clarinet mouthpieces

[Tom Ascher]

Just curious whether there is any degree of consensus on clarinet mouthpieces
for classical music or whether everyone has their own unique tastes? Also,
if people use those made by Selmer, VanDoren, etc. or have them custom made?

Also, do you vary the mouthpiece and reed hardness depending on the tessitura
of the work?

Would like comments on specific mouthpieces, such as Selmer HS*, C*, VanDoren
B45, etc...

Tom Ascher Bitnet: u15310@uicvm
Associate Director, Data Resources Internet: u15...@uicvm.uic.edu
University of Illinois at Chicago Phone: (312) 413-3665

[Martin Pergler]

In a previous article, U15...@uicvm.uic.edu (Tom Ascher) says:

>Just curious whether there is any degree of consensus on clarinet mouthpieces
>for classical music or whether everyone has their own unique tastes? Also,
>if people use those made by Selmer, VanDoren, etc. or have them custom made?

Here in Ottawa, Canada, the consensus among amateur clarinettists seems to
be B45 and their ilk (I have a B45-dot I'm very happy with). But I seem
to remember one of the local symphony clarinettists telling me they use
Gillet (sp?). When I was in Prague, Czech Republic, the few cl. I met
seemed to get them custom made....

Supper on the table...continued later.

Martin

--
Martin Pergler, student | ab...@freenet.carleton.ca
Carleton University | mar...@physics.carleton.ca (until Sept)
| per...@math.uchicago.edu (after Sept)

[Tom Ascher]

Since you mention the B45, do you know the difference(s) between the
B40, B45, and B45 dot? They all have a facing of 21.5 and a tip
opening of 1.195! Is there a slight difference in the profile? I'm
also curious as to why Vandoren has facings up to 22.5 mm in length for
the wider apertures, whereas Selmer has a maximum length of 18 mm at the
wider apertures and Yamaha has a facing of 19mm no matter what the
aperture!!?? I'd love to know what people such as Richard Stoltzman,
Emma Johnson and Gervase De Peyer use!

[Martin Pergler]

In a previous article, U15...@uicvm.uic.edu (Tom Ascher) says:

>Since you mention the B45, do you know the difference(s) between the
>B40, B45, and B45 dot? They all have a facing of 21.5 and a tip
>opening of 1.195! Is there a slight difference in the profile? I'm
>also curious as to why Vandoren has facings up to 22.5 mm in length for
>the wider apertures, whereas Selmer has a maximum length of 18 mm at the
>wider apertures and Yamaha has a facing of 19mm no matter what the
>aperture!!?? I'd love to know what people such as Richard Stoltzman,
>Emma Johnson and Gervase De Peyer use!
>

No I don't -- sorry. I looked up my sheet of specs and it gives precisely
your numbers. I got my B45-dot from a person who had stopped playing (in
good condition) and I was happier with it then my old Selmer, which was so
well-used that the number was no longer legible. Since then, I've been
happy and the people (professionals) looking over my equipment have been
too... Perhaps someone else on the net can enlighten us.

[elm...@urc.tue.nl]

In article <93233.043...@uicvm.uic.edu>, Tom Ascher <U15...@uicvm.uic.edu> writes:

>
> I'd love to know what people such as Richard Stoltzman,
> Emma Johnson and Gervase De Peyer use!
>

In order NOT to buy THOSE mouthpieces I hope!

Well all right, my opinion is that Gervase De Peyer is the one -aged-
musician of the above mentioned, and although I do like Stoltzman's
cadenza in his recording of Rossini's Variations, I do not think they
manage to produce anything resembling a powerful clarinet timbre.

Seriously, I can only advice about the Selmer mouthpieces C*. In particular
the C120 piece proves to be quite satisfactory for a lot of clarinet
players in the local bands. For solo performances however I find this
piece producing a sort of 'hollow' sound after a few phrases.
This is also my opinion about the mouthpieces made out of solid glass I
encountered.

