 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: dmjordan3
Date: 2012-12-25 18:07
Hello all!
My best friend who's in my High School band with me is the first chair Clarinet player, and we're both going to college majoring in music. So, for Christmas I wanted to get him a new Mouthpiece, since he's playing on a dinky stock one.
But, me being primarily a Saxophone & Oboe player, I'm not endowed with knowledge on Clarinet mouthpieces.
I'm just looking for the best overall mouthpiece for a concert Clarinetist, probably somewhere along the lines of the same tone quality (i.e. smooth) as the Selmer S80 C* Saxophone mouthpiece. From what I've gathered, it seems that the Vandoren B45 mouthpiece is probably the best for its price. If that's true, then what type do I buy? The 13 Series, 88 Profile, or Traditional?
Thanks!
-David
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Author: pewd
Date: 2012-12-25 18:58
The Vandoren 13 series mouthpieces run flat, especially on newer R13's.
Its best to bring him to the store, let him pick one that works FOR HIM.
One should test mouthpieces out, with a tuner, on your own reeds and ligature, to find one that works best for the individual player.
Possible choices: M13, m13-Lyre, M15 (13 series), M15 (non 13 series [442]),
Fobes Nova or Fobes San Francisco, Rico Reserve.
The next 10 posters will have 10 additional suggestions, its a very personal thing.
The new Rico Reserves are excellent... take your friend to a store and try one of each facing (there are 3).
Don't forget a tuner - its critical to test out mouthpieces with a tuner. And spend 10-15 minutes or more on the one you're tending to - to make sure you don't introduce intonation problems into your playing.
Good luck.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
Post Edited (2012-12-25 19:00)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2012-12-25 19:15
I would add that, for me, the choice of mouthpiece is a personal thing.
However,
If you want to do this, my suggestion would be a middle of the road facing with a typical beak (traditional, not the 88) since your friend is used to a typical mouthpiece already.
I vote for the M13 or 5RV Lyre (and NON 13 series for the 5RV Lyre), since these are very straight forward, hard to go wrong with mouthpieces. The B45 is a rather open sort (God only knows why some band directors think this is a typical mouthpiece.....it's not).
But it's a gift, from you, for Christmas.
Ya can't really go wrong now can you.
...............Paul Aviles
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Author: pewd
Date: 2012-12-25 21:18
The problem I'm having with the M13's is the tuning - too flat for many students. They sound wonderful however.
I really wish Vandoren would make a M13-Lyre pitched at 442.
Mate a R13-L with a shorter (65mm) barrel and they're awesome.
Ditto the non 13 series on the 5RV's. The 13 series are advertised as a-440, the non-13 series a-442. But - the 13 series ones are too flat for many. Be careful.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2012-12-25 22:24
Somewhere in here (the Board that is) I thought I heard rumor that most of not all the Vandoren line were to be made available as NON 13 series. I have not bothered to confirm this, but this would definitely be preferred.
Yes, indeed the tuning is funny with the flatter mouthpieces. But it must be hard for them to resist the siren sound of "marketing" that has for many years of late has caused decent well meaning clarinetist to fall into this abyss that has made so much money for mouthpiece makers AND barrel makers alike !!!!
.................Paul Aviles
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Author: JHowell
Date: 2012-12-26 01:49
I think a student clarinetist, particularly one who is playing on inferior equipment, should buy a medium facing mouthpiece and learn to play it. The mouthpiece that "feels" best to a player in such a state is likely to be one that allows existing flaws to flourish. An advanced player or professional is of course different, but if there's one mouthpiece today that I can tell a student to buy through the mail and have something that won't be a handicap with pitch or response issues it's the Rico Reserve X5. I prefer the X0 for myself, but if a student can't make a good sound on an X5 there are other issues. I've played a bunch of these things now, and while some are better than others I've yet to play one that I couldn't get through a concert on if I had to.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2012-12-26 23:23
I know this isn't what you were asking, but I have an alternative suggestion: Hook your friend uop with a decent PRIVATE teacher in your area, who can analyze his playing and make intelligent, informed recommendations, based on your friend's current playing style, level of development, and budget.
Jeff
“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010
"A drummer is a musician's best friend."
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Author: JHowell
Date: 2012-12-27 05:27
Jeff, that's an excellent point. How is he going to college majoring in music without a private instructor up to this point, one who would have guided him away from his "dinky stock" mouthpiece?
However, I'm not sure what playing style and level of development would make a medium facing mouthpiece an unwise choice. And a student going to college for music who can't afford $100 for a mouthpiece is going to have trouble affording music and reeds.
This past summer my middle daughter, who plays piano, moved into junior high (7th grade) and decided that she wanted to play clarinet so she could be in band. I gave her an older clarinet, an X5, and a few decent but soft reeds. She sounded good right away and four months later got second chair overall in a local honor band competing against kids from maybe 15 or 20 schools up to grade 9.
My point isn't that the X5 is magic, but rather that the mouthpiece doesn't make the sound, and the best mouthpiece for a student is one that does as little harm as possible. For instance, requiring too much bite pressure, or preventing the use of a strong enough reed to play the high register easily, or pitching the throat tones too low. This last point has always been my beef with Vandoren M models, which are otherwise excellent mouthpieces. There are some nice mouthpieces being made with E model Zinners blanks and some even nicer ones being made from CNC blanks, but they're considerably more expensive. The Rico Reserves tune very well, and in my book that's the best thing you can say about any mouthpiece.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2012-12-27 10:38
For what it's worth, three of us in our section are using Fobes Debut mouthpieces, and not only do we fit very nicely timbre and pitch-wise with the rest of the section but also the music style, but it made playing (for us amateurs) a whole lot easier and more consistent.
At their price, they're a significant improvement over quite any stock mouthpiece, and when you don't mind playing a "student" mouthpiece, you have a very good allround beak.
And should you ever upgrade to something more "personal", then you still have an excellent backup.
--
Ben
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