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Re: French mouthpieces with German facing

Author: donald
Date: 2021-10-03 02:39

If you are interested in facings that don't require much embouchure pressure AND are a bit "sizzle-less", there are two Vandoren facings you can try...
- the M30D. This is not the same tip opening as the M30, but instead around 1.09/1.07mm range with a long facing that suits an embouchure with little or no upward pressure. My wife (Dr Marie Ross) and I use that mouthpiece with V12 #3 reeds (and the odd home-made one). While it has the longer tenon and exterior grooves of a German style mouthpiece, it plays well in tune with Buffet clarinets (I use a barrel 1mm shorter but Marie doesn't). Despite a thicker tip rail, it responds well with the right reed. The Vandoren "D" mouthpiece blanks are supposed to make a bit more of a "German sound", and I've found this works great in chamber settings and smaller ensembles. Every so often (playing with a string section that sadly almost never plays pp and an MD who has little idea of delicacy) I DO find myself wanting to use a mouthpiece with a bit more Zing.
- If you can find one, the "no longer being produced" Vandoren Masters CL4 had pretty much the identical facing to the M30D but with a thinner tip rail and a clearer tone quality. I thought this was a much better mouthpiece than the BD5 etc, but I appear to be in the minority.
Btw, I recall enjoying your performance at the Oklahoma Symposium some years ago, and always hoped I'd get the chance to meet you and take some reed making lessons but the opportunity never came up.
dn

Post Edited (2021-10-03 09:06)

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