Author: sfalexi
Date: 2016-11-02 05:49
Hmmm. Lots of stuff here. I'm currently working happily with a Pomarico Emerald, so I'll give my thoughts. I'll go "line by line" for you to try to keep it organized. Keep in mind these are just my thoughts, ONE random person on the internet! You don't have to shoehorn yourself into only wanting a crystal mouthpiece, but it's not like I'm gonna be able to convince you. I was once a sophomore and I KNEW what I wanted and I was GONNA GET what I wanted! Try whatever you like and whatever your wallet and conscience can afford.
As first chair in your Varsity band, I've no doubt you'll be able to know what feels right and what doesn't. Whenever you DO try these or other mouthpieces out, consider trying different size reeds (don't think your V21 is going to bring out the best of each different model mouthpiece), and have some friends listen to your sound and give you their honest opinion. They don't have to be clarinetists, or even musicians, just people that can appreciate and give honest feedback on whether something sounds nice, or doesn't sound nice.
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I want:
1. The crystal Pomarico mouthpiece. It's perfectly fine to want one. There's nothing inherently better or worse than a hard rubber one, but the heart wants what the heart wants! I enjoy playing my pretty pomarico mouthpiece, and it certainly plays well enough for me.
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2. A fuller more resonate sounding clarinet. In other words, I need one that will PLAY RESPONSIVE in the high notes with good stability. (My biggest thing is high notes E, D, and C). This is much less the mouthpiece and much more the reed that's matched up to it and YOUR embouchure and playing level. IN GENERAL, I find that the more close the tip of the mouthpiece, the more stable higher pitches will be. Not that they CAN'T be bent or smeared (I can smear the hell out of my close tip mouthpieces and can bend a thumb C down more than a fifth or sixth if I want), but it takes more work to bend and smear, which to me feels like it's more forgiving of my mistakes and will better keep stability when I'm playing a pitch. But you need to match the reed accordingly. I like to pick a reed by playing a low E at forte, and decrescendoing to niente with a firm (NOT biting, but firm) embouchure. I go as hard as I can that will allow me to keep resonance and keep the fuzzy sound of "air" from being present all the way to niente. If I can't reliably make the note decrease in pitch while simultaneously not hearing the air go away, the reed is too hard. I should be able to fade ALL sounds into nothing at the same time, NOT have loud air wooshing through the clarinet cause my reed is too hard.
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3. Which one will make my clarinet (ABS Plastic) sound more fuller/richer; the (B) Bright, or (M) Mellow? Which one will make it sound like so? No idea. So many people have so many preferences. I prefer the "bright" models MUCH more than the mellow ones. But from my searches on this website, I seem to be in the minority. You're going to have to check multiple ones to see which you like better.
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4. The Emerald (not getting it) has the smallest gap, the Ruby has the second to smallest of <1.10mm gap. The Diamond (B) has the biggest of 1.25 mm. My B45 (current Vandoren) mouthpiece has a 1.2mm. People say the bigger the gap, the harder/less responsive it is to play high notes. That's incorrect. I've played everything from a Gigliotti P facing (EXTREMELY close tip/long facing requiring a size 5 reed for my above test), to a Vandoren 5JB (EXTREMELY open tip, where a size 3 felt a little hard to me). You can hit the high notes on any good quality mouthpiece of ANY tip opening size with a properly matched reed. You can get great response on any good quality mouthpiece of ANY tip opening size with a properly matched reed. It's just that, for me, the Emerald Bright gives me the best compromise of comfort, sound, and seems very reed friendly (not finicky with having to adjust reeds "just right")
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#1 Priority is High Notes. Thanks!!! Hate to burst a possible bubble, but this is NOT mouthpiece dependant. With the right reed and right person, your B45 will practically sing. Now your B45 MIGHT be finicky about what reeds it accepts, or you may have the right reeds, but it's more likely that you just need to really focus on your tongue position, embouchure, airflow, and basically YOUR playing in order to gain consistency and stability in the high notes. There are pros that play every sort of mouthpiece.
BUT.....
In my humble opinion, in addition to continuing to work on your tongue position, embouchure, etc., a close-tip mouthpiece with a properly matched reed offers the most pitch stability throughout the clarinet. I don't think any tip opening has any difference in response. But a well-matched reed will make a difference.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
Post Edited (2016-11-02 05:51)
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