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A good mp for legere reeds?

Author: kerryklari
Date: 2021-08-09 13:15

I will start with an apology: I know this question has been asked lots of times, and I have read through quite a lot of threads that deal with it. However, some are probably a bit out of date now, and some don't quite answer my exact question, so here we go:

I have recently started playing clarinet after a break of several years, and I wasn't very advanced when I was playing, so I suppose I'm sort of "Beginner+" level. I play double lip just because I always have (I don't like the feel of the mp against my teeth). I don't want to struggle with the reed, so I want something soft and as easy as possible to blow. I also play the recorder and I don't suppose blowing the clarinet will ever be as gentle as blowing the recorder, but that's the sort of direction I'm aiming for.

I don't want to muck about with cane. I live in rural Ireland and have no access to a shop, so everything I buy has to be obtainable via mail order. Legere reeds are widely available and I find them playable, which is not the case with some synthetic reeds I have tried, and they seem pretty reliable. I have a Vandoren B46 left over from when I previously played, and an Urban Play that came with the Buffet Prodige I have recently bought. I got a Legere Classic 2.0 at the same time though I find that quite hard. I've just bought a couple of 1.75 Classics and they are ok, but it looks like Legere don't make them any more.

I have Tom Ridenour's "Educator's Guide" and he talks about MPs and actually poses the question "Why have different facing lengths and tip openings at all?" (because his different combinations of opening/length/reed all yield similar results). His answer is about tone, and I'm sure what I'm looking for will produce a different tone to some other combination. My general feeling though is that I would rather live with the tone that a comfortable setup produces than struggle with something uncomfortable in order to achieve a "better" tone.

Legere's softest reed now is their European Cut 2.0, which is probably about the same as their Classic 1.75 judging by their strength chart. Given that I don't have the option to test mouthpieces, but would have to take a punt and buy one, what would be a good MP to use with that reed (and would it also work with the Classics I have already bought)? Looking at Vandoren's website, they recommend open tips and long lengths (not one of TR's combinations) for soft reeds. I feel reluctant to just go ahead and buy something like their 5 or 7JB mouthpieces because the openings are so big I presume they are not very beginner friendly? Maybe a B40, B40 Lyre or B45 Lyre, all of which are listed as suitable for strength 2 reeds. The B45 Lyre is described as "Easy blowing" which sounds like what I'm looking for, unless they mean something different. NB it doesn't have to be a Vandoren, they are just readily available and have the comparison chart online. And I don't want to buy something just for the sake of it either: if the B46 I already have would be the best option, I'm happy to stick with it.

I started with an apology so I'll be symmetrical and end with one: sorry this is such a long-winded question! Thanks in anticipation for any advice.

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