 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Gene
Date: 2024-06-21 00:52
I am thrilled to say the Big mouth alto clarinet mpc by Windy Dankof is far out superior to standard made highend mpc ,Why because its a tenor sax blank modified to fit an alto and blow loud rich and beautiful without the typical stuffiness and resistance of a typical alto piece and play in tune .This will be the new kid on the block taking off .I plan to post a video in a week or two once I have masterd Etude no3 by Astor Piazzolla.Might not be perfect but will give you a taste of the future alto clarinet come back,,,BAM , Vid will be posted on my youtube channel -Woodwind Wizard
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Author: lydian
Date: 2024-06-21 06:04
Looking forward to hearing how the intonation is on the wrong size mouthpiece.
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Author: kilo
Date: 2024-06-21 16:27
Quote:
... because its a tenor sax blank modified to fit an alto [clarinet]
The great tenorman Gene Ammons played a modified alto clarinet mouthpiece on tenor – at least on his album, The Black Cat.
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Author: Ebclarinet1
Date: 2024-06-21 16:55
Alto is toughto get a BIG sound although the Buffet Prestige I have right now is amazing. People are shocked by its sound.
However, I'm always looking or an improvement and can't wait to hear this mouthpiece.
Eefer guy
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Author: WindyDankoff
Date: 2024-06-22 02:27
Thank you Gene for putting this on the Board. The product name is "BIGMouthPiece".
Gene is the originator of this concept, and I have taken it to the next level. Details at: http://www.windydankoff.com/bigmouthpiece-for-alto-clarinet.html
Windy Dankoff
woodwind technician
Repairs - Improvements - Adaptations
BIGMouthPiece for Alto Clarinet
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Author: super20dan
Date: 2024-06-23 02:17
i read the tunning instructions from the web site. lets just say its unorthodox
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Author: WindyDankoff
Date: 2024-06-23 18:18
The tuning advice I wrote [ now deleted ] is not specific to this MP. It's general for any woodwind. With BIGMouthPiece I do my tuning THE SAME as I do with any other MP and this is the method I start with.
Sometimes I get carried away with too much advising. If it's not widely agreed or helpful, or in any way confusing, I will delete it. I don't want folks to think they need a new approach to tuning. They don't. I appreciate any other opinions and thank you!
Windy Dankoff
woodwind technician
Repairs - Improvements - Adaptations
BIGMouthPiece for Alto Clarinet
Post Edited (2024-09-02 05:20)
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Author: lydian
Date: 2024-06-23 19:05
Well, the player is going to have to do something special to make the wrong mouthpiece play in tune. May as well leave it. Still looking forward to those demos.
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Author: WindyDankoff
Date: 2024-06-23 19:15
It's not the wrong MP. It's shortened and re-bored to become a tuned alto cl. MP. The player does nothing special except to use a tenor sax reed, then adapt to a freer-blowing instrument.
The logic of using a longer reed is explained in the web page: http://www.windydankoff.com/bigmouthpiece-for-alto-clarinet.html
Windy Dankoff
woodwind technician
Repairs - Improvements - Adaptations
BIGMouthPiece for Alto Clarinet
Post Edited (2024-06-23 19:41)
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Author: lydian
Date: 2024-06-23 20:09
Sorry, but that’s just a lot of nonsense. Do you even know what the correct bore, chamber, baffle and facing are supposed to be? And Fibracell reeds are awful. Your claims are well into Klangbogen territory.
Post Edited (2024-06-23 20:10)
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Author: Gene
Date: 2024-06-24 21:41
Wow such an informed opinion lydian. May I ask what your experience and profession is.I have played since I was 12 now 67 and although I don"t have a music degree I have a lot of experience on tsax ,flute ,clarinet. ssax and alto clarinet.The mouthpiece works really well on alto clarinet so stay tuned to Woodwind Wizard on youtube next couple of weeks you will see with your own eyes.
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Author: Kiela
Date: 2024-06-25 02:18
Still a bit skeptical, but I'm willing to give any aftermarket alto clarinet equipment a chance. Will be waiting for those demos.
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Author: lydian
Date: 2024-06-25 03:12
@Gene, essentially same experience as you. Profession is engineer. So I have a pretty good understanding of the physics involved. I heard your earlier demos with obvious intonation issues. Looking forward to hearing the latest to see if Windy was able to modify the piece enough to fix them. I know from direct experience that a tenor sax mouthpiece on an alto sax is fun and different too, but the intonation is horrible. So my skepticism is well founded.
I’m all for free enterprise. But be prepared for careful evaluation and judgment when you put a new product on the market, especially one with extraordinary claims like this one that seem to contradict the basic laws of physics.
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Author: Michael E. Shultz
Date: 2024-06-25 15:02
Back in high school, I put my C melody sax mouthpiece on my Eb alto sax. It had a nice mellow sound, since the C melody sax mouthpiece had a large chamber, but it turned out to be a half-note flat. There is a correct mouthpiece volume for each clarinet & sax.
"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
Groucho Marx
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Author: WindyDankoff
Date: 2024-06-25 19:14
How can a tenor sax MP possibly work on an alto clarinet?
The bottom half is treated as a blank and completely re-formed.
