crystal m'piece
Bernie T
day in a club who played what seemed to be a glass mouthpiece....he
called it crystal.
Why would a clarinetist go for something like a crystal m'piece ? Is it
just an attempt to look different ? Use something exotic that attracts
attention ? or are there "sound" or "tonal" or "timbral" sort of reasons
for such a choice ? Does the crystal have any effect on the tone quality
that another mouthpiece made of another substance would not be able to
produce ? BTW this guy had a very nice sound...very full...and
clear..The upper register had a clarity and depth of tone not usually
heard according to my ears from jazz clarinetists....even amongst the
big names.
Do any serious classical players use these crystals ?
Thanks in advance for your comments.
Bernie
--
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Rey Trajano
bit crisper and cleaner w/ my sound, especially in the upper ranges. I'm
not saying that all crystals play this way, just the ones that I happen to
personally own. Another plus for me is the fact that I generally don't have
to worry about scratching the facing (as long as I am carefull not to drop
it!).
Other clarinet players I know say that they use their crystal mouthpieces
because it allows them a louder sound. I haven't really noticed that
myself, but that was their opinion.
-------
Umibig ka na ba?
-Rey
Bernie T wrote in message <35FEAD...@xsympatico.ca>...
Larry L. Stover
not many professionally. One that I know off the top of my head is
Michelle Gingras.
Bernie T <job...@xsympatico.ca> wrote in article
Bernie T
Bernie
lec...@unicom.net
job...@xsympatico.ca wrote:
> Just out of curiosity ? I was listening to a Jazz clarinetist the other
> day in a club who played what seemed to be a glass mouthpiece....he
> called it crystal.
I have a Selmer crystal mouthpiece I bought used about 1970; I'm not sure how
much older than that it might be, but I'd guess from the late 50s - early
60s. I've never cared much for it, though, it's just another one in the cigar
box.. I find the glass surface uncomfortable against my lips and teeth. Of
course, that's just my personal reaction, and I did find that a toothguard
type pad on the top lessened the discomfort. It is also relatively close. On
the other hand I was recently fooling around with another old mouthpiece (a
wooden one which came with an old Albert system clarinet) and noticed just
how _much_ difference a harder reed can make in getting such a close
mouthpiece to play comfortably. So perhaps I ought to try the same strategy
with that old Selmer crystal mouthpiece ...
Anyway, my reason for responding was to pose the follow-up question just
which companies commonly make (or made) crystal mouthpieces. I've heard of
other folks with these older Selmers, but I'm not aware of any other examples
(though I'm sure they must exist). Can anyone provide some other examples of
manufacturers?
--David Lechner
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Rey Trajano
Mitchell Lurie.
-------
Umibig ka na ba?
-Rey
>[snip]
Bernie T
and came up with....the Obrien Co. makes glass (crystal) mouthpieces and
I think the Co that gave me that info was Brass woodwind etc in Indiana.
The Obrien Co address is:
Harry Obrien and son
2213 East 75th st
Indiannopolis, Indiana 46240
Richard Bush
O'Brian & Sons Co. That doesn't mean they're not in business, just that
they're not in the area of Indianapolis.
I wanted to talk to them about crystal mouthpiece. My questions were:
Are crystal mouthpieces made of what some people call "lead crystal?"
What is lead crystal and what makes this kind of glass different than
other kinds of glass? Who makes or casts blanks in glass for mouthpiece
makers? I guess I may never know.
I played for several years in the early 60's a Selmer crystal mouthpiece
with an HS** facing. I think I gave up playing on it because I found
something I liked better. If my memory is right, something that offered
a more focused sound. Still have it.
I've often wondered just how much control the maker has when finishing
mouthpieces from blanks of this material. I don't know, but I'm guessing
that there is less opportunity to machine or refine the internal
dimensions or that doing so would be a much more difficult task. My
guess is that the maker is much more at the mercy of the quality and
casting that he starts with. That might explain who so few offer
mouthpieces made of crystal. (If there are any mouthpiece makers out
there that would be willing to shed some light on this, let us know.)
Crystal mouthpieces are very durable. Facing hold up better and last
longer than those made of rod rubber.
One person suggested that the denser material might be a desirable
quality. Might be.
There is one fact that I think all will agree to---when dropped, they
don't bounce too high. Depending on the floor, they might just shatter
into lots of sharp little pieces.
Years ago, I talked to Mitchell Lurie and found out that the crystal
mouthpieces he sells are made for him in Italy.
Richard Bush
the Harry
O'Brian & Sons Co. That doesn't mean they're not in business, just that
they're not in the area of Indianapolis.
I wanted to talk to them about crystal mouthpiece. My questions were:
Are crystal mouthpieces made of what some people call "lead crystal?"
What is lead crystal and what makes this kind of glass different than
other kinds of glass? Who makes or casts blanks in glass for mouthpiece
makers? I guess I may never know.
I played for several years in the early 60's a Selmer crystal mouthpiece
with an HS** facing. I think I gave up playing on it because I found
something I liked better. If my memory is right, something that offered
a more focused sound. Still have it.
I've often wondered just how much control the maker has when finishing
mouthpieces from blanks of this material. I don't know, but I'm guessing
that there is less opportunity to machine or refine the internal
dimensions or that doing so would be a much more difficult task. My
guess is that the maker is much more at the mercy of the quality of the
casting that he starts with. That might explain who so few offer
mouthpieces made of crystal. (If there are any mouthpiece makers out
there that would be willing to shed some light on this, let us know.)
Crystal mouthpieces are very durable. Facing hold up better and last
longer than those made of rod rubber.
One person suggested that the denser material might be a desirable
quality. Might be.
There is one fact that I think all will agree to---when dropped, they
don't bounce but shatter into lots of sharp little pieces.
Years ago, when talking to Mitchell Lurie I found out that the crystal
mouthpieces he sells are made for him in Italy. Can't remember the
company name.
Bernie T
Re: Can't contact Obrien Mouthpiece company.......
Sorry about that... I E mailed my response to you thinking that your E
Mail to me was the only communication..I didn't know that you had posted
and E Mailed...so rather than repeaat everything I said to you in the E
Mail I'll deal with the Obrien address question here just in case others
in this NG are interested in pursuing info on Crystal m'pieces.
I was able to order and receive a crystal mouthpiece made by O'brien
from the THE WOODWIND AND THE BRASSWIND ----19880 State Line Rd.,, South
Bend, IN 46637
Toll Free: 1-800-348-5003 or local 1-219-272-8266
When I received my M'piece they enclosed a tiny flyer 3"X4" on blue
paper put out by the Obrien Company that included info on all of the
different facings made by O'brien and their address among other things.
Cheers
Bernie
T-bone Steph
played many classical pieces with it, but personally I think it sounds
better with jazz, but hey that's just me.
--steph--
Bernie T wrote:
> Just out of curiosity ? I was listening to a Jazz clarinetist the other
> day in a club who played what seemed to be a glass mouthpiece....he
> called it crystal.
>
> Why would a clarinetist go for something like a crystal m'piece ? Is it
> just an attempt to look different ? Use something exotic that attracts
> attention ? or are there "sound" or "tonal" or "timbral" sort of reasons
> for such a choice ? Does the crystal have any effect on the tone quality
> that another mouthpiece made of another substance would not be able to
> produce ? BTW this guy had a very nice sound...very full...and
> clear..The upper register had a clarity and depth of tone not usually
> heard according to my ears from jazz clarinetists....even amongst the
> big names.
>
> Do any serious classical players use these crystals ?
>
> Thanks in advance for your comments.
>