Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2017-05-01 09:55
I can't really comment about the correct strength, because tip openings now are all over the place and the curves are getting too long. More like German facings. I don't like this, because the standard French reed doesn't vibrate correctly if the facing is too long.
I've talked to Greg Smith and sent several emails back and forth. A wonderful man, a Marcellus student and more. He was a close friend of the Marcellus family. Sadly, I haven't met Walter Grabner. Hopefully our paths will cross one day.
A lot of people are unaware that Marcellus played with a double lip with the National Symphony sitting next to Iggie Gennusa who played with a double lip all of his life. Well Bob as we all know, went to Cleveland and continued playing with a double lip for a few years, but then went to a single lip because he was listening to a recording and he couldn't tell the difference between playing with a single lip and a double lip.
When the Morre' reeds were being imported they came in strengths 2 and 2 1/2. Upon Bob's suggestion they came out with a 2 1/4 strength. So 2 1/2 strengths were a tad bit too heavy for him and 2 strengths were too light.
Steve Barta, recently retired from the Baltimore Symphony had lunch and we were messing around with mouthpieces and reeds, just last week. This topic actually came up. Steve studied with Harold Wright and then with Marcellus. When he went to Cleveland Bob told him he wasn't too concerned whether he played with a single or double lip, because he felt that using the upper muscles as a double lip player surely helped create that preferred embouchure, thus the preferred sound. Well Steve was telling me that he switches back and forth. Some solos sound wonderful with that double lip. However, Bob and Steve both feel having the knowledge of what your upper muscles are doing is key to having that great sound. Strong firm upper muscle control.
I play with a double lip and tend to use a 3 1/2 reed most of the time. One of the key factors with double lip is hitting the high notes. You can't bite as a double lip player, so you tend to put more of the mouthpiece in your mouth. This allows you to hit the higher notes and not pinch or bite. It also lets more of the reed to vibrate. This is so important to getting a great sound, compared to getting a decent sound.
When I studied with Gennusa he used a lot of the mouthpiece and played on 3 1/2 strength reeds. This is pretty much the same strength that Marcellus used, with his overbite.
I've written just a little about this, saying people should warm up playing low notes with a double lip to build up your embouchure. I think it is key to add as much mouthpiece into your mouth as you can, until you squeak. This is when you back off of course. This is when you are getting the most out of your reed to vibrate. You should at this point be able to play the upper register without biting.
So we kind of have to be able to play the upper register on slightly lighter reeds without biting and splitting our lower lip open. The lower lip should not hurt after playing for a few hours. If it does hurt or split open it might be time to address your embouchure as a problem and fix it.
Playing too soft of a reed, such as a 2 strength reed really has not benefit. I think finding the correct strength is when you can play for about 30 minutes with a double lip and your lips don't hurt, yet you can hit the upper register, maybe to F without pain, or very little pain, and not playing flat. But this becomes a problem because a lot of mouthpieces and the horns already play flat. So lets say flatter than with a single lip.
Keep an eye on you mouthpiece patch. Tooth patch. Whatever it is called. Most of them are way too thick. Use thin ones. I like them. I use very thin ones. I make my own and use double stick tape. If you can see teeth marks on these you are biting too hard. The thickness I use is about 2 or 3 layers of electrical tape. Hardly anything. Surprisingly, Steve Barta uses about the same thickness, also uses double stick tape.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
Post Edited (2017-05-01 10:10)
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