 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Zactheclarinet
Date: 2010-12-27 18:43
Okay so I'm brand new to the forum here but I couldn't resist jumping in and asking a question I have. I had much loved 5rv lyre that I foolishly gave up to switch to the m13. For some reason I gave away the 5rv lyre to my friend and I really don't care for the m13 now after playing on it for a while. It seems that every reed I have is too thin on it, even my blue box 4's! Also I feel like I can't articulate without getting a chirping sound. Anyways I was thinking of getting a B40 lyre seeing as I use a similar mouthpiece for my e flat clarinet that I like a lot. What type of beast would I be dealing with if I bought one? Or would you suggest another based on my previous preference? Thanks!
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2010-12-27 19:00
If you liked the 5RV Lyre, why not just buy another one? Was your old one a Series 13 ("American" pitch) or a Traditional? Profile 88 or traditional beak shape? If you know, try to match what you had before for both pitch and shape.
B40 Lyre is more open than 5RV Lyre but with a longer curve. Vandoren recommends a lighter reed for it than they do for the 5RV Lyre.
You may well like either of them. They're both more open than the M13.
Karl
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2010-12-27 19:01
If the 5RV Lyre worked for you before, it should work for you again. It's an excellent, slightly open middle-of-the-road design.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Zactheclarinet
Date: 2010-12-27 19:19
My previous 5rv lyre was the traditional as far as I know. I always tended to be 15-20 cents sharp on it, so if I do decide to buy another I will go with the series 13
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Author: TM
Date: 2010-12-27 22:03
I played on 5RV lyre for 3 years, M13Lyre for 1 year, M15 for 1.5 year, B40 Lyre for 1.5 years...
I think 5RV lyre is very unique and particular good on tonguing with pop sound, then is the M15 which is closer than 5RV lyre but more open than M13 lyre. You can try M30 which is a little bit open than 5RV lyre. .
B40lyre is too open for me.
Good luck
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2010-12-28 04:08
Why not try a couple different Vandorens? Dealers will send you three at a time for trial. Keep them all perfect and return the one(s) you don't like.
Bob Phillips
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2010-12-28 07:29
Seems like a good time to play around with assorted Vandorens as well as other mouthpiece companies.
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2010-12-28 19:20
I'm going to jump in at this point and write a heresy that may infuriate many of you. I get very nervous when I read advice to the effect that it's best to try a variety of mouthpieces, as many as possible brands, models and facings as can be gotten hold of. I get especially nervous when the person being advised is a student of high school age or younger who hasn't in most cases developed a very strong concept of the sound he/she is looking for.
Even within the realm of Vandoren clarinet mouthpieces, there is a fairly wide spectrum represented from very close to quite open tips and fairly short to fairly long curves with some variations as well in the shape of the baffles and chambers, not to mention the advertised difference in external shape between "traditional" and "Profile 88" beaks. The problem, as we're all quick to point out in other connections, is that these various mouthpieces all have different reed requirements and some, particularly at the opposite ends of the spectrum, may well require differences in approach to embouchure, oral shape and pressure to play at their best. If a player, even an experienced one, tries to sample so wide a variety of mouthpieces in a quick, non-methodical way, what he/she is almost certainly going to find is the mouthpiece that plays most easily with the specific reed he/she is using to make the test. Most likely it's going to be something very similar to what the player began with.
Getting the best from a new mouthpiece takes time - to learn how best to choose and adjust reeds to it and to learn what it's idiosyncrasies are and how to work with them. That doesn't happen during a scale or two or a couple of excerpts played on a succession of mouthpieces that range from 1.00 mm to 1.20 mm tip openings with curves varying from 34 to 38+ and other dimensions different from one to the next.
My own approach would be to do one of two things. Either:
(a) try a few - 3 or at most 4 - that are closely similar to what I'm already using (e.g., in Zach's case 5RV, 5RVL, M30L and maybe M15 or M30 to add a little more variety) or perhaps a couple of these and a couple that are of similar specs from another maker and then stay with the most comfortable one for at least a couple of weeks while learning to match reeds to it, or
(b)read the descriptions of the models that are farther away on the spectrum - in Zach's case farther from 5RVL (M30, B40, B40L, B45, etc.) and pick one to switch to completely on faith. Once I'd gotten used to the change, I could then decide whether I really wanted to go back to the old (5RV) part of the spectrum, stay with my new choice or explore other mouthpieces similar to my new one.
It's a lot slower than trying 8 different models at a shop (if you can find one that has that many) or ordering them on approval from an online supplier and trying them assembly line style one after the other, which is more likely than anything else to lead to confusion.
I find for myself that it's better to make whatever changes I attempt in an incremental way (small jumps from the known to the new) with time to evaluate them before trying something else. This is especially important, I think, for a young student whose concept of sound will itself change as time goes on and he is exposed to more players and gains more refined control of the instrument.
My own opinion, nothing more.
Karl
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Author: Zactheclarinet
Date: 2010-12-28 20:01
A quick update:
Last night I must have caught my parents in a VERY good mood because I was discussing with them that I was going to buy a new mouthpiece, and they offered to buy it for me as an early birthday present. I ordered the B40 lyre series 13 from woodwind and brasswind, and it should be here in a couple days. This should give me time to adjust to it (assuming I like it) by the end of january for allstate auditions. Just thought I'd let you all know that I went ahead and bought it
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Author: sonicbang
Date: 2010-12-29 00:02
I don' know...I have never bought a Vandoren without trying it. They are so different (not to say inconsistent) from piece to piece.
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2010-12-29 08:06
KDK, you have a valid point here. Perhaps he should stay with a Vandoren B40, since he ordered it. and not confuse him. A mouthpiece won't make or break his audition for Allstate.
If you decide you cant stand the B40, return it. If you like it stay with it until you get into college and see what you instructor has to say.
Here's a clue, how do you sound on it and does your mouth muscles get tired. Does it chirp? How is the rangemeaning the high registers. Both are a sign that the facing is off. Thats what usually gets you tired. It also mellows out your sound because the reed is vibrating evenly. Hope this helps.
A bit of advice... Sometimes you run into the perfect mouthpiece and you have no problems adjusting to it. Since your auditions are only a few weeks away, it is possible you won't have the time needed to adjust. Be careful here, finding the right reeds to fit the MP may take time. Adjusting the reeds may require removing wood from a different area of the reed.
Isn't clarinet playing fun?
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