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Re: I want a new mouthpiece

Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2013-04-19 18:06

I'm still not really sure what you're looking for.

MoonPatrol wrote:

> I only get dizzy blowing the 3.5's, so I can handle a #3 on the
> Gigliotti P34 and the M13 but just don't feel secure up in the
> altissimo.

This is almost certainly a problem of technique (or a mechanical problem with the clarinet) rather than mouthpiece response, given the specific mouthpieces you're talking about. First, even a #3.5 V12 (which is stiffer than a Rico regular), is at the light end of the normal range for a P34 or an M13. But, second, I guess I'm stuck on the whole "dizzy" idea. The only time I get dizzy playing a wind instrument is when I try to play a flute (I'm really incompetent), but that's an issue of wasted air. Is that what you feel is happening when you play a #3-1/2 Rico on an M13?

> I prefer to blow a passage in one breath over the
> security of a hard reed,

Here, I'm not sure what you mean by "security." If the harder reed feels more secure, it seems like it would be the more appropriate strength, but, again, how to explain the dizziness?

> so I have to find a mouthpiece that is
> easy blowing and does this with a 3.5. The 3's don't cut it for
> me with the notes above D#.

This is, IMO, the wrong approach. There's really nothing especially unique about a #3-1/2 as compared to a #3 or a #3-3/4 or a #4, especially when you throw differences among the cuts of various brands and models into the discussion (which often happens here). For me, (I guess others' experience may be different) you match the reed to the mouthpiece, not the mouthpiece to a particular strength of a particular brand/model of reed. If a mouthpiece does everything you want it to do (in my experience an unattainable standard), but it plays best with a #2 JazzenSympho reed, that trumps playing on a mouthpiece that misses the ideal simply because its favorite strength is a #3-1/2 Rico.

> So far the M30 is the best answer
> and I have used it in the past. I just don't like the sound.

If the M30 *feels* good, your best bet may be to stick with it and see what you can adjust in your technique to make the altissimo as secure as possible. Also, make sure you're not fighting a leaky clarinet. It may well be that your comfort level with the sound will grow as you get more secure with it. It bears repeating - and is repeated often here - that the mouthpiece, reed and clarinet (not to mention the barrel and the bell) may influence the potential sound to a degree, but the basic sound you produce comes from your technical approach and, to an extent, from your physical characteristics. Often the subtle differences between different pieces of equipment turn out to go no further than the player's ear, and comfort becomes a more important consideration.

> I'm thinking of putting a better rubber cushion on it, and my
> other ligatures, like you said. I need to re-cork the M30 so it
> fits my buffet barel tighter but now It fits the Ridenour
> barrel snug so I use that.
> I lean against another trip to the repair guy just for a
> mouthpiece cork!

The ligature and barrel can affect the resistance you feel when you play. You could wrap teflon tape or sewing thread around the cork to snug up the fit in the Buffet barrel, if you think using that barrel will help. Once you decide which barrel you want to use, you could either keep the wrap you've used or have the cork replaced then (or learn to replace the cork yourself).

Mouthpiece patches help isolate your teeth from the mouthpiece so you hear more through the air and less by bone conduction, so your *perception* of the sound may change with a different patch.

> I have not chosen a mouthpiece yet, the jazz jody just looked
> bright but I want a dark sound with personality if that makes
> sense.

For some of us, that makes the least sense of all - look up all the discussions about what "dark" means as a sound descriptor and you'll see what a divisive and unclear term it is. The sound you want needs to be in your ear, and if it is, the descriptors you use for it are irrelevant.

Karl

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