 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: psmartin
Date: 2023-12-19 05:32
I have dived back into my musical journey after not playing regularly for the past 24 years on the clarinet or tenor sax, since my son is now in high school and wanted to learn how to play the tenor. Through his invitation to come up and sit in on a couple of section practices, I found myself helping out with the band more and more. I am now practicing on my clarinet regularly and will be joining a local community concert band that played something like 14 concerts this past year. It is my goal to get back to where I was in my early twenties as a player, but I am also seeing how the landscape has changed regarding mouthpieces, reeds, and ligatures.
I am playing pre-R13 Buffet that would have been made sometime in the 49 to 51 time frame, with a hand selected Moennig Barrel. The mouthpieces I am playing on are Vandoren B45 and 2RV, and a K9. Ligature wise I am using an original Harrison that has not been sprung or stretched out too far, and can switch to a J & D Hite but was never much of a fan of it, even though it was recommended to me by Professor Gholson.
When I stopped playing I had been using Vandoren traditional blue box reeds for at least 6 years. I have several dozens of those still, but I am trying some of the other Vandoren Reeds and recently purchased a Legere Classic to try. I am interested in trying Legere Signature and some of the new VK synthetic reeds from Vandoren.
And yes, over the last several months I have tried to read, watch, and catchup on things as much as I can. Shocked to learn of the demise of Leblanc, the rise Backun, the changing of the guard at Selmer, and the ever growing line of R13 Buffet progeny.
Thanks for your time and suggestions...
Paul
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2023-12-19 18:54
I'd say you couldn't go wrong with mouthpieces from Clark Fobes. His top of the line mouthpieces are just over $300 but I had tried a few of his student models at under $50 and they played great as well. There is also a mid-line mouthpiece of his that falls in the middle for $170.
Lots o' facings to choose from (a B45 is VERY different from a K9 or 2RV)
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: lydian
Date: 2023-12-20 19:47
I’d rethink the Legere Signature if I were you. I find them thin, buzzy and unresponsive in the altissimo, same goes for their sax reeds. The new French cut sounds more promising.
Second the Fobes mpc recommendation.
I’m kind of in your shoes. As a lifelong sax player who took a long break when I started a family, I didn’t get serious about clarinet until about a year ago when I joined a band that required me to play it at a high level. I did some intense woodshedding for about 3 months to get my chops up. Now I play it regularly in 3 big bands and a Dixieland band. I did concert band for one season, but ultimately left for personal reasons (one of my section mates was insufferable).
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Author: LostConn
Date: 2023-12-20 20:07
lydian wrote:
> I’d rethink the Legere Signature if I were you. I find them
> thin, buzzy and unresponsive in the altissimo, same goes for
> their sax reeds. The new French cut sounds more promising.
This is my order of preference for Legere clarinet reeds:
1. French Cut -- the best all-around. Similar in performance to the VK1.
2. European Cut -- easy to play, but with some intonation issues.
3. Signature -- too resistant.
4. Classic -- the original; no reason to use this unless you want something very inexpensive for a raw beginner or marching band player.
Of course, OP, you could just stay with the blue box cane reeds, but I think at least giving synthetic reeds a try is a good idea for everyone.
The French Cut has become my favorite Legere saxophone reed as well, BUT it depends on your style of music. I play mostly classical. If I were focusing on jazz/blues/pop, I'd probably recommend the American Cut. I find the Signature pretty good (not perfect by any means), but I think the two specialty cuts eclipse it if they fit your style.
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Author: psmartin
Date: 2023-12-28 13:17
Thanks for the replies. I have ordered two different strengths of the French Cut and have ordered some of the Wood Stone reeds after seeing a review the other day. I will check out Clark Forbes.
One thing I did notice today on the Classic as I practiced it seemed to open up and vibrate more freely in the lower registers but completely lost control in the altissimo. Now, I was about 2.5 hours in or so to my practice, which I have been slowly building my stamina back. I have probably about 10 hours of practice on that reed.
Thanks,
Paul
Paul
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Author: LostConn
Date: 2023-12-28 20:48
psmartin wrote:
> One thing I did notice today on the Classic as I practiced it
> seemed to open up and vibrate more freely in the lower
> registers but completely lost control in the altissimo. Now, I
> was about 2.5 hours in or so to my practice, which I have been
> slowly building my stamina back.
Legere reeds in general tend to soften up during playing, due to a combination of heat and pressure. I think this is true of all Legere models, although the effect may be more pronounced with some cuts rather than others. Sometimes, a bit of this softening can make the reed more comfortable to play. But after a longer session, you may find that the reed's playing characteristics have changed too much. Legere recommends switching to a second reed (rotating) to compensate.
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