 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: NetG
Date: 2016-02-28 04:41
Hello everyone - getting back into playing clarinet, and have a few questions - the first batch being about mouthpieces and intonation. I purchased a Buffet E12f last fall, and it took some getting used to - I have never had a brand new instrument before. My tech gives it the thumbs up! He also liked the tone I was getting and asked what kind of mouthpiece I was using - I told him it was the stock piece that came with the horn. I was using a Gennusa but I dropped it, sorry to say. Then I acquired a Portnoy BP02 - the intonation is very flat on my E12f/Portnoy set-up when I check with a Korg tuner. The E12f plays more in tune with the stock piece when I check it. The question is: do mps make that much of a difference intonation-wise, or could this be my embouchure, which I know is not back to where it should be. And, does anyone know the exact specifications on a stock Buffet clarinet mp?
Post Edited (2016-02-28 05:00)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2016-02-29 00:32
Yes mouthpieces make a big difference, that's why the very first check when choosing a new mouthpiece is the intonation because if that's not right don't even bother checking anything else on it.
Having said that it if your embouchure is still in early development that also has a big effect.
And of course the Portnoy model might work better with a shorter barrel.
If your stock mouthpiece is giving pretty good intonation and tone then I would suggest you stick with that for some time until your embouchure has redeveloped and you can make better informed choice. It's how the combination works for you - not for anyone else.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: NetG
Date: 2016-02-29 04:34
Thank you sir for the advice! I have been playing a lot on the stock Buffet piece, especially sustained tones played into a tuner. I can feel my chops getting stronger - I played on the Portnoy tonight and it was so much more in tune - throat tones still need work. The Portnoy has a real nice sound to it. Thanks again!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2016-02-29 15:10
The plastic stock Buffet mouthpieces are/were German made and usually had a number just above the tenon - I think they were around a 1.16mm tip opening. I seem to remember the model number F6A or something there as well - it's going back a while last time I saw one.
The reason why Buffet supply a £20 plastic mouthpiece with their clarinets is to complete the outfit so there's a basic mouthpiece to get anyone going when they buy a clarinet. That's all well and good with a B12 or E11 as beginners will need a good mouthpiece to start on, but more often than not when anyone buys a more expensive clarinet (E13 upwards) they're more likely to have their own better quality mouthpiece, so it's not really cost effective to supply a £75+ ebonite mouthpiece if it's not going to be used and buyers won't be too happy about spending that much extra on a mouthpiece they'll never use anyway.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: TAS
Date: 2016-03-01 07:06
Chris (above) is spot on.
Ditch the Buffet stock mouthpiece. Grab something else your teacher recommends and slap it on the instrument, hopefully with a decent reed - which is another issue.
Good luck playing the best woodwind instrument!
TAS
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: NetG
Date: 2016-03-06 16:45
Thanks for the good advice everyone - using my Portnoy BP 02 all the time now - checked intonation using a 3.5 Van Doren reed, and am really getting close to finding a basic set-up that works for me. The E12f has a nice, warm feel to it when everything is clicking - it's hard to put down! Intonation great with this set-up, need to get used to the harder reed. Always something to work on that's for sure! I think what helps the most is just playing EVERY day.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: jthole
Date: 2023-03-18 14:08
Bumping up this one in case someone finds it useful; compared to e.g. a Vandoren B45, my Portnoy BP02 needs a 1mm shorter barrel indeed to tune the same (at least on my Buffet clarinets). So the original poster is not alone on this.
OTOH, that means many non-European players probably find the Portnoy to play somewhat better in tune than the sharper Vandoren. That is, assuming they tune to A=440.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
