 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Mary Evans
Date: 2025-07-21 15:37
I'm transitioning from classical to jazz clarinet and looking for recommendations on mouthpieces that offer a warmer tone and better projection for small ensemble settings. I've heard good things about Vandoren and Selmer options, but I'm open to other brands too. What do you use, and how does it affect your sound and articulation in jazz contexts?
Post Edited (2025-07-22 08:44)
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Author: super20dan
Date: 2025-07-21 15:54
i play a lot of jazz clarinet and recommend brilhart mpcs for this esp the tonalin. tip opening isnt as important as attitude. vandoren b46 is a good one too.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-07-21 15:55
Experiment with different strength reeds first as that's less costly than getting a new mouthpiece. Try a half to a whole step softer than you use when playing in a Classical setting to see if that gives you more flexibility with your existing mouthpiece.
Don't do the thing that many older sax players turned clarinet players do and go for a wide tip opening and soft reed (and have their barrels shortened to nothing) to match what they use on sax using a sax embouchure as both instruments can't be any more different from one another, as well as the fact that Bb soprano clarinets are soprano instruments as opposed to alto or tenor instruments.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repairer
Single and Double Reed Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: lydian
Date: 2025-07-21 18:53
I play a very wide tip on sax and tried the same when I started jazz clarinet. Huge mistake. Tone was dull and hard to control and volume was actually less. Returning to my classical piece solved the issue.
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Author: NOLA Ken
Date: 2025-07-21 19:18
You don't say what type of clarinet you are using. I'm no pro at this, but have found that each of my clarinets gives me a preferred jazz sound with a different mouthpiece. And I tried a lot of mouthpieces to zone in on the sound I want. My favorites right now (depending on the clarinet) are Vandoren M30 Lyre, Woodwind Co. Crystal (really hard to find), Leblanc/Woowind Co. K15M, Behn custom Med-Open, and even a 100-year old Peddler. A good friend gets a great sound on his Selmer Signature with a Selmer C85-120. But I'm afraid I can't help you if you play classical Buffet. I just wouldn't get too wild and crazy starting out. The softer reed suggest is important too.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2025-07-22 01:49
I think the idea of trying a softer reed and perhaps a slightly different style may help a lot. I agree about not going to facings that are too open, which can cause the tone to be a bit more diffuse and can be hard to control. I personally don't like the jazz players whose clarinet sound is pretty close to soprano sax and prefer those who maintain a quality traditional clarinet sound. (and yeah, I mean somewhat "classical" sounding)
One of my favorite mouthpiece makers, Clark Fobes, has lots of options to consider and if you reach out to him, he is always helpful. I always find his mouthpieces very playable. For some work I do where I am looking for good projection and good projection and resonance, I got a Fobes Nova- 3L facing. It is a bit more open than mouthpieces I use for classical, but still very easy to control with a good sound. I found it to have a great feel and response with good articulation and projection. It is quite reed friendly and not terribly expensive.
I rarely hear people talk about Clark's Nova line. They are really good mouthpieces. He makes 2 facings on this model and I highly recommend them.
https://www.clarkwfobes.com
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Author: ruben
Date: 2025-07-22 13:22
I'm not so sure one needs a specific type of mouthpiece to play jazz. Three jazz greats that I knew personally: Jimmy Hamilton, Tony Coe and Buddy diFranco, played on pretty ordinary-though high quality-mouthpieces used for Classical music.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
Post Edited (2025-07-22 16:26)
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Author: Michael E. Shultz
Date: 2025-07-22 14:50
The traditional jazz mouthpiece for clarinet is the Vandoren 5JB. They also started making the 7JB, which is even more open.
"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: Ed
Date: 2025-07-22 19:23
I somehow suspect this is another one of the fake postings that seem to pop up with single posts and funky links embedded
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2025-07-22 20:24
Portnoy mouthpieces seem to be popular with some big band players who've learnt clarinet properly and not gone for a massively wide tip opening to match their 7* sax mouthpieces.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
Independent Woodwind Repairer
Single and Double Reed Specialist
Oboes, Clarinets and Saxes
NOT A MEMBER OF N.A.M.I.R.
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2025-07-24 01:03
Quote:
Portnoy mouthpieces seem to be popular with some big band players who've learnt clarinet properly and not gone for a massively wide tip opening to match their 7* sax mouthpieces.
Ken Peplowski uses a Portnoy 3, which is pretty open (assuming it has not been worked on) and sounds terrific, but not sure many of us would sound like him. Of course, I have no doubt he would sound terrific on anything.
On one of the reviews online, Ken talks about not getting crazy over equipment and says that the sound comes from the player. Basically, practice and make your concept work
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Author: MikeSF
Date: 2025-07-24 02:47
Check out Jody Espina demoing his Jazz mouthpieces from Jody Jazz. It's the best demo I've seen and I WILL be ordering one as soon as I decide which.
