 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Corey
Date: 2001-06-25 03:06
i was wondering if the pyne and gigliotti mouthpieces compare any to gregory smith's mouthpieces.Gigliotti claims there mouthpiece is for the most discriminating player and it's about one hundred or so cheaper than Pyne and G.smith's mouthpieces.and Pyne mouthpieces seem preety good. Does any one own a Gigliotti mouthpiec or a Pyne? i am 15 and wanting to get the best mouthpiece that i can afford at the moment and 200.00 seems offly exspensive to me at the moment but about 100.00 or so doesn't ,but if spending more money is what it might take i might just do so .... thank you---- corey
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Author: Anji
Date: 2001-06-25 12:18
You have nearly beaten this subject to death.
Go buy something, try it out and determine what works for you in your budget.
This is a 4 month-old thread for you and LONG past resolution.
jeezit, are you slow on the draw
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Author: RonD
Date: 2001-06-25 15:42
Anji, ease up a bit, if you are loseing patience just pass over the posting. Corey did not ask you personnaly to answer his question. Corey is a young student and he has many questions and as a very young person he probally does not have a lot of money. at his age he needs lots of guidence and this is a good place to learn from experienced players.
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2001-06-25 16:55
Corey,
Do business with someone who will offer a money back guarantee. Sometimes this means paying more for a mouthpiece, but can be a good investment in the long run.
To answer your specific question, the Pyne mouthpieces are excellent. You might look on the Sneezy classifieds and find one that you would like. I remember seeing a couple of them there. I have played the Pyne JX and like it a lot. It has a nice smooth sound and really helps the altisimo (uppermost) register.
Some people really like the Gigliotti mouthpieces. Again, look on Sneezy classifieds first for one to purchase used. Then, you might try buying one from International Musical Suppliers (they offer a 2 week trial period). I would recommend the #2 opening. If you prefer a more closed opening, the P34 might be just the one for you.
As a young player it is important to get a good mouthpiece. However, you will never know until you actually try a few which one you like best. So, you might want to purchase two or three from International Musical Suppliers and send back the ones you don't like. You do have to take good care of them by putting a piece of tape over the place where you normally "bite" the mouthpiece, and a piece over the logo so your ligature doesn't scratch.
Here's IMS 800 no. Give them a call and ask questions. Their staff are all pro players and can answer a lot of the questions you have without obligation to buy. I don't work for them, although it may sound like it. I've just bought tons of mouthpieces and clarinet stuff from them over the years.
800-762-1116
Go ahead. Jump in.
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Author: Chris Hill
Date: 2001-06-25 17:56
I like the Gigliotti #2 quite a bit. Before I started refacing, that was the mouthpiece most of my students used. I also like the Vandoren M15, M13, and the Greg Smith. The nice thing about Greg Smith is that he's an excellent craftsman who will work with you to get you what you need. Keep in mind that whatever you get, it probably won't be your final mouthpiece, so don't be too hesitant to just try a few and pick one. People do tend to change after a few years, especially at your age. What does your teacher recommend? That would be a good place to start, and I would be hesitant to go against that advice.
One thing to keep in mind is that you are talking about mouthpieces that are designed for different styles of playing. The mouthpieces I listed are for one style, the Pyne is very different. If your teacher likes a Pyne, get one: they work well for many people. If he/she likes a Gigliotti or something similar, go with something like that. Most of my favorite players play on that type of set-up (Chedeville, Matson, or Kaspar mouthpieces or copies thereof.)
Chris
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Author: Leanne
Date: 2001-06-25 18:23
I like my Gigolitti 3 just fine, I don't remember what else I tried out. That's they key, you just have to chose what you think you sound better on and what feels better, and go from there.
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Author: connie
Date: 2001-06-25 20:01
I play a Greg Smith, which I love. He had me try all 3 facings and I wound up with a 1 facing. Recently, I went back and played on a B45, and was amazed at the difference in tone...much greater than I remember it when I first tried the Greg Smith.
My daughter has a Pyne Pk, which she really liked the sound of, but she had a terrible time with reeds on it. Our local symphony player, who uses a Pyne, said that the Pynes are built asymmetrically, so reeds are more difficult, if they're not balanced just so. (Can anyone else comment on this?) Anyway, her teacher made everyone get 5RV's so the section would all sound alike, so I have this $200 Pyne sitting on my shelf....
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Author: mw
Date: 2001-06-25 20:50
I know of a recently matriculated student at Eastman. There to pursue a degree in in Clarinet Performance. He (attending for a Master's) was the only person there starting out in Undergraduate or Graduate work who was playing a custom mouthpiece. Almost everyone else was playing a (relatively inexpensive) Vandoren 5RV-type mouthpiece w/an (inexpensive) inverted Bonade ligature. AND, those students were players!
My point? Keep it simple --- especially when you are young. Develop your embouchure & a wonderful tone with a mouthpiece with a medium-type facing.
My daughter is at Interlochen this summer competing against some of the world's great best clarinet-playing teenagers. Once thing that Leslie does well is to leave her setup _ALONE_. She doesn't experiment .... & therefore she doesn't have to get _used_ to things or to compensate for changes. She's always ready for a chair challenge & she's always saving a reed that she knows will work. She plays a Vandoren 5RV w/a BG Revelation Ligature & Vandoren V-12 4's. She has a beautiful sound with her (constant) setup. (Yeah, I have a nice edge and she has a gorgeous sound!)
