 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Roxann
Date: 2016-10-27 22:23
I bought a Lyrique C clarinet this past spring and found it extremely "dizzying" to play. It required so much air that I would get dizzy trying to play it. Finally, I took it to a technician who diagnosed the problem as the wrong mpc. He showed me that, when you look up inside a mpc from the butt end, the mpc I was using had quite a small opening (I think he called it the baffle). He had me play my clarinet with a variety of different mpc's, each with a larger baffle than the next. I found that the larger the baffle, the easier it was to produce sound. So, now I need to purchase a new mouthpiece. Unfortunately, "baffle size and shape" are not listed when you try to compare various mouthpieces. I'm hoping some of you could suggest some various mouthpieces to try that have good sized baffles. My technician recommended the Vandoren B45, so that's already on my list of mpc's to try. Thanks for your help. P.S. The C clarinet was thoroughly checked before it was sent to me by Ridenour's to make sure it played fine. My technician did another thorough check and confirmed there was nothing wrong with the set-up of the clarinet.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2016-10-27 23:51
You should contact Tom Ridenour directly to see what he recommends. AFAIK, modern C clarinets are meant to be played with the same mouthpieces normally used for Bb and A. You may well like the reduced resistance of a large-chambered mouthpiece, but it seems, at least to me, that either the baffle depth or the throat opening (which is what I think he may have shown you from the bore end) should have such an effect that the instrument becomes "dizzying" to play. The B45 also has a fairly open tip, which would also contribute to reduced resistance.
If a B45 turns out to feel better to you, you might consider using it on your Bb as well. Life is easier if you don't need to maintain two mouthpieces with separate reeds for each.
Karl
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Author: Roxann
Date: 2016-10-28 00:24
Unfortunately, Mr. Ridenour did not reply to my request for recommendations regarding mouthpieces.
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2016-10-28 00:35
Sometimes he misses an email. Try again, he and Ted are very polite.
-Jdbassplayer
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2016-10-28 01:10
My Chinese-made el-cheapo C clarinet is designed for a standard Bb/A mouthpiece and works just fine that way. Your Ridenour C clarinet is probably also Chinese-made and may in fact be mechanically (or at least acoustically) identical to my instrument (labeled "RS Berkeley").
I suspect your original mouthpiece is no good, while the instrument itself is probably fine and should work well with a decent Bb mouthpiece.
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Author: claralot
Date: 2016-10-28 18:39
Hi,
I just bought a used Lyrique C and have used Vandoren M30, B40, Hawkins B and Hawkins R mouthpieces and have had no problem playing the instrument. The M30 seems to give me the best timbre. Perhaps your reed is too hard?
....Mike
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Author: Roxann
Date: 2016-10-28 19:15
Thank you, Mike. I was using the stock Buffet barrel that came with my Buffet...that was probably my first mistake! I'm using a Gonzales 2.75 reed, which is what I use for both my Bb and Eb, so I don't think the reed was the problem. However, if I can find a 2.5 in my stash, I'll give it a try.
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Author: claralot
Date: 2016-10-28 19:25
"I was using the stock Buffet barrel that came with my Buffet"
Roxann,
You should be using either of the C Clarinet barrels that came with the Lyrique, not a Buffet B flat or E flat barrel. Tom designed the Lyrique C to be used with those 2 included barrels.
....Mike
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Author: Roxann
Date: 2016-10-28 22:17
Mike...my mistake...I meant "mouthpiece" rather than "barrel." Sorry for the confusion.
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Author: claralot
Date: 2016-10-28 22:28
OK, understood.
If you are attempting to use a stock Buffet mouthpiece that came with your B flat then that is most likely the issue.
Most people have found that the stock Buffet mouthpiece is pretty unplayable. Try some mouthpieces from Vandoren, D'Addario, Hawkins, Fobes, etc. You will be feel and hear a world of difference.
....Mike
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Author: kdk
Date: 2016-10-28 23:20
Roxann wrote:
> I was using the stock Buffet [mouthpiece] that came
> with my Buffet...
Now I'm confused. Have you been playing the Buffet stock mouthpiece on your Bb and A clarinets?
Karl
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Author: Roxann
Date: 2016-10-30 02:49
Hi Karl, No, I've not been playing the stock Buffet mpc on any of my clarinets. It came with my R13 and was sitting around collecting dust so I thought I'd try to use it on my new C clarinet rather than having to buy yet another mpc but I had no luck because of its extreme resistance. After meeting with a technician and hearing what he had to say, I switched to my ancient Bundy mpc and have found quite a bit less resistance. What I'm looking for is a mpc that will give me even LESS resistance while I play. I use a Selmer C85 1.05 on both my Bb and Eb clarinets, but don't want to be swapping mpc's back and forth when I'm playing in musicals and need to play on the Bb and the C.
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Author: cearnsh
Date: 2016-10-31 16:16
Roxann wrote:
> I use a Selmer C85 1.05 on both my Bb and Eb clarinets
So how does your Bb mouthpiece /reed setup work on your C? I would expect this to be a good starting point, especially if you use the equivalent setup on your Eb as well.
The challenge is to find out what works for you with your instrument, so other peoples' anecdotal suggestions may not be very useful. In that context (but to give a reference point), I use a B45 / 2.5 'blue box' on my Leblanc LL Bb & A. This setup 'works' on my LL C, but the altissimo is hard work to get up to pitch, so normally I use a 5RV lyre / 3 'blue box' with it. This is as easy to play in the lower registers and much easier in the altissimo. Similarly, I use a 5RV / 3 'blue box' on my LL Eb. So - for me - a slightly closer lay, slightly harder reed combination works better on the smaller clarinets. YMMV of course...
I believe that Tom Ridenour's design concept is to prefer a resistant setup which you 'lean into'. This may be part of the character of the instrument and it may be a little hard to control with a less resistant setup.
Chris
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Author: larryb
Date: 2016-11-06 04:24
I use just one mouthpiece when playing multiple clarinets (Bb, A, C). Mostly opera.
I find it to be the most reliable arrangement. When you introduce another mouthpiece/reed set up to mix there are too may variables that can lead to errors.
PS: the Selmer c85 is a fine mouthpiece
Post Edited (2016-11-06 04:25)
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Author: Roxann
Date: 2016-11-07 03:49
I use a Selmer C85 1.05 mpc on both my Bb and my Eb clarinets. After reading the comments that were made on this thread, I decided to buy one for my C clarinet. FORTUNATELY, I was able to find one on Amazon...the last one the store had...and at about half the price that I paid for the first one I bought a few years ago. Selmer must be phasing it out...darn it! EVERYBODY...thank you for your feedback and your support!
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