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Re: matching reeds to acoustics

Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2019-10-22 23:00

I have in the last three years gone completely plastic. One of the advantages (perhaps the most important) is constancy of sound and response. Now, once I match up the right strength on the right mouthpiece over time (could take a month or so if starting from scratch with plastic), I reliably can move from living room to hall and find no difference in performance.

I experience the disparity issue when I start to fiddle at home. Changing ligatures can create enough of a difference where I start off at home and think, "Wow that's even better......let's take that to rehearsal." And there have been occasions like this where it actually sounded like crap (usually lacking in projection) at the venue.

This can get worse when changing mouthpieces, though what I have found is that if you're basic dimensions are identical (facing length and tip opening) 90% of the sound and response are pretty much the same even going from one maker to another (another reason some folks want to make mouthpiece dimensions and response seem like the riddle of the Sphinx). But the bottom line is that you make your most critical decisions based on what you sound like in the hall and during performance (and lean on the opinions of colleagues who you trust......that critical judgement from a distance). Then you play that at home and say to yourself...."Hmmm, that's what I need to sound like in my living room ALL THE TIME !!!!!"

................Paul Aviles

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