Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2017-10-30 05:08
Like Karl I've played this way all of my life. Most double lip players are around a tip opening of 1.03mm or so. Harold Wright was 1.01mm. Iggie Gennusa was at 1.03mm. I'm at 1.05mm. John Yeh is around 1.13 or whatever his RD5 is. A few other friends seem to be between 1.01 and 1.04mm's. No one in under this who I know. The magic number when I put facings on for double lip players is between 1.02 and 1.03. the length is around 34 to 36, depending on the persons lips and bite, such as someone with an overbite.
Gennusa once said to put as much mouthpiece in your mouth as possible until you squeak, then back off just a tad. This allows you to use as much of the reed as possible to get that warm sound from the heart of the reeds.
So maybe the M30 is not the match for you, because you are biting. Second, use more mouthpiece, third, play a lot of low long tones to find that perfect embouchure position. 4th, look at Bob Marcellus who played with a double lip embouchure but then went to a single lip and notice how much mouthpiece he takes in. When playing long tones start soft increase to forte then back down to p. Watch yourself in a mirror. when you hit that magic sound take note where your embouchure is, how you are breathing. When doing these, take note with regards to what sounded better p<F or F>P. Then ask yourself why as you are looking in that mirror. A mirror is your very BEST friend to achieve a great sound.
If you are biting maybe you are not using enough of the reed in your mouth so you are biting down at the wrong angle of the curve. Or the curve is not set right for double lip playing.
Double lip player can use a thin patch on the beak on the mouthpiece, where your teeth hit, but not way forward at the tip of the mouthpiece. I see this mistake all of the time. The patch to too far forward even for single lip players. This is wrong and can effect so many things, sound tonguing, your mouth may be too open, so this needs to be placed where your teeth are. Not at the front of the mouthpiece. Airflow hits this and backflow can happen if the patch is too thick.
If I were you, I'd first start with refacing or change the mouthpiece. I feel it is too open and too long of a facing for double lip playing. But that's me. I always had the best sound out of everyone growing up at Interlochen, then through college and now. Get a small mirror that fits on your music stand. Keep it there until you turn 60.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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