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Finding a Mouthpiece

Author: Speculator Sam
Date: 2018-04-04 07:19

Hello again. Asking what is probably a stupid simple question on these forums, but I don't know any better and have yet to find a teacher in my vicinity. So, in the previoius "Help My Mother Out...: post I made a while back. Ursa and Ray Zhang mentioned a few brands. Vandoren, Behn, Fobes, Grabner, Pyne, D'addario, and Selmer to be exact.

It's dim-witted to say "Well, Michael Lowernstern and Phillipe Cuper plays Vandoren and I like their tone so I should play a B50 or another one of their mouthpieces". They've been playing for decades, anyone would sound great on any equipment who's played that long. I've played guitar for a long time and know that this is the same as saying "Well, Jimmy Page plays a Gibson Les Paul, so I should totally buy that instrument" without ever trying the instrument and seeing if it feels good in my hands and if it gives the tone I'm looking for.

The other concern to buying an after-market mouthpiece that's "ideal for the student or musician on a budget"; if I were that hard-pressed for cash then maybe buying a mouthpiece should be placed lower on my priority list in life, we want something better than what came with the $2k-ish bass clarinet that I'm accustomed to.

If it means anything, whenever I send my bass clarinet in for repairs the rental company lends me a loaner soprano clarinet. It's an Evette, so a more entry level instrument. It's fitted with a Selmer USA after-market mouthpiece. I feel very comfortable playing that mouthpiece and it seems the tone possible on the instrument vastly improves every-time I have to borrow that soprano clarinet, perhaps coming back to it after every three months has something to do with that. I can't say the same for the bass clarinet, the stock Selmer piece feels very fine, but not feeling that "love at first sight" feeling that I have with the loaner clarinet's piece.

I could definitely afford a hundreds dollar mouthpiece, but I don't have the patience to send someone my money and have to return it because I don't like it and hope to God that the money gets back on my card fine and dandy. I could definitely ask if my music store wouldn't mind ordering a sampler set from Vandoren and be able to try mouthpieces that way.

Any insight would be very helpful. Please, and thank you.

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