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Mouthpiece search and reeds

Author: Musikat
Date: 2017-04-20 23:37

I have started myself on an odyssey to find a new mouthpiece. My current one I have had for well over 20 years (a Rick Sayre). After high school I went to custom mouthpieces and have never played on anything else. A few years ago when I first started playing again after a 9-year hiatus I went to my local music shop out of curiosity and tried some Vandorens and Ricos but in my short experimentation with them they didn't come close to what I already had, so I stuck with that.

Since then I have been playing a lot more, joined a second band and clarinet choir and have started playing almost exclusively 1st part in those groups. I recently had my instrument worked on and when I picked it up I noted that I was still having some problems with wide intervals not speaking easily, particularly B and C around the break, and my altissimo never sounds like I want it to. I can make it speak and be in tune, but it doesn't have the richness or control I want to achieve. It was suggested that maybe my old mouthpiece needs refacing, which led me to investigate what else might be out there.

Through research on here and the web I found that not only is Sayre in Illinois but also Smith and Grabner and coincidentally I am going to be there in a few weeks for business so I am bringing my instrument along. Gregory Smith is sending me two C 1++ mouthpieces to try in advance, which is what he recommended based on our call. I will visit Grabner's shop to try several of his models while I am there. If there is time I will swing by Sayre and have him look at my existing one.

My question is about reed strength. Based on what I was told and what I am reading, many of the models I will try are optimized for a 3.5, which in my mind is "soft." Is it a big adjustment to go down a half strength for a new mouthpiece? For trying them, can I compromise and buy 3.5+ or should I have all three boxes of reed strengths with me? I have become set in my ways and routines with my V12 4s but don't want to limit myself just based on the reed.

Also, I am used to doing quite a bit of work on my reeds with a very slow break-in. If I do take varying strengths should I break them in at all first?

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