First, the shank is shortened considerably for gross tuning (and a tenon/cork is added). Next the bore is re-shaped and sized for fine tuning. This is made possible by a lucky coincidence. The end of the bore (that fits over a sax neck) matches well to the alto cl. As it progresses upward, it becomes too small, so there is a chance to enlarge the bore and lengthen it slightly to correct the tuning for accurate 12ths. Based on many experiments, I made a "tuned" reamer for the bore, and an undercutting tool for fine-tuning of altissimo (which helps everything harmonically).
It is no longer a tenor sax MP. It is an alto cl. MP with a bigger reed and chamber (a BIGMouth) and is tuned accordingly.
I am always skeptical of my inventions. This one exceeded my expectations.
Details are on my web page: http://www.windydankoff.com/bigmouthpiece-for-alto-clarinet.html
This is still a very new product. I'll notify when I have a YT video to demonstrate the intonation and crossing the break.
Windy Dankoff
woodwind technician
Repairs - Improvements - Adaptations
BIGMouthPiece for Alto Clarinet
Post Edited (2024-07-03 18:53)
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Author: WindyDankoff
Date: 2024-07-11 00:31
My video is UP!
https://youtu.be/2p0dbXpmfK0
Windy Dankoff
woodwind technician
Repairs - Improvements - Adaptations
BIGMouthPiece for Alto Clarinet
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Author: lydian
Date: 2024-07-11 00:57
Thanks. Intonation is pretty wonky on the high end. Don't know if that's you or the mouthpiece though.
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Author: WindyDankoff
Date: 2024-07-11 03:57
Must be me because I do similar altissimo on my Bb clarinet. The soft reed is a compromising factor, but I find it best all-around for my tone, for jazz expression and to reduce fatigue. I am not a classical player.
Is it only good enough for jazz? Not according to my clients. On my web page are four testimonials. Two of them are fine classical players who praise the intonation. They inspired my confidence to declare the design "finished" just a week ago.
================
>>>> UPDATE 7-14-24 With two small adjustments to the design, I have fixed the altissimo tuning and response.
Windy Dankoff
woodwind technician
Repairs - Improvements - Adaptations
BIGMouthPiece for Alto Clarinet
Post Edited (2024-07-14 19:24)
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Author: lydian
Date: 2024-07-11 04:58
Problem for me as an engineer is zero design basis on your part and no proof (yet) that it was done correctly. No calculations for the missing cone, just chop off the end and hope for the best. It’s great that you’ve managed to turn it into a little side business. I would just never buy or trust such a seat of the pants “design”. I wish you success.
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Author: WindyDankoff
Date: 2024-07-11 05:39
Fine. I won't sell you one.
Windy Dankoff
woodwind technician
Repairs - Improvements - Adaptations
BIGMouthPiece for Alto Clarinet
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Author: WindyDankoff
Date: 2024-07-12 01:36
Hit CONTACT at the end of my web page, or copy the link from here: http://www.windydankoff.com/contact.html
Thanks Dan.
Windy Dankoff
woodwind technician
Repairs - Improvements - Adaptations
BIGMouthPiece for Alto Clarinet
Post Edited (2024-07-12 22:11)
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Author: WindyDankoff
Date: 2024-07-14 19:27
Altissimo UPDATE – With two small design adjustments, I have fixed the altissimo tuning and response. It now plays consistently, even with my 2.5 reed.
Windy Dankoff
woodwind technician
Repairs - Improvements - Adaptations
BIGMouthPiece for Alto Clarinet
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Author: donald
Date: 2024-07-20 17:48
I've been thinking about this all week. While some here have reservations (based on their experience, and they may be legitimate) I can see that you started this experiment with some interesting ideas and theory.
I'd really love to be able to gauge your innovative mouthpiece development, but at the risk of sounding rude, it's not possible to do so from the recording posted above.
- we need to hear an accomplished player who can execute a chromatic scale with even tone and rhythm. Plus some musical extracts that utilise varied dyamics and articulations.
- it would be most useful to THEN hear the same performer play the same music but on a standard Alto mouthpiece so we have a basis for comparison.
You're obviously someone with good intentions who has come up with a pretty smart idea, I'd love to support that rather than try to drag you down just because you dared to do something a bit different. Maybe someone on this board within the US could be given the opportunity to independently assess your mouthpiece? (Hank Lehrer- I don't know if you play alto, maybe you know a good Alto player among your colleagues?)
Other than living in NZ, I actually won't have access to my Alto until October this year (it's traveled to Germany without me) so I can't really take on this job....
Post Edited (2024-07-20 17:50)
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Author: WindyDankoff
Date: 2024-08-10 13:09
Thank you Donald, for having an open mind. You are correct about the need for a better demo. I am not classically trained, and spend far more time at the workbench than at the practice chair. I am hoping that someone will record a better demo for us all to hear.
Meanwhile, all four now sold have brought back rave reviews and three more are on the way to new clients. Remember, there is a 5-day trial period.
This project is a labor of love and learning. I never expected it to work this well.
http://www.windydankoff.com/bigmouthpiece-for-alto-clarinet.html
Windy Dankoff
woodwind technician
Repairs - Improvements - Adaptations
BIGMouthPiece for Alto Clarinet
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