Here's the vid: https://youtu.be/UtuCnuaZejE?si=YCxvOY7YPF8gdI6v
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Author: Fuzzy
Date: 2025-07-24 04:40
hans,
Hahaha! Thanks for the book excerpt.
"...a great many clarinetists produce a vibrato by squeezing or relaxing the reed too much..."
Does anyone know at whom he aimed that comment...Bechet? Dodds? Other earlier jazz folks...or was it aimed at contemporaries in the young swing movement?
I haven't read much of Artie's stuff, so I don't know if this is common knowledge or not.
Fuzzy
;^)>>>
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Author: johngreiner
Date: 2025-07-24 10:37
Mary, do NOT switch to a mouthpiece that has a much larger tip opening than what you're used to. The only thing you'll be accomplishing is frustration. Save that for the actual playing!
Having said that, I do think you should experiment with some different mouthpieces (some of which have been mentioned by others) and see how it feels and responds. The last thing you need is switching to a mouthpiece where you struggle with basics....tone, articulation, etc. You didn't mention what your classical setup is and that's fine but also experiment with different reed strengths...most likely a little softer than what you use playing classical. If you decide to get a mouthpiece that's slightly more open than your current setup, obviously a slight drop in reed strength would serve you well.
The most important part is you'll have to completely change your style of playing. Especially articulation. 99.999% of classical clarinetists I've heard try to do the crossover thing to jazz over articulate horrendously. Does that mean you'll slur everything? Absolutely not, but there's a huge difference. Find some jazz clarinet players you enjoy listening to and study HOW they articulate and pay special attention to stylistic differences. The last thing a jazz clarinetists wants to do is sound like a classical player and vice-versa. Studying with your ears is probably more important than the physical setup.
Have fun...
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2025-07-24 20:43
For jazz, use whatever mouthpiece you are currently using that you are comfortable with. The sound comes from you and you make the instrument sound the way you want it to. Possibly you might try a slightly softer reed, but personally that is the only change I would make. I use the same mouthpiece for everything and make it sound the way I want it.
Tony F.
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Author: Fuzzy
Date: 2025-07-25 03:29
Tony F:
Hear! Hear!
(I offer, light-heartedly:)
"No, really...you can't play jazz on a classical violin - you need to by this jazz fiddle."
Maybe we should just use a different word for the clarinet when we play jazz on it.
Perhaps it would save new-comers to jazz a bit of money and re-calibrate expectations.
Unfortunately, it's harder to sell the concept you describe (for free) than it is to sell "jazz" products (reeds, mouthpieces, clarinets, et al) for cash.
On a more serious note...do other instruments have the "what kind of <fill instrument or instrument part into the blank> do I need to play jazz?" topic come up very often?
I know saxophones will talk a little about mouthpiece choice and such - but I've never seen it as a crippling issue like it seems to be in clarinet circles.
I wonder what it is that creates the road block for clarinet players. Maybe its the lack of acceptance into jazz training during school years?
Perhaps it is because there are seemingly so few easily accessible trusted voices in jazz to interact with in the clarinet world? (This would make sense to me.)
I remember starting out and having only records of the greats - the top pros, or the past pros. There was no one in my town or region that I knew of to talk to - or to get advice from. The possibility of taking lessons was so outlandish, I couldn't even allow such a thought to cross my mind. How could I even find someone who played the music (on clarinet or any other instrument)?
Some of the pros I first interacted with were rude or downright off-putting...but then there were others who were almost overly accepting and helpful.
So - yeah, maybe it is just because there aren't enough accessible players out there to interact with - to help navigate the path?
Whatever the cause - I wish that barrier wasn't there. I'd love to see more people enjoy pursuing the type of music they're drawn to...whether jazz or other - and (if they have a playable clarinet) to realize they most likely already have all the equipment they need.
Fuzzy
;^)>>>
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Author: NOLA Ken
Date: 2025-07-25 17:25
I think we should shift the conversation a bit and talk about sound concept rather than "jazz". I think jazz could best be described as a style of music that can be played on any instrument and any setup. But when I hear someone talking about changing their equipment to accomplish a transition from "classical" to "jazz", what I immediately guess is that they want to change their sound concept - the kind of sound they want to make. I know that was the case for me. I was drawn to a sound, not so much a style of music. That's what the softer reed and wider-tipped mouthpiece things are really about (neither of which is essential to playing "jazz", as has been pointed out).
Reginald Kell, Artie Shaw, and Jimmy Giuffre all played clarinet, but they sounded very different from one another. Certainly their differing techniques contributed to the unique sound of each, but so did their differing equipment. I tend to rebel against the "equipment doesn't make any difference" school of thought because that hasn't been my experience at all. If that were the case, why would the market support so many different clarinets, mouthpieces, barrels, etc. (That's an oversimplification, but I think you get my point.)
