 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bill
Date: 2001-10-18 15:19
Dumb question, but isn't this a jazz mouthpiece (**relatively** speaking)? Last evening I played one of these that came with an old clarinet---it seems, actually, more like a chamber mouthpiece in terms of tone. I interchanged it with a Claude Lakey (same reed)--maybe it was just the comparison with the Lakey, which is a real megaphone. Thoughts?
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Author: ron b
Date: 2001-10-18 20:54
Dumb answer... but, what's a jazz mouthpiece (**relatively** speaking) ?
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Author: Bill
Date: 2001-10-18 22:11
A Claude Lakey, a Vandoren 5JB, or some of the Ralph Morgan "jazz mouthpieces." I added "relatively" knowing some clarinetists do not acknowledge specificity of equipment, national playing styles, or anything.
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2001-10-19 13:35
It ain't the horn or the mouthpiece or the reed, it's how you play it! If you're playing jazz on your Tonalin, then it's a jazz mouthpiece.
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Author: Bill
Date: 2001-10-19 14:49
Dave,
But who, besides Reginald Kell, would turn that around and say "If you're playing classical with a number 2 reed and a wide-open mouthpiece, then it's classical!" Most players would hide behind their Opuses and #4 V-12 reeds in horror.
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2001-10-19 18:08
Bill,
I can say that I've played "classical" (more or less) tenor sax with community orchestras, playing Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and a few other orchestral works, using a very open metal LA Sax mouthpiece which was really intended for jazz use ---- with the right choice of reed and a proper classical "attitude", I was able to play in an acceptable manner (as far as I know --- no one complained to my face!). I guess there's little doubt that certain setups work better for certain styles of music, but the point is, a good player with the correct mind-set and a good ear can overcome limitations in equipment and generally produce at least a decent facsimile of a characteristic sound for whatever style of music is being played. Granted, as a long-time frequent doubler on the complete size range of clarinets and saxophones, I'm probably more flexible in this regard than the majority of "pure" clarinetists who, as you correctly postulate, probably would indeed "hide behind their Opuses and #4 V-12 reeds in horror".
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Author: ron b
Date: 2001-10-19 23:22
I've discovered that the reed/mpc setup that's correct for you is what you're comfortable playing, no matter what it is. You learn to play your instrument, then you adapt to the style of music. I've never found a logical reason to change mouthpieces or reeds, once I established what works well for me. I mean, why? It either works and sounds okay or it doesn't. I like the setup I use now because it's right for me... for everything. It sounds like a clarinet. That's why I like it :] You're gonna sound like You anyway, so why struggle over it?
- ron b -
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2001-10-20 14:35
Bill,
Assuming you equate "jazz mouthpiece" to "open tip" as many do (and as your list of jazz mouthpieces suggests), it's really hard to respond to your original question without knowing which model of the Tonalin you have. WW & BW only lists Ebolins in their current catalog but, assuming the difference between the Ebolin and Tonalin is primarily material used (and perhaps chamber design) and that Brilhart is fairly consistent across models with their facing designations (two propositions that are consistent with my limited observations from my Brilhart sax mouthpieces), they are not, in general, as open as the mouthpieces you mention. WW&BW lists a range of clarinet mouthpieces from 2/2* to 5/5*. A 3* Lakey has the same tip opening (in theory) as a 3/3* Brilhart but WW & BW doesn't give facing lengths which could make a big difference. A 4* Lakey, however, is noticeably more open than a Brilhart 5/5*. The 5JB and even the closest of the Morgan jazz mouthpieces are also far more open than the most open Brilhart. On the other hand, the Brilhart range corresponds to the MM (medium tip, medium facing) to MOM (medium-open tip, medium facing) range among the Bay mouthpieces, which certainly are used widely for "classical" and "chamber" playing. Unless you have a 3* Lakey and were comparing it to a 3* Brilhart, I suspect that the same reed strength wouldn't give similar results.
I guess this is my long-winded way of saying, no, I don't think Brilhart targets its entire clarinet mouthpiece line at jazz musicians, though some models are probably targeted in that direction.
Best regards,
jnk
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