 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Natalie
Date: 2002-06-25 01:23
A clarinet I bought came with a Portnoy BP02 mouthpiece. I have never heard of this and I'm trying to find some info about them. How much do they cost new and are they a good mouthpiece and for what level of student?
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Author: Heidi
Date: 2002-06-25 01:58
Hi Natalie,
I play on a BPO2 and have for 2 years now. It cost me about $60 and I'm now a Senior in college as a music major. I think it's a good mouthpiece, but I really don't know that much about them. Hope that helps a little..if any at all!:)
Heidi
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Author: John Moses
Date: 2002-06-25 03:30
I studied with Bernie Portnoy at Juillird in the '60s. He was making mouthpieces, which I played, ligatures, and reeds, all quite good.
The were primarily 3 facings: BP01(close), BP029(medium), BP03(open)
I believe he's still somewhere in CA. Try to locate him there.
Any of the older blanks are fine for students, and you can probably locate one for under $50.
Good luck,
JJM
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Author: Mike Harrelson
Date: 2002-06-25 03:55
Like Heidi, I've been playing on that mouthpiece for several years. It was recommended to me by a knowledgable friend with a music store (he was a clarinet major in college). I told him I wanted an open mouthpiece that would work well with 2.5 reeds. I liked it from almost the very beginning. I don't remember what I paid, but I recall it was much more than a student or stock mouthpiece.
When the time came to get a Bass Clarinet mouthpiece, one of the three choices available at that same music store was also a Portnoy (that cost I remember it was $100 USD). I liked the one I had been using so I purchased one for bass too. It also is a good player. Speakes well, projects, plays in tune and "sings out" the high notes (not so easy on bass clarinet). It too is an open lay mouthpiece.
In my opinion, you've got yourself a very good mouthpiece IF it works well for you.
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Author: Wes
Date: 2002-06-25 18:03
The BP02 I used was quite good. I thought it was a little lower in pitch than the average mouthpiece. Good luck.
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2002-06-27 15:16
I've found the BP02 to be a bit low in pitch as well. But, they are much better than stock mouthpieces and a lot of beginning mouthpieces.
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2002-07-02 17:51
Hi Everyone,
I have played a BP02 for over 30 years and would use no other mouthpiece (I play jazz/dixieland and do shows and concert band). I do have a full set of vintage Selmers, Vandorens, a Chedeville, and at least a dozen others as well but always select the BP02 (I have 4 of them but like my original the best).
The Portnoy has a huge tone (I'm sure I have nothing to do with it :-)) and the pitch is good (although a few of the Vandorens are a tad better). The response to somewhat solid attacks is one of mouthpiece's very best attributes.
I use a variety of ligature (including a very rare Portnoy) but seem to end up with either the Gigliotti that I modified with a Dremel or a standard Vandoren.
BP is alive and well and I have had several email discission with him in recent months. He lives outside of SFO and still plays 2nd clarinet with a local orchestra of sorts. He plays a lot of golf.
As far as price, I bought one mouthpiece, new on eBay for $35 and I'll bet you could look in a music store's discard box and find a few (that's how I got 2). Now if I can only pick up a Stolls Wells & Schneider mouthpiece at a good price. As I recall when I played one many, many years ago, it was much like the Portnoy.
Cheers,
HRL
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