Mouthpiece Question

[Steven J. Cass]

I've been experimenting with a Selmer crystal mouthpiece that has an HS+
facing. I am using this on a Selmer Series 10G Clarinet. It appears to
be sensative to the brand and strength of reed I use. Generaly a 2 1/2
seems to play the best for me.

Somedays I love this mouthpiece and others have to put it away and pull
out my Vandoren M13.

I am interested in hearing any comments on the crystal mouthpieces from
those with experience.

Thanks!

--
Steve Cass
--Tucson--

Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.

[Eric Woodbury]

I'm certainly no authority...just a student.

I have a crystal mouthpiece that was my dad's. Probably 60 years old. I
don't know anything about it except my teacher thought it sounded pretty
good for a crystal mouthpiece. I'm playing a Selmer Paris 9, 1960 and my
teacher recommended I try a Morgan mouthpiece. I did and like it very
much. It has a better sound for my taste. After a bit I tried to play the
crystal mouthpiece and found it very difficult. The Morgan is much easier
to blow.

Try some other mouthpieces.

Eric

[eric pearson]

A good quality crystal MP (O'Brien, Pomarico) can sound good but:
1) More important than material is facing. If the tip opening, length
of facing, width of rails, taper of rails, etc is better for your
style of playing on one MP than another, get the one with the better
facing. I like a crystal MP but the MP with the facing I like best is
hard rubber, so hard rubber is what I use. YMMV.
BTW, the best MP I ever played (on its good days) was *wood*. However,
it varied widely from day to day and I could not cope with the
variability.

regards,
eric pearson
db2...@nospammindspring.com

On Sat, 29 Jul 2000 18:34:04 GMT, Steven J. Cass <ca...@azstarnet.com>

[c_...@my-deja.com]

I've never played on a crystal mouthpiece but have a friend who did and
gave up on it. Hard work I think like playing on a strength 3 & 1/2
when used to 2 1/2. Mind you I don't really know. I used to play on a
Vandoren M13 but have recently changed to a V45. I found it gives a
clearer and crisper tone and articulation is easier.

That may be completley useless but nevermind!

[eric pearson]

I've used crystal MPs in the past.
No easier or harder to use than hard rubber, if the
facing (tip opening, lay length, lay curvature, rail width) are the
same. One of the problems is that many of the crystal MP made over the
last few years have very odd facings. I play a MP similar to yours
(B45 Lyre for me, B45 for you). I would be delighted to play either in
crystal if they were produced. Crystal is much easier to keep
clean/sanitary than hard rubber. It also seems to have more projection
and less subdued overtones than hard rubber.

regards,
eric pearson
db2...@nospammindspring.com

[jok_...@my-deja.com]

I used to play on a crystal mouthpiece, a Vandoren A2, but after about a
year, I found that my mouth and throat felt like they were collapsing,
it was incredibly painful to play. All the people I have known that
have used a crystal mouthpiece have all said the same except for one,
who, prefers it to any others that she's tried. I still have it, and
occasionally try it out, but I'm happy with my new mouthpiece for the
moment.

Tom

In article <lqjhossvjd1k8iv9t...@4ax.com>,

[cb]

I tried a crystal mouthpiece and finally gave up. It was so inconsistent and
I could never count on it. I tried, but it just didn't work. And, I've been
playing for almost 35 years!!!!!!
"Steven J. Cass" <ca...@azstarnet.com> wrote in message
news:8lv82s$mqm$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...

> I've been experimenting with a Selmer crystal mouthpiece that has an HS+
> facing. I am using this on a Selmer Series 10G Clarinet. It appears to
> be sensative to the brand and strength of reed I use. Generaly a 2 1/2
> seems to play the best for me.
>
> Somedays I love this mouthpiece and others have to put it away and pull
> out my Vandoren M13.
>
> I am interested in hearing any comments on the crystal mouthpieces from
> those with experience.
>
> Thanks!
>

> --
> Steve Cass
> --Tucson--

[Mark Charette]

That's very interesting. You'd think that something as stable and long
lasting as crystal would be at the very least consistent. Everyone I know
who's every tried a crystal mouthpiece has remarked on their long-term
stability. They may not have liked them, but they played the same every day.

Mark Char...@sneezy.org
http://www.sneezy.org/clarinet.
------------------------
"cb" <bannass...@visi.com> wrote in message
news:xhLi5.3453$6E.10...@ptah.visi.com...

[Jim Weisgram]

On Fri, 4 Aug 2000 23:10:06 -0400, "Mark Charette"
<char...@sneezy.org> wrote:

>That's very interesting. You'd think that something as stable and long
>lasting as crystal would be at the very least consistent. Everyone I know
>who's every tried a crystal mouthpiece has remarked on their long-term
>stability. They may not have liked them, but they played the same every day.
>

[...snip..]

I have tried mouthpieces that seemed to me to vary; I always assumed
it was me that was different, not the mouthpiece, and if I'd stuck
with it, who knows, I might have gotten used to it. But I didn't want
to.

I use a crystal mouthpiece and I'd agree it is consistent for me.

I think it is very hard to draw generalizations after experience with
1 mouthpiece, especially with something as personal as a mouthpiece.