 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: locke9342
Date: 2014-10-06 16:08
I've been looking to upgrade my mouthpiece now that I got a new clarinet and I can't try very many out. My teacher has the rico reserves, a pyne sinfonia, and a richard hawkins and my local store has vandorens that I can try, but I'm the type of person that wants to try and research literally every different option. But I don't think I can just go about charging $200 at a time on my moms card even if it'l be refunded. I currently play on a vandoren 5rv lyre and whatever reeds I have left over from samples( mainly just grand concert reeds now). Any suggestions on how to try more mouthpieces or a good detailed description of the ones I should try? I'm still a young player and don't know how to describe what I want out of a mouthpiece or know exactly what I want, but I like the idea of not having to work to hard for a constant tone and ,the feeling like all the air is filling up the mouthpiece and just going straight through if that makes any sense.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2014-10-06 18:11
I'm just like you, wanting to try everything for fear of missing the best. But this is the wrong way to go about it, as I can tell you from over 50 years of experience. Trying 25 mouthpieces in a row leads to confusion, not perfection.
Your Vandoren 5RV Lyre is a fine, middle-of-the-road mouthpiece, slightly more open than average. For me, it's an easy-blowing mouthpiece, doing what I want with little interference. If it plays well for you, there's no reason to change.
Of course a new mouthpiece can make a difference. That's why all of us try them. But everything depends on your anatomy and way of blowing. There's no "perfect" mouthpiece for all players. Also, you make your own sound no matter what mouthpiece you play.
Begin with your teacher's Rico Reserves, Pyne Sinfonia and Hawkins. Devote a lesson to them, with your teacher listening. If one of them is noticeably better than your 5RVL, make the change, realizing that it will take you at least a month to make everything automatic.
Daniel Bonade said you should find a decent mouthpiece, put all your others in a bucket, row out to the middle of a lake and dump them in. Then go back and learn to play on what you've got. Arnold Jacobs said he would take a student's instrument and mouthpiece and show him/her how much more could be gotten out of them.
By all means try a few new mouthpieces. The ones your teacher has are an excellent selection. Then go home and practice.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2014-10-06 18:12
The Vandoren 5RV Lyre is a pretty decent mouthpiece. At your present level of experience I would suggest that you stay with it and learn to use it. If you can't describe what it is you're looking for in a mouthpiece then I'd say that your experience level is such that your standard of skill and your embouchure development are not up to intelligently selecting a new mouthpiece. Please don't regard this as a put-down, it's not intended as such. If you really want to try new mouthpieces and want to keep it within reasonable financial limits, try the Fobes "Debut" or the Hite "Premier", they're both available for under $50 and are both extremely capable.
Tony F.
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Author: locke9342
Date: 2014-10-07 00:44
Thanks for the advice and you really do have a very good point. The pyne made a huge difference in my tone and I really liked it. I didn't get to try the R.H yet because her's was in the shop, but next lesson I'm gonna compare the two. I've decided to wait ,see if I can get a cheap one of those two on ebay ( I already say a pyne for under 100), and get the most out of my 5rv lyre.
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2014-10-07 06:46
(1) I will echo the advice you've already gotten. Trying everything in sight without really knowing what you're looking for can be an exercise in confusion and ultimately frustration. No mouthpiece will do the playing for you (or we would all own one). You're best off building your skills with equipment that doesn't get in the way.
As to the EBay mouthpieces, make sure the return policy is one you can live with. Buying them second-hand and sight-unseen, you risk getting someone's failed attempt at improving a mouthpiece that he now wants to unload. This can happen even when buying new mouthpieces from online outlets that offer "on approval" sales. Besides, any two mouthpieces, even though they're made by the same maker and have the same model name on them, are more often than not different in some way. The Pyne you see for <$100 may be intact as Pyne produced it but still not play exactly like the one your teacher owns. So the bottom line is choose a source that has the least restrictive return policy you can find just in case.
Karl
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Author: Jim22
Date: 2014-10-07 07:42
Mouthpieces are funny. I played a Yamaha 4C for a long time and found it easy to play if not very exciting to listen to. I tried a bunch of others. I even owned a 5RV lyre and and still have a Debut here. I really tried to love them, but after a few weeks each, I returned to the 4C, again finding it the easiest to play. Finally, I played a Rico Reserve X105 and the 5RV lyre for my teacher. He recognized that I had difficulty controlling the 5RV just as he did. We selected the X105. I've been playing it a couple months now and still have some trouble in the high register, but I am getting better with it. It has taken me a long time to get a good sound out of it and I had to go up a Reed strength.
On my Alto sax, on the other hand, I play a Vandoren AL3 and loved it the instant I tried it. It was like magic. Not so with clarinet.
Jim C.
CT, USA
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