Corey, I am sure you practice very hard --- that is the key. In fact, you can probably beat the pants off most of us playing cuiston-mouthpieces. I'll bet that for you a custom mouthpiece isn't a solution, its a convenient alternative!
Best,
mw
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Author: Corey
Date: 2001-06-26 03:11
Well if it isn't a solution for me(in your opinion mw) then what is? My current tone isn't a pleasent one
i kind of have a brighter sound than i would like,and the mouthpiece i have makes my tone sound " plasticy" and "cheap" (it's kind of hard to explain) it's a Hite premier and i use a vandoren 31/2 or 4 usually with a Rovner ligature and was thinking of gettin another ligature too. I was thinking a BG reavalation with a really good mouthpiece and switching to V12 reeds . And yes Anji to make you happy i will stop talking about mouthpieces and ligatures and reeds OK? To me my tone sounds so terrible that sometimes i think i want to quit playing but i absolutely love playing and don't know what my life would be like without music! --- thanks, Corey
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2001-06-26 03:18
Corey,
Only change one thing at a time!
The Hite sounds fine for most people, but you may need something else. Changing the mouthpiece will make the most drastic change.
Figure out your budget and then try a few new mouthpieces with your current ligature and reeds. Once you find one that seems to be right (tone and _in tune_!), buy it and use it for a month or two before changing anything else - make sure your embouchure "sets up" with the new motuhpiece. Then you may want to try a different reed and see what happens, or try another ligature. Those will make less difference than the mouthpiece - they'll help you "fine tune" things, but things have to be basically right before you do.
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2001-06-26 13:00
The school district here requires the Vandoren mouthpieces for the kids. Some directors ask for the 5RV Lyre and others ask for the M13 Lyre. Both are excellent beginning, intermediate and even upper-level mouthpieces. I know pro players who use the M13 Lyre with their Buffet R-13 clarinets. I think the M13 Lyre has a warmer tone than the 5RV Lyre, but to each his own.
Those two were chosen for their reliability in intonation and overall tone color. I'd say you couldn't go wrong with one of them if you're not ready to spend the $200.00 for a custom job. And, you can find them on the internet for under $50.00 sometimes.
I'd start there and work on finding the right reed and embouchure. Get a private teacher to help you improve your tone. They can give suggestions as to what you're doing right and wrong. We can't see you from here and it's hard to say if you're doing something that might be hindering your sound.
Starting with good equipment is essential. Nothing discourages a young player more than a poor set up. Get the mouthpiece and teacher.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2001-06-26 18:21
Corey -
Gigliotti mouthpieces are made by machine. They are not hand finished, or at most get only a quick check. For machine-made mouthpieces, they're quite good. However, the slogan "for the most discriminating player" is simply advertising. Anthony Gigliotti is a wonderful player, but he doesn't claim to be a mouthpiece maker or to tweak his own mouthpieces individually.
Pyne and Smith are excellent players. They finish their mouthpieces by hand and individually play and adjust each one. This takes more work and results in a significantly higher price. For advanced players, the difference in playing quality is worth the price.
As Chris Hill says, Pyne makes mostly asymmetrical mouthpieces, which need specially adjusted reeds and have relatively high reisitance. As far as I know, Smith mouthpieces are symmetrical, but they, too, can be "unforgiving" and need to be played, rather than "playing themselves."
There is no one "best" mouthpiece. It's all in finding the right match for your abilities and skill level. If you're an intermediate player, you may very well play better on a Gigliotti than a Pyne or a Smith.
The only way to decide which mouthpiece to get is to try them for yourself. You have to learn to trust your own ears and learn how to judge a mouthpiece for yourself. You won't go far wrong with any reputable maker's mouthpiece.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Erika
Date: 2001-06-27 02:17
I play on a Pyne mouthpiece. For me, it has a great sound. I have been very satisfied with my Pyne mouthpiece. But Ken made a very good point. Your skill level has a lot to do with what mouthpiece works best for you. In order to play a Pyne, your embouchure must be fairly strong. It took me a few months to get used to my Pyne mouthpiece. I played a little bit flat for the first month or two, but then I adjusted to the mouthpiece. Best of luck choosing a mouthpiece that works for you!
~Erika
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Author: Gregory Smith
Date: 2001-06-27 18:10
Ken said:
"As Chris Hill says, Pyne makes mostly asymmetrical mouthpieces, which need specially adjusted reeds and have relatively high reisitance. As far as I know, Smith mouthpieces are symmetrical, but they, too, can be "unforgiving" and need to be played, rather than "playing themselves."
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This is true about any mouthpiece in light of the fact that as one becomes more skilled at reed adjustment, the mouthpiece does then seem to be "playing itself".
I would add though that an ever so slight balancing of the very tip of the reed is all that is needed to adjust the very symmetrically cut V12 3.5 or lighter 4 to my symmetrically faced mouthpiece.
In general, I and many others find that it is a much more consistent and a much less drastic process than to adjust a symetrically cut reed to a deliberately asymmetrical faced mouthpiece.
Gregory Smith
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