Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2002-07-28 16:49
John,
This is not a dumb question by any stretch of the imagination. As I understand it, the answer is "it depends." A clarinets typically have a smaller bore than their corresponding Bb version. The reason is that the smaller bore allows the "tube" to be shorter which in turn allows for a more comfortable finger-spread. Because of their smaller bore size, A clarinets tend to be more resistant. Therefore, a mouthpiece that seems optimal for one of the clarinets may not necessarily be comfortable with the other. This problem may be exacerbated if the entry bore of the Bb barrel is not the same diameter as the entry bore of the A barrel. In theory, then, it seems to me that a different mouthpiece should be preferable though a mitigating factor is that, if you use a different mouthpiece on both clarinets, you may have to switch suddenly to a "cold" mouthpiece with a dry reed.
In practice, particularly if you are careful in your selection of the A clarinet, the difference in resistance between your Bb and A may be so slight as to be unnoticeable. Therefore, for most players (myself included), the same mouthpiece works fine on both instruments. If you find that your current mouthpiece also plays well on your A, you are set. If you don't like it nearly as well with any of the A's you try, you might want to experiment with a different (probably less resistant) mouthpiece/reed combination. I don't know of any mouthpiece manufacturers who specifically make an A-clarinet mouthpiece. It appears that A clarinets are designed to work with Bb mouthpieces. However, it is possible that you may prefer a different Bb mouthpiece for your A clarinet than you do for your Bb. BTW, although there are a few mouthpiece makers who make mouthpieces specifically for the C clarinet, most players that I have come across use a Bb mouthpiece with that instrument as well.
Best regards,
jnk
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