 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2026-04-16 09:07
Much has been written on this subject which affects regular hard rubber mouthpieces. This “Rail Tilt” does not appear to affect plastic or glass (quartz) mouthpieces due to the greater hardness of these materials. Now as to the new H.D. (High Density) mouthpieces, there doesn’t appear to be much written about them due their newness in the market. However, because H.D. mouthpieces are still not as hard a material as plastic or glass, I believe that “Rail Tilt” will still occur in them but at a possibly slower rate.
Way back in the year 2000, Robin posted a question on this BB entitled “When is a mouthpiece finished?” http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/Bboard/read.html?f=1&i=33455&t=33445 Anji and especially Ken Shaw posted some very interesting comments, imho, about the longevity of mouthpieces, however, neither of their posts mention “Rail Tilt” per se.
Then in 2013, beejay posted the question: “Do mouthpieces wear out?” http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/Bboard/read.html?f=1&i=391823&t=391776 Paul Aviles quotes Brad Behn’s statement: “...the constant swatting of the reed against the facing will actually cause the dimensions to change slowly, usually causing a noticeable difference after about five years of constant play. Look at the rails and find the dulled surfaces where the reed is making constant hits…….pretty obvious.” Later, in the same thread, Brad himself wrote: “The more you use your mouthpiece the quicker it wears out. This occurs as a result of the reed’s vibration against the mouthpiece rails. In fact the reed acts like an abrasive and gradually bevels the rails inward, making what we call “rail tilt”. He also mentions: “rail tilt from professional usage is about 1 year...” Here Brad uses the words “rail tilt”, however, he doesn’t fully explain “why it’s slopped downward” imho.
So, I persisted in my search for the “how” and “why” and finally came upon a lengthy, 12 page article written by Clarinet Clinic.
https://www.midwestclinic.org/user_files_1/pdfs/clinicianmaterials/2001/west.pdf Even though it was written 25 years ago, when I read page 4, I found what I was looking for in the 5th paragraph entitled “The Mouthpiece”. What I found were the sentences: “Remember also that mouthpieces wear out--the facing either accumulates scratches or nick marks from careless treatment, or the side rails begin to tilt inward as a result of slow erosion caused by the (slightly convex) reed's vibration. As a mouthpiece wears out, one naturally picks progressively harder reeds to compensate for the loss of resistance in the facing. The final symptom of erosion on the insides of the rails ("rail tilt") is a high-pitched whistle or "chirp" associated with articulation. With rail tilt of this magnitude, the mouthpiece should either be replaced or refaced. In most cases, replacement will be the easiest option.”
So, I believe I found the "why" and "how". As I interpret the above, the conclusion I come up with is: The reed is not only vibrating up and down at the tip but it is also “vibrating” laterally in the middle in a slight convex manner which causes a slow abrasive action on the side rails with more abrasive force on the inside of the rail as opposed to the outside.
(Actually, I believe it is the lateral “concave” reed’s vibration cycle coupled with the pressure from the bottom lip which puts more abrasive action on the inside of the rail which causes the downward “rail tilt”.
Any thoughts?
Do you interpret the analysis by Clarinet Clinic differently?
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Author: kurth83
Date: 2026-04-16 09:29
Fascinating. I was wondering in the other thread if anyone could definitively answer whether a reed could actually erode mouthpiece material.
I think this answers it pretty well and tells us what to look for, and to some extent which materials are more vulnerable, many thanks.
To reiterate what I said before, things that could reduce erosion are:
- sanding the backs of reeds to a glassy smooth finish as part of reed prep.
- cleaning reeds when done playing, don't let them dry out uncleaned, as deposits will build up that can add abrasive qualities to the reed.
- always wipe the mouthpiece clean too.
I play a BD2, and checked, they are high density rubber, so prone to abrasion, I guess it's a replacement every year or so then, or I will buy a new one after a year and see if there is any noticeable difference. The HD's are also high density rubber, and are 50% higher density than the BD's, not sure if that makes them harder or softer though.
Aging classical trumpet player learning clarinet as a second.
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Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2026-04-16 11:17
kurth83,
I just had a thought which might sound a little unusual. How about putting an ultra thin layer of cork grease on the side rails starting from the window and going up to around 1/4 inch from the facing designated parameter?
I think doing this might prolong the life of the mouthpiece. Of course, I am writing about cane reeds since I believe that plastic Legere reeds would easily slide across the side rails. Now, I think I've just found another good reason to play on a plastic Legere.
What do you or anyone think about both of these ideas?
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Author: JTJC
Date: 2026-04-16 12:28
Another factor that might explain rail tilt is the swelling of the reed during play. Swelling will occur more in the centre of the reed, where it is thicker. A very slight convex underside to a wet reed could explain why the inner edge of the rail get a bit more wear.
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Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2026-04-16 20:42
JTJC,
I like your theory. It actually sounds better to me than mine. I now think you may have very well figured out the "how" and "why" because I have seen pictures of swollen reeds when they were immediately removed from the mouthpiece. The swelling in the middle can be quite pronounced.
Back in 2001, when the Clarinet Clinic article was written, all that was available were cane reeds. (To my knowledge).
Could this then be another reason to switch over to a plastic Legere?
Thanks for your response.
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Author: kilo
Date: 2026-04-16 22:22
I wonder if Eb soprano mouthpieces, with thinner rails, higher frequency oscillations, and tighter embouchure would be more prone to rail tilt than, say, a bass mouthpiece?
It's hard for me to imagine water-softened cane deforming hard rubber – reeds wear out a lot more quickly than mouthpieces – but I suppose it could be explained by the cumulative effect of reed after reed over years of playing. It makes more sense than the damage being caused by repeated use of a wet silk swab – an explanation once provided by a band director who was a brass player.
I don't have tools to accurately measure the relative hardness of hard rubber, cane, and the oriented polypropylene used in Legere reeds but out of curiosity I did a bit of hands-on testing. Rubbing the long side of a Legere against the long edge of a cane reed raised shavings of cane like a metal scraper on wood. Rubbing the cane edge on the Legere just left a V-notch in the cane. So I'd surmise that the plastic is harder than the cane.
Then I took a fifty-year-old HS** and tried to bevel the outside rim of the tenon with my Legere scraper – neither material left a mark on the other. I took the Legere and moved the sharp edge against the outside rim of the mouthpiece back and forth with a sawing action in one place and, with pressure, it made a faint indentation in the rubber – which might have been more a product of friction heat than relative hardness. Then I tried to scrape a shaving from an area around an old tooth indentation on the beak; the two materials simply slid together with no effect on either one.
But this none of these "experiments" replicates the action of a vibrating reed on a mouthpiece rail. I sure wish Dr. Omar Henderson was still around!
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Author: Luuk
Date: 2026-04-17 12:43
Arundo donax may contain up to 2 % silica in its wood, mostly in its bark.
The silica is contained in particles, so the bulk material is not considered very hard. But the particles (in this case in the form of opal, SiO2·nH2O), are very hard (Mohs 5.5 - 6, comparable to glass) and may very well cause wear on materials such as rubber or plastics.
(Identification of Silica Present in the Giant-Reed (Arundo donax L.)
December 1969, The Journal of Agriculture of the University of Puerto Rico 48(1):60-62)
Regards,
Luuk
Philharmonie Brainport
The Netherlands
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