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Re: The German Mouthpiece Experience

Author: Simon Aldrich
Date: 2018-02-05 07:40

Ray asked, "if German mouthpieces are really that good, then why don't mouthpiece makers learn from the Germans and modify the mouthpieces to suit the French clarinet?"

One of the significant differences between the French and German mouthpieces is the shape of the throat. The development of the French mouthpiece in the first half of the 19th century saw the sidewalls of the mouthpiece become parallel, creating what is called an H-frame, as opposed to the German A-frame throat.
This narrowing of the throat was intended to create, among other qualities, more focus in the sound (some might say, more "ping" in the sound).
In relation to the A-frame, the H-frame effectively bottlenecks the air, resulting in the air passing through the throat more quickly (since the throat is narrower).
This results in more intrinsic resistance in the mouthpiece, but it is one of the qualities that renders the sound what we would call today French (or American).
In other words, in answer to your question, if French mouthpiece-makers altered their mouthpieces to play more like a German mouthpiece, their mouthpieces would no longer be wholly French and might perhaps lose what some might call that spinning, hyper-focussed sound.
A short answer like this leaves a lot out. There are many more considerations and a full discussion would be a lot more nuanced.
I have attached photos, one of a typical French H-frame (M30) and one of a typical German A-frame (Wurlitzer).

Simon

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