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Re: Using a Harmon mute on a clarinet?

Author: Chris P
Date: 2017-07-16 01:29

Mutes work best on brass instruments as the sound issues directly from the bell. On woodwind instruments the notes will issue from the nearest open tonehole to the mouthpiece end.

Only when all toneholes are closed on clarinets does the sound issue directly from the bell, so bell mutes won't do much to the majority of the notes on the instrument besides the bell notes (low E and upper register B).

The only way you can really alter the sound over the entire range on a clarinet is with different reeds or altering the mouthpiece tonechamber - experiment by using Blu-Tack stuck in the tonechamber and alter the shape and height of it.

Sax mouthpieces are often made with preset tonechambers that are either built up inside to make the sound bright or with a large tonechamber for a fuller, fatter sound.

Even so, embouchure changes can also have as much effect on tone as the tonechamber, so you can also make a bright sound with a large chambered mouthpiece by using different lip and tongue positions as well as with different reed strengths.

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.

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