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Newbie cont'd: Lyrique 576 impressions

Author: OneWatt
Date: 2021-01-17 21:07

Well, it's been only 1 week since my Ridenour 576bc arrived. Simply AMAZING. I've now been twice blessed with good fortune ...

First, my refurb'ed LJ Hutchen Bb model (previously an Effman Music student rental) sold to me at a bargain auction site price by Paul E. himself. This clarinet got me totally hooked. See my earlier posts if you're ever considering getting one for yourself or a young student.

And now, with the arrival of this Ridenour Lyrique, I've been graced with a first class instrument beyond anything I'd imagined. I'm in double-lip geezer heaven.

Popping back and forth using the same mouthpiece+reed, I still find the LJ Hutchen to be a wonderful learning tool. But needless to say, the Lyrique is simple superb. Virtually effortless by comparison.

With the 576 in hand I can comfortably play (tuner-confirmed pitches) from C6 through altissimo E6. And low E3 and neighboring chromatic notes spill out even in pp without meaningful resistance using pinky keys on either side.

As for material, in addition to working my way through the Langenus/Snavely methods, my daily practice has expanded to include Kroepsch's Daily Studies (C major/A minor sections), various chromatic scales, diatonic arpeggios (yeah, in the easier key signatures), and now Artie Shaw's whole tone/diminished scale studies (which I find to be especially challenging). I'm holding off on getting too distracted with Bebop/Swing material until my traditional fundamentals are a bit more fully established.

For reeds, I've been trying out various well-known name "brand" names (strengths 2.0, 2.5 and mostly 3.0) all adjusted carefully now using ATG methods. I can get what feels like a well-balanced/free-blowing cane from most reeds in the box. I also use a Legere Euro 2.75 occasionally (but it gets so wet so quickly I wonder if it's more hassle than it's worth?)

If you've gotten this far (TL;DR?), I'll pose a question about the Ridenour RE-10 mouthpiece...

Given the reeds I'm using, the RE-10 consistently feels most comfortable to me - as compared to a VD B45 (open @ 1.19mm) and Yamaha C4 (1.05mm). QUESTION: Does anyone know the RE-10's "specs" (tip opening/facing curve)? I'm wondering why it feels more comfortable than my other available mpc choices and am hoping to learn something about further improving my reed/mouthpiece combinations. The Ridenour website offers no measurement specs on their mouthpieces (I've sent an email to Tom/Ted but haven't yet heard back on this point).

Meanwhile, by reading through prior years' forum posts I gain insights/info. Of course if anyone has any specific suggestions I'm all ears.

Thank you again for this wonderful community! Perhaps some day I can be of assistance to others ... but for now, I'm just a babe in the woods (actually, hard rubber).

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Re: Newbie cont'd: Lyrique 576 impressions

Author: dkojevnikov
Date: 2021-01-17 22:56

I could not find measurements for RE-10 but I have been reading a lot about mouthpiece resurfacing lately (and experimenting with some of my mouthpieces).

Mouthpiece opening and facing length are only 2 out of tens of mouthpiece parameters that influence tuning, timbre, resistance and feeling.

My understanding why RE-10 plays better for you is because Tom is also playing with double lip so he is adjusting his mouthpieces for this technique.

Post Edited (2021-01-20 09:24)

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