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Author: jim sclater
Date: 2025-07-25 18:41
I'd like to add my two cents worth to this discussion. At age 70 or so, after many years of orchestral playing, I decided to begin the process of learning to play improvised jazz. It never really occurred to me that different equipment was necessary to do this. For me, it was just a matter of learning how to make the sound I wanted on the equipment I already had. Most of the jazz clarinetists I heard had their own unique sound. I just tried to find a sound I was comfortable with, a sound I could achieve on the equipment I had used all along. The one concession I have made was to use a slightly lighter reed than the ones I used in orchestra.
Just find a mouthpiece you are comfortable with and try not to be sucked into the equipment vortex. A good player can most probably make good music on any decent mouthpiece.
Lastly, I remember seeing Larry Combs play jazz on several occasions. He played "Donna Lee" and other tunes on the same set-up he used for his"legit" playing. Can't argue with that.
jsclater@comcast.net
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Author: NOLA Ken
Date: 2025-07-25 20:47
My experience was just the opposite. Getting swept into "the equipment vortex" was what brought my enthusiasm for the clarinet back to life.
At 19 I was gifted my first pro clarinet. When I entered college I began lessons with former student of Bonade who also played Leblancs. I was not crazy about my instrument because I couldn't make the sound I wanted with the only setup I had to start with. (I was fond of Shaw, Goodman and Fountain.) My teacher - strictly classically trained - hated the instrument. He couldn't get the sound he wanted out of it either. He tried a couple of different mouthpieces (I still have the custom Bonade mouthpiece he gave me) and a couple of barrels and finally gave up declaring that he would not have bought that clarinet. I played it in the marching band for a couple of years (any clarinet would do there) and then put it in the closet in disappointment.
Fifty plus years later after moving to New Orleans I became inspired by the local musicians and pulled my college clarinet out of the closet. Being flush with cash from a successful career I started exploring different clarinets, mouthpieces, ligatures, reeds, etc., exploring not only the world of clarinets equipment but also clarinet sound. In very short order - bingo! - my college clarinet with a completely different mouthpiece, barrel, and ligature (not available to me back then) came alive with just the dark full-throated big-bore sound that had motivated me to play clarinet fifty years ago. (And it tunes wonderfully.)
I could bore people with the details. Suffice it to say that since then I play different clarinets with different mouthpieces with different sounds in different settings just because I like exploring the different sounds and how they satisfy me differently with different music. A sweeter sounding clarinet setup for some orchestral pieces, a big bore "dark" and airy setup for some jazz numbers, sometimes something in between for contemporary concert band music (that's my college clarinet - with different setups it will sort of go both ways and do so well).
Sound (tone quality, timbre, however one wants to refer to it) is an integral part of the aesthetic of music. Yes, one can technically play anything with the one clarinet and one mouthpiece. Other people may be perfectly happy with their preferred one setup. But that doesn't mean that just any old setup will produce a truly aesthetically pleasing and satisfying sound experience for me. And what is most pleasing and satisfying to me is what it's all about.
I'll bet Larry Combs had his hands on a lot of different equipment before he settled on the "legit" setup you heard him play.
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Author: graham
Date: 2025-07-25 23:39
Putte Wickman used a Vandoren B40. If you listen to his (very many) recordings and like what you hear, then that’s a recommendation.
graham
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Author: David Eichler
Date: 2025-07-26 02:18
There is no one-size-fits-all. Depends upon the combination of tone, flexibility, and projection that you need. Perhaps if you identified a couple of clarinetists whose style you like and would like to try to emulate, at least for starting out. Unless you are currently playing a very close facing with a hard reed, I would suggest that you should probably stick with whatever you are using for concert playing to start off with for jazz, and then evaluate where you want to go from there, after you have done that for a year or so.
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2025-07-26 05:17
Tony F. is right on it!
I have been playing jazz clarinet and doing classical concert/ensemble at a pretty high level since the early 1960s. During that time, I have used only four different clarinets. They were an R13, a Selmer Series 9*, a Leblanc L200, and a Yamaha CS Custom.
For mouthpieces, I primarily played on an original Portnoy BP02 and a Borbeck 16. My primary ligature is still non-inverted Bonade.
So, 60+years, 4 clarinets, 2 mouthpieces, and a ligature. Sure, I have a lot of stuff that I rotate in and out, but I always come back to the ones listed above all of which I still have except the R13.
One can make the same equipment work for klezmer Dixieland, jazz, chamber, and band/orchestra work. It's all in the player's control.
Hank
PS I have saved a lot of money but do not skimp on maintenance.
Post Edited (2025-07-26 06:22)
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Author: David Eichler
Date: 2025-07-27 01:55
"One can make the same equipment work for klezmer Dixieland, jazz, chamber, and band/orchestra work. It's all in the player's control." This is true, but you can get different results with different equipment. For example, an open facing mouthpiece with a softer reed will give you more flexibility to create different sounds and bend notes, and may also provide more projection, than a typical concert set up, though it might make it difficult or impossible to get a real "concert" sound and will often be more difficult to control than a closer-facing, harder-reed kind of set-up.
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