 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: SecondTry
Date: 2022-11-22 00:23
Are there Soprano clarinet players or types of mouthpieces cane reed brand etc. that find one of these two synthetic offerings being a better fit with a certain type of player?
Or is it more "try both, there's no rhyme or reason to who prefers each synthetic model."
TIA
Post Edited (2022-11-22 00:24)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2022-11-22 01:24
I will take at face value that John Moses (great New York sideman), who helped design the Legere Signature Bb clarinet reeds, actually uses them and uses them successfully (he said so himself).
But my experience has been that the Bb Signature reeds are rather weak feeling and playing. I think I went up to a 4.5 and couldn't find anything that would stand up to continuous playing or the highest dynamic ranges.
The Euro Cut reeds (formerly known as European Signature reeds) have always had a very good core in the sound and stood up to lots of playing and any dynamic you could care to play. If there is a down side, they are wider and will not fit within the Vandoren M/O ligature (or any other hard ligature that has a cane centric pouch size meant to hold a cane reed.......I'm not sure if there is another ligature like that but it's really easy to avoid, I have just about every ligature on the market).
If you're new to Legere I'd start as soft in strength as you think might work, then work your way up, moving up as they either don't last a day's worth of use, or just "shut off" at really loud dynamics. This was a long and arduous process for me, but well worth the trouble.
You don't need special mouthpieces or ligatures BUT there is some extra resonance under a wider variety of circumstances with plastic ligatures such as the Luyben or even carbon fiber ligatures (expensive).
................Paul Aviles
Post Edited (2022-11-22 05:58)
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Author: Hugues Fardao
Date: 2022-11-22 13:35
I played both, I felt the Signature being closer to a cane reed, they are very responsive but they easily split, not sturdy at all. They are very comfortable to play but you have to take care of them.
The Euro are based on soprano sax reed design, and I agree with Paul Aviles previous advice. I must say a 2,5 strenght Euro cut with a Selmer C85 120 was the easiest and expressive set up to play I ever had.
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Author: Gerwin
Date: 2022-11-24 00:32
I also noticed that the European Cut is wider than a cane reed. Are the Signature reeds the standard width?
I rather like the European cut, but it’s rather ‘loose’ and I don’t like that it’s wider and flatter than a cane reed.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2022-11-24 01:26
Gerwin,
Could you describe what you mean by "loose?"
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: Hugues Fardao
Date: 2022-11-24 01:31
Gerwn : this is a photo I found, Euro VS Signature :
https://gottfried.dk/media/cache/product_original/product-images/82/30/CLABB-LEGERE-EUROPEAN-SIGNATURE-031469272909.jpg?1469272909
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Author: Gerwin
Date: 2022-11-24 22:54
@Hugues: I mean: lightly playing, easy to manipulate the tone. There is little resistance, but the power to change volume is still there. It feels like a light reed, but it doesn’t collapse under pressure. However, the tone is also a bit like a cane reed that is too light, and could be rounder. That could become better when my embouchure gets more accustomed to it, so I keep playing it for a couple of weeks at least.
Post Edited (2022-11-24 22:56)
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2022-12-02 02:56
I prefer euro legeres to signature on clarinet. Something about the euro's seem to allow me to articulate easier, faster, cleaner for a given "correct" strength. (I put correct in quotes, cause a mouthpiece might feel like it needs a 3 signature, and a 3.25 legere to get a good core sound, but the euro always seems to articulate easier to me).
I like 'em. Your mileage may vary.
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Niggle
Date: 2022-12-05 12:20
I use a Legere signature 2 3/4 on an Vandoren M30 mouthpiece on my Boosey & Hawkes Edgeware wood clarinet. I find it quite comfortable to play and get the deeper, darker tone I prefer as a Jazz player. My embrouchure helps by really opening the throat to get a good resonating chamber. I may try a 3-3 1/4 Legere reed in the future, depending on what I'm playing. As a back-up mouthpiece I have a B40 Vandoren and this one works well with a Legere 2 1/2 reed. As long as I can play Hoagy Carmichael music I'm happy.
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Author: allencole
Date: 2022-12-08 23:25
I've been experimenting with Signatures vs. European with a Greenline R13 and Portnoy BP02 mpc. I find a more open tone with European and like the 3.75 for jazz & klezmer where some flexibility is needed and some reediness is tolerable. They do seem to let me down as I get up toward altissimo F & G. Just bought a 4.0 that I hope will do better up high and maybe be suitable for legit playing.
The 3.5 Signatures seem to have considerably more resistance by strength and I feel much better using them for section work, particularly where altissimo is involved. I have felt that they can go a little flat, though, but that may have been a cold horn situation. I do feel like they articulate better than the Classic. A 3.5 Venn seems to provide similar resistance with slightly more open sound. Tuning seems good, but can sometimes cut off when I attempt some altissimo notes at soft volumes.
My one other issue with the Signature is that they're so thin, I have to pretty much screw my Rovner ligature all the way closed.
Even so, thank you John Moses working to improve this line!
Allen Cole
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