Author: Brad Behn
Date: 2019-01-08 21:53
Mouthpiece length influences the type of reed a player will prefer. The baffle shapes the resistance and response envelope.
So if you like long facings, you probably will need reeds which are thicker (have more wood) in the back 2/3 of the vamp (think V12 as apposed to blue box). German reeds are more shingle shaped and narrower making for a snappier response, with lots of room to play, however they too like longer facings as German reeds are typically made with shorter vamps and more wood in the back 2/3 of the cut.
Regarding baffles, a deeper baffle is intrinsically more resistant as the reflective surface is farther away from the reed. But oftentimes deeper baffles are contoured with a gentle rollover near the tip bringing more tonal center and free blowing characteristics back into the fold.
Broader tone can be the result of a facing's architecture. That is to say that if a facing is a radius, the larger the radius, the flatter the curve, the broader the tone...more Ahh vowel shape to the sound. And the smaller facing radius, the tighter the curve, the more resistant the playing experience, the brighter the sound, the more Eee the vowel shape to the tone.
So most German and Austrian facings are long and designed with a larger arc to the facing's geometry, whereas French facings are shorter and designed with a smaller, tighter facing geometry. All that said, French facings require lighter reeds to feel good, as compared to German and Austrian.
Germans play lighter setups then Austrian, and French are all over the map.
Brad Behn
http://www.clarinetmouthpiece.com
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The Clarinet BBoard
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