 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: DrewSorensenMusic
Date: 2012-01-20 17:58
Hi Everyone,
I was bored this morning, and my mind wandered. I was thinking that mouthpieces are a popular topic on these boards, that I personally have purchased 4 mouthpieces this year (Different horns, I'm not that crazy), and that it may be helpful or just fun to hear what others thought. So here's my proposition:
What qualities do you look for in a mouthpiece, and how do you rate them, most important to least important?
I'll go first: (In this list, #1 is what I regard as the most important quality)
1st. Ease of playing: It is definitely necessary for me to have a mouthpiece that performs as easily as possible, all dynamic ranges in all registers for the music I perform. I use a different mouthpiece for Large Jazz Ensembles than I do Small Pit Orchestras, so that I'm not fighting the instrument dynamically, but that it works with me. This is most important to me.
2nd. Tone: It is important that the mouthpiece has the correct color for my music, or that it flexible to produce the correct colors for the pieces required of it. On Tenor Sax I have a metal mouthpiece that I use for Jazz, Rock, R&B, and a hard rubber mouthpiece for classical and pit orchestra. My metal mouthpiece is too offensive in the classical setting, and my rubber mouthpiece is too soft and mellow in the pit setting. Again, I do not want to fight the instrument on tone.
3rd. Intonation: I know it seems strange to put Intonation last, but for me it is. And let me tell you why. The reason is because of Just Temperment. In small ensemble playing, and without a piano, depending on the root note, all (or most really) other notes will change their intonation. And while most of us perform in well-tempered ensembles, there are still many instances where Just Temperment affects how we tune and respond in our playing. I would much rather have a mouthpiece that I can adjust correctly, then one that only plays at A440. In truth, I adjust on every note, and there is no completely "in tune" mouthpiece for me at any rate.
Now I'm not going to extremes on any of these cases, and it is a graded system. If the mouthpiece is completely out of tune, or is completely of the wrong tonal color, then it is immediately discarded. Anyhow, if you asked me my list of importance, there it is.
I wonder, have I missed any qualities, or does anyone have an equally useful checklist?
Kind Regards
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2012-01-20 19:19
Yes - for me the most important one: is it an improvement over what I'm already using?
Karl
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Author: Sylvain
Date: 2012-01-20 21:09
1- Intonation
2- Intonation
3- Intonation
4- Intonation
...
10- reed-friendliness
11- uniform resistance
12- ease of articulation
13- flexibility in changing tone colors
14- did in mention intonation?
Tone to me is a byproduct of all of the above.
--
Sylvain Bouix <sbouix@gmail.com>
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Author: davyd
Date: 2012-01-20 22:18
Price should factor in there somewhere. Not everyone can afford a top-of-the-line setup, however much they might benefit from it.
Compatibiltiy with ligature might be an issue. Not all mouthpieces are good with all ligatures. While ligatures are cheaper, they're not free.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2012-01-20 22:30
IMO, compatibility with one's mouth should be #1. What good is a mouthpiece if I can't get the hang of it?
--
Ben
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Author: rtmyth
Date: 2012-01-21 00:08
Whichever you select, first check for symmetry; also the facing if you have the tools.
richard smith
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Author: A Brady
Date: 2012-01-21 05:23
I defer to Harold Wright on this question, and echo Sylvain: Intonation trumps all else, and profoundly affects all other elements. Although it must be appropriately adjusted to match the context, clarinet does not afford the flexibility of certain other instruments to compensate for greatly divergent pitch.
AB
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2012-01-21 21:09
#1 tone quality, comfort level can be adjusted by trying different types of reeds.
#2, of course intonation, but if you don't like the tone of the mouthpiece why even see how well it plays in tone.
#3 articulation, you have to feel comfortable tonguing
#4 then everything else beause if you don't like the tone quality, #1 for me, why even bother. Almost everything else other than intonation can easlily be achieved by matching up the proper reed.
I fell in love with my Morgan in 1991 while trying out different mouthpieces to stock for my student at Weiners in NY. I loved the tone at first play, it played great with a few reeds I had. After about a month I was unable to match a new good reed to it, I was making my own at the time. I put it in the draw for a few months. Took it out again and decided that since I loved the tone quality so much I would didicate more time making reeds to fit it. In about a week I was successful and I never looked back. I had to find reeds that allowed me to play the Morgan the way I wanted to without losing the tone quality, I no longer make my own reeds, I use Rico's Thick Blanks and Reserves. They play great on my Morgan. ESP
eddiesclarinet.com
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