do with mouthpiece response; one mentioned resistance; 3 mentioned the importance of reeds; two mentioned the importance of tuning; two delved into the influence of the brand name; and only one (David Mclune) briefly mentioned "various tone qualities" at the very end of his webpage.
All interesting reading.
I believe that tonal sound as defined by Brad Behn is just as important as response, intonation, and reed influence, if not more so.
May I offer another "source of straight information"?
http://www.clarinetmouthpiece.com/selecting-a-mouthpiece/
p.s. Silversorcerer, was your bore measurement actually 14.4mm instead of 1.44mm?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: fskelley
Date: 2015-07-09 00:58
I've never played a George Bundy #3, should I try one? $15 on that auction site.
(I've played a succession of used and new 2RV and 5RV, and switched to new 5RV lyre about a year ago. A few others have been so-so substitutes, but most everything else I ever tried did not work as well for me at whatever point I tried them. Which is part of the problem, everything is a moving target.)
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
Post Edited (2015-07-09 01:39)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: nellsonic
Date: 2015-07-12 01:14
If the intonation is bad, nothing else matters. A beautiful sound at the wrong pitch is not a beautiful sound if you intend to play with others. I'm surprised that one of the articles cited above doesn't even mention checking intonation.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-07-13 01:00
May not be the best advice, but I go for "fun" and easy first. If I don't like the experience, it doesn't matter if the needle stays in the middle all day long.
THEN I consider the intonation (sorta all one process but you definitely need to like it!).
Finally I make sure that it is sure footed with fast, clean articulation and can respond well in all registers (yes, I even play a high quadruple "C" or two but just to make sure it is there when I need it......it's not a deal breaker).
Oh, and I want to put in a kind word and recommendation for "Band Source" in Downer's Grove, IL. They have a great selection of Vandorens and allowed me to try five mouthpieces with NO restocking fee (take that New York City !!!!!).
............Paul Aviles
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: nellsonic
Date: 2015-07-13 03:17
Yep, makes sense Paul. My K.I.S.S. formula for this is Tone, Tonguing, Tuning. That's usually enough information for well-trained high school students who are ready for an upgrade to do an initial exploration on their own, as long as they also understand that they need a spectrum of well balanced reeds on-hand. Once they narrow down the choices, I'll help them with the final selection by having them try the finalists "blind" with me as outside ears and monitoring the tuner.
At least this is my dream. The reality is I usually spend a tedious hour going through all the choices with them from the beginning.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2015-07-13 03:51
Greetings again,
I just did a basic Goggle search using the phrase “How to choose or select a clarinet mouthpiece”.
What follows are nine sites that offered advice on mouthpiece selection. Some of them have strict step-by-step instructions, some have general step instruction while others have valuable information which requires the reader to devise their own steps or methods of selection.
I have tried to categorize the 9 sites in an alphabetical order. Two of the sites are duplicates of those listed above.
Where possible, I have listed the exact steps written or interpreted steps from the written material.
I found Chris Hill’s commentary on “fitting” the reed to the mouthpiece to be quite valuable.
Hopefully, through reading all of the material below, a player can possibly determine their own preference of selecting a mouthpiece. My personal preference is to use Chris Hill’s advice followed by Brad Behn’s method because of its logical flow.
I hope you find the following useful.
Brad Behn
1. Feel
2. Intonation
3. Sound
http://www.clarinetmouthpiece.com/selecting-a-mouthpiece/
Chris Hill
1. Reed & mouthpiece need to be taken together as a single unit
2. Fit reed strength and cut to mouthpiece
3. Test in large room
4. Sound
5. Intonation
6. Articulation
http://www.tothestage.com/upload/ReedsMouthpieceCombo_Tip_2099.pdf
Louisville Music Co.
1. Set your own priorities, i.e., greater or less flexibility
2. Feel = Comfort, security, articulation
3. Sound
4. Intonation
http://www.louisvillemusicco.com/blog/clarinet-mouthpieces/
David McClune
1. Properly match reed to mouthpiece
2. Test response by playing various musical passages
3. Delete one of two to three mouthpieces
4. Repeat step one
5. Check for various tone qualities available
http://www.mcclunemouthpiece.com/how-to-pickout-a-mouthpiece/
Ben Redwine in Band Director
1. Sound
2. Intonation
3. Feel
http://www.banddirector.com/article/pg-woodwindsclarinets/selecting-a-clarinet-mouthpiece?productguide=349
Selmer
1. No set sequence, just basic, good information
http://www.selmer.fr/instruinfo.php?page=GEN&groupe=comp
Mike Vaccaro
1. Access reed strength required for mouthpiece
2. Play slowly and listen carefully for sound, response, ability for quick interval jumps
3. Easiness of playing to produce the style and sound you require
http://www.saxandclarinetmouthpieces.com/how-to-select-mouthpieces.html
Paul Walker gives insights and suggests an approach
http://www.courtneyandwalker.co.uk/acatalog/Choosing_a_Clarinet_Mouthpiece.html
Wisegeek
1. Access player ability = student vs. professional
2. Choose material: plastic, hard rubber, metal, or crystal
3. Access dimensions = air resistance = tip opening, facing length, and baffle
http://www.wisegeek.com/how-do-i-choose-the-best-clarinet-mouthpiece.htm
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
