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Re: mouthpiece pitch

Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2017-10-25 22:47

Karl as usual wrote very well. It is difficult to find a horn that tunes perfectly on every note.

Actually you don't and can't play in tune in a band, or a symphony, or any group. You have to be flexible. Her is why. Let's say you have 3 instruments playing a simple cord. They can all be clarinets or all of them can be totally different instruments. The notes are an example. C, E, and G. If every note was in tune with the meter however the cord would actually "Sound," out of tune. The E would be sharp. So when playing you sometimes have to be flexible to hear the 3rd of the cord and adjust your embouchure just slightly to play a tad flat to actually be in tune. Although on a tuner you will be perfectly in pitch your ears will say you are out of tune. So it is your ears, your hearing which are more important. When playing C, E, and G the E may need to drop to 439, probably more like 439 1/2 if the musicians are sustaining a long cord. This also make tuning a piano a real gift. Thus the reason why there are sometimes 3 strings per note on the harp of a grand piano. It is weird, but I can always hear when a Steinway piano is being played. But I cannot tell the sound of the makes of other pianos. The harp inside of a Steinway has a different sound.

As for 440, well so many symphonies and bands tune to slightly different pitches. In the 1920's or so the Philadelphia Orchestra tuned to 438. This is what the conductor wanted. I'm sorry, but I cannot recall the conductors name.

Other orchestras have been known to tune just a shade higher to 441 and as high as 442. But again, I cannot recall which orchestras off hand. Was it the Chicago Symphony with Sir Georg Solti? I just don't remember.

Yes 440 is a number. But it is important at the same time. We as musicians have to be flexible to play as low as 438 to about 442. We cannot bite at 442 to reach this pitch. The throat closed, the sound sucks, your lips hurt, everything goes wrong.

This is why I have written so much about Vandoren and Buffet shoving their mouthpieces and horns down our throats that tune only to 440. They both say this is what America wants. I don't know of a single American that ever said this. Plus they both tend to play flat above high C. The Vandoren M series mouthpieces are too long and the Buffet R13 bores are too big in general. On some of their A clarinets you have to use a 63mm barrel depending on your mouthpiece of choice. This throws off a lot of the lower notes.

Great question! Hard to answer.

Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces

Yamaha Artist 2015

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mouthpiece pitch new

LC007

2017-10-25 20:44