 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: EaubeauHorn
Date: 2015-07-03 01:24
Is there a short synopsis somewhere of the differences between shorter and longer facings?
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-07-03 02:31
All other dimensions being equal, the longer facing will make the reed play softer, but in allowing more reed surface to vibrate, it can allow more control in your hands.
I like Mike Lomax's explanation (in a nut shell): Hang a ruler off the edge of a table and strum it. You get a certain tone, number of vibrations. Now shorten the amount off the table and strum again - high tone, faster vibrations. Same is true with the reed vis a vis the length of the lay (all other factors being equal).
It gets way more complicated when that is only one of several factors that are changed from one mouthpiece to another.
............Paul Aviles
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2015-07-03 02:35
Sure. Here it is.
- Facing length is the distance between the mouthpiece tip and the point where it just starts to curve away from the straight line of the flat table.
- Facing length is measured with a succession of feeler gauges placed between the mouthpiece rails and a piece of flat plate glass held against the table and extending to the mouthpiece's tip.
- French-style mouthpieces (e.g. Vandoren) range from about 16 mm (short) to about 19 mm (long with medium (long or short) in the middle - 17 or 18 mm.
- The main effect of length is that, in general (there are other influences), a longer curve (facing) presents less resistance (longer length of reed is free to vibrate), and a shorter curve presents less resistance.
- The curve length and the tip opening interact so that the actual resistance created *by the facing* results from the combination of the two measurements.
There are other things that can affect resistance inside the mouthpiece - baffle and chamber shape and bore dimensions all have an influence.
That's the summary. There's lots more detail involved in facing curves.
Karl
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Author: TomS
Date: 2015-07-03 07:56
Also, if I remember correctly, the shape of the connecting curve between the tip opening and where the MP rails and reed depart has big consequences. A flatter curve, for example, will generally be freer blowing than one that has more curvature. Just a few facing factors add up to a zillion different variations.
Tom
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Author: EaubeauHorn
Date: 2015-07-04 04:53
Thanks. I am aware of all the wild variations in brass mouthpieces but a newbie on the basics of clarinet pieces.
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