Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2020-02-25 08:30
German clarinets utilize an A-frame design (at least for sure through the '80s, and Karl Leister had a wonderfully projecting, resonant, and dare I say focused sound with A-frame mouthpieces (as you look up into the bore you'll see a pronounces "V" shape exiting into the tone chamber). In fact the German mouthpiece has such a wide tone chamber transition into the bore that it almost has no transition at all!
So from the original post I thought the situation was that several master class instructors had said the poster did NOT have a focused sound. I would assume he had at least a decent mouthpiece and knew enough to show up for a form of adjudication with a decent reed.
Here I have to tell a story. I had a student who was particularly recalcitrant. By the end of a half hour's lesson, we had achieved a decent sound (yes, we......he may not want the credit) and I would say, "GREAT! Now just continue to play like that (we both heard the results)." The next week he'd show up playing with the same stuffy, unresponsive, diffuse sound as usual. There were a combination of factors. Maybe he didn't fully trust me, maybe he still had too much contact with his previous teacher who did nothing to change this substandard sound, maybe he didn't like sounding better, maybe he couldn't hear the difference.
Point being I even violated the most basic creed for the nouveau teachers, and played his set up (after asking permission and being so frustrated not knowing if it was even possible to get a decent sound on his set-up. Sure enough, I sounded like me and would proceed to try again to get things to "stick" with him. Within a years time I am sorry to report that I failed as his teacher. I still think he has to take some responsibility for that though.
Equipment was NOT his problem.
Now the poster may have many MANY issues from reeds to bad mouthpiece (like a Yamaha 4C.......I never liked those!) but if he is using a good technique, this will get him 90% there.
Trust me.
...............Paul Aviles
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The Clarinet BBoard
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