 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Jimis4klar
Date: 2020-06-08 01:06
Anyone uses this combo? Tell me your impressions, also what ligature you're using. Thanks!
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2020-06-08 05:06
I use Legere European Signature cut reeds with a mouthpiece that has a tip opening of 1.00mm.
I would not think that this strength would be an ideal match for the BD5. Unlike cane, the entire length of the vamp of Legere reeds functions best as a unit regarding strength (I am pretty sure even the very tips of these reeds are correspondingly less pliable as the prescribed strength goes up).
..................Paul Aviles
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Author: Erez Katz
Date: 2020-06-08 13:34
I used it for a while with 3.5 Legere. I liked the sound and articulation, but it had some intonation issues and I returned it. There is a considerable sample to sample variation in this model. If you find a good one then it could be really great. I did not like any of that were available to try at the stote and eventually gave up on it.
The ligature was Vandoren Optimum at the time. As mentioned earlier on the board, I found that the humble (price-wise) Luyben is a very good match for Legere reeds.
My recommendation is to try a few, with a relatively fresh reed (Legere reeds wear like cane, just slower), and carefully check that the intonation is good without special voicing across the ranges.... which goes pretty much for any new mouthpiece purchase come to think about it.
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Author: Jimis4klar
Date: 2020-06-08 16:26
Vandoren optimum was good for holding the European cut Legere or It was slippery? BG duo and Bonade will have better grip on this reed and work well? Or the Luyben will work even better than the two? Did you ever try with Luyben?
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Author: Jimis4klar
Date: 2020-06-08 16:30
What 1.00mm mouthpiece you use and which strength of European cut reed?
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Author: Erez Katz
Date: 2020-06-08 17:31
The reed (legere) is held in place just fine with the VD Optimum, Bonade and Luyben, even on crystal mouthpieces which are more slippery than hard rubber. That is an objective fact.
No experience with BG.
I switched to the Luyben earlier this year, it works for me and I prefer it to the vd optimum, which is pretty good on its own right, in my subjective opinion.
I have no clue if it would or would not work for you. Each person is different, the only way to know is to try.
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Author: Jimis4klar
Date: 2020-06-08 17:39
I wish It could work with a VD M/O which I like, unfortunately It doesn't, It's too wide reed for this ligature.. Do you know maybe If an alto or sop sax M/O would tighten on the reed and fit on clarinet BD5 mouthpiece?
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2020-06-08 19:39
My current mouthpeice with which I use the Legere European Signature cut 3.5 strength reed is an old Richard Hawkins RH designated (for Richard Hawkins.....just right of bottom of table) R facing (located at left of bottom of table) with a 1.00mm opening.
Isn't the BD5 a 1.18mm opening?
....................Paul Aviles
Post Edited (2020-06-08 19:40)
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Author: Jimis4klar
Date: 2020-06-08 22:16
No, BD5 has 1.13mm opening.
The mouthpiece you use seems too close for a European cut 3.50???
Very strange you can use It on a 1.00mm opening mp!
According to opening, I think you should use a way heavier reed!
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2020-06-08 23:08
Well I contend the opposite. Legere plastic is not as forgiving as cane. With cane it is perfectly possible to take a strong reed and bend it with jaw pressure (ie "biting") so that the resultant tip opening is actually smaller than spec.
Brad Behn brought this to my attention at a University of Oklahoma clarinet event when he observed how I was sounding and playing (somewhat incorrectly at the time). He correctly suggested I use a smaller tip opening mouthpiece (starting at the point where I ended up) and a SOFTER reed !!!!! At the time I was still using cane.
He was right. I was wrong.
Legere is less forgiving in its compliance and will not behave correctly in the above scenario. My experience would say the sound would be "thuddy" and unresponsive (unclear staccato).
I suggest watching this from the "Biting" thread just posted on this board:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYBzMOm7EJQ&feature=youtu.be
...............Paul Aviles
Post Edited (2020-06-08 23:48)
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Author: donald
Date: 2020-06-11 17:37
re "No, BD5 has 1.13mm opening.
The mouthpiece you use seems too close for a European cut 3.50???
Very strange you can use It on a 1.00mm opening mp!
According to opening, I think you should use a way heavier reed!"
I have measured several BD5s that I found to be a lot closer than stated - in the 1.09mm range (close to the M30D, which has a closer tip than a normal M30 to balance out more concavity in the baffle).
The tip opening is only ONE part of the mouthpiece, and all the parts have to fit/work together.
1mm tip opening can be more resistant with a shorter curve.
For instance- I have two mouthpieces from USA makers both from Zinner Blanks (both from about 2008).
One has a 1mm tip opening, about 16mm length (32 using Morgan kit). The other a 1.09 tip opening with a much longer curve.
I can use the same reed on either, and when playing a concerto in early 2015 played one mouthpiece in one rehearsal, the other the following night WITH THE SAME REED. Listening to recordings of the rehearsal I was really surprised that the sound was very similar.
Any mouthpiece craftsman who has put the SAME CURVE on different mouthpiece blanks will tell you it's not a secret that they will play quite differently- depending on the internal geometry of the mouthpiece.
Tip openings often give you a "ball park", but seldom tell you very much on their own.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2020-06-11 18:24
I completely agree with you Donald on all those points.
I use tip AND facing length as a beginning point for mouthpiece trials (won't bother with anything not within my criteria) but even that is more of a starting point. I stuck with tip opening above just to keep things a bit simpler.
But remember German clarinetists use mouthpieces (traditional mouthpiece facings that is) that are generally a little SMALLER than 1.00 (perhaps 0.93mm) and a fairly long facing in the 16mm or 17mm range.
All that aside, you can make some general assumptions about tip opening by itself with regard to reed strength. In general it is necessary to use softer reeds as you move up in tip opening. I realize we prefer to say that there are many different solutions amongst clarinetists but when I hear of those using fairly open mouthpiece tips with what are regarded as harder reeds, I can't but think there is a bit "bending" of the reed being implemented to achieve a workable result.
Again, the above provided video will help anyone who may be doing this and finding more problems than solutions.
....................Paul Aviles
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