 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Jack Stewart
Date: 2011-05-03 03:36
I'm currently making the switch from a Vandoren M13 Lyre mouthpiece to a more open Lomax mouthpiece. I like the new mouthpiece; it seems to make just about everything easier. I don't think my sound is as sweet as it is on the M13, but I assume that's just a matter of adjusting to this mouthpiece. The main difficulty I'm having is with the altissimo register. Does anyone with experience with these mouthpieces have any suggestions for voicing/tongue placement that would be different from the M13, or exercises that would help me sort this out? Sometimes the notes are fine, and the other registers are great, so I'm thinking that it is me, and not the mouthpiece.
Thanks,
Jack Stewart
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Author: v12clarinet73
Date: 2011-05-03 04:05
I switched from a Vandoren B45 to a Lomax Opera 01 facing, which was much more closed. However, I found that I did have to use a bit more air and higher tongue position. I also experimented with different reeds, which helped a lot. Also, just making sure your reeds are really well balanced made a huge difference for me. As for exercises and such, I went over both register breaks slowly with a metronome, gradually increasing the tempo until it felt comfortable. After it became natural, I would just play extended scales in the altissimo to try to acquaint myself with the voicing necessary to play in tune. You might want to check out some alternate fingerings too, to see if they make any difference. I came to enjoy my mouthpiece more than any I tried before or have tried since, and don't plan on switching any time soon. I wish you luck with yours!
J.W.
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2011-05-03 16:17
Your difficulties with the Lomax mouthpieces make me wonder why you switched.
Bob Phillips
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2011-05-04 16:14
Did you read his second sentence, Bob?
I don't know which Lomax you have but I have one of their Andy Firth jazz mouthpieces - very open. I find that it is rather sensitive to reed placement. You might try experimenting with that.
Best regards,
jnk
Post Edited (2011-05-04 16:14)
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2011-05-05 21:02
Yes, Jack, I did note that Mr. Stewart finds much to like in his new Lomax mouthpiece.
I once bought a tuning barrel because it did almost everything right. It gave me a better tone quality than any other available barrels, it articulated very well, it "flipped" into the altissimo register very easily. I loved it, but it produced 12th about 40-cents wide.
I did not do a complete evaluation of the barrel and ended up with something that I could not use in ensemble.
Based upon that experience, I hope to be more thorough next time I buy some new gear.
Constructively, I suggest that Mr. Stewart look for a "warped" facing on that new mouthpiece. Lay it table down on a flat surface. Slide a sheet of paper under the tip and see if it comes to rest straight across the mouthpiece. Then try an index card, and index card folded in half. If any of these don't settle straight across the mouthpiece, a reed would have to be softened on one edge (balanced) to work with the mouthpiece --and I would call the mouthpiece reed-UNFRIENDLY.
Less constructively some reasons to lay a candidate piece of clarinet gear aside:
...wonderful sound (but it can't articulate worth beans).
... sounds great (but makes my throat tones all sharp).
... great, (but chirps when I tongue it)
Bob Phillips
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