Well obviously now you should be quite curious about the piece I play on ..
For some years now I ame playing a Wurlitzer M3+ mouthpiece, from a series
of mouthpieced made by the famous Herbert Wurlitzer (Germany) for use
on clarinets with Bohm bore. This mouthpieces smoothes the changes
of the different registers in a natural way, and makes it easy to have
a steady, and clear yet sturdy tone quality. I don't know about the
availability of these mouthpieces in the US, but I can say that they
are worth the try. But, ... , there *is* a sting. You do need to switch
to playing on German type reeds for this series, which takes you about
3 months to fully readjust your embouchure, and be able to reach C''''
again.

***********************************************************************
* 'Mind Music' *
* Intent inwards indulging in Music invokes 'inaudible' 'imageries', *
* initiating infinitely inductive inspirations in your Mind. *
*---------------------------------------------------------------------*
* Maarten van de Velde | Eindhoven University of Technology *
* Assistant Scientist | Faculty of Electrical Engineering *
* Tel: +31 40 474794 | Division of Medical Electrical Eng. *
* Fax: +31 40 466508 | P.O. Box 513 - 5600 MB EINDHOVEN *
* Internet: ELM...@urc.tue.nl | THE NETHERLANDS *
***********************************************************************

[Tom Ascher]

Logical follow-up... what is a German type reed? And who makes them?
Vandoren? Rico? ...?

[Nicole de Beer]

German type reeds are smaller than French reeds, and somewhat stiffer.
Vandoren makes them, Rico I don't know. BTW, in the previous post C'''' is
European notation, that would be C7 in American notation. And I get the
impression that the German/French distinction in clarinet playing doesn't
exist in the States, is that correct? (I mean the distinction in Boehm/Albert
system applicature).

Nicole de Beer
elm...@urc.tue.nl

[Martin Pergler]

In a previous article, elm...@urc.tue.nl (Nicole de Beer) says:

>German type reeds are smaller than French reeds, and somewhat stiffer.
>Vandoren makes them, Rico I don't know. BTW, in the previous post C'''' is
>European notation, that would be C7 in American notation. And I get the
>impression that the German/French distinction in clarinet playing doesn't
>exist in the States, is that correct? (I mean the distinction in Boehm/Albert
>system applicature).
>

I believe that in North America virtually all cl. use the Boehm system.
Mind you, as with many instruments, there *is* quite a local variation in
tone and approach to the instrument (and this in turn affects mouthpiece
and reed preference and vice versa). On a first approximation, several
schools of sound could be distinguished by country/cultural area. Apart
from the German and French sounds (no offense intended to anyone else
using that sort of sound but in a different cultural group), to me there
seems to be a distinct English sound (eg. Brymer-->King-?->Johnson, as
well as orchestral clarinets). The North American clarinettists seem to
have more of a variety in sound, but to my ears avoid the strong German
sound more than they avoid the French.

Also, Eastern Europe has its own sound. Being of Czech background, I
notice a distint Czech sound -- for example a Krommer octet played by
Collegium Musicum Pragense or by Myslik with his group (whatever it was
called) has quite a different clarinet sound than the Meyer Wind Ensemble
or Ensemble Wien-Berlin. Russian orchestral clarinets sound yet
different. I'm sorry, I can't speak for the Netherlands, although just
half an hour ago I heard the Royal Concertgebau (sp?) on the radio.

I'm all for this variety. In this age of recordings and touring
orchestras there is all too much tendency towards a single world "best"
sound, I feel, both in orchestral playing and in solo. Its nice to see
variety.

Disagreements with any of the above welcome.

[Tom Ascher]

Can anyone recommend classical CD's that would reveal some of the different
regional clarinet sounds? It would help if you could suggest a particular
sound, and an associated recording. I'd like to educate my ear to hearing
some of the variety possible. Thanks!

Tom Ascher Bitnet: u15310@uicvm
Associate Director, Data Resources Internet: u15...@uicvm.uic.edu

[John M. Crowell]

In article <93232.094...@uicvm.uic.edu> Tom Ascher <U15...@uicvm.uic.edu> writes:
>
>Just curious whether there is any degree of consensus on clarinet mouthpieces
>for classical music or whether everyone has their own unique tastes? Also,
>if people use those made by Selmer, VanDoren, etc. or have them custom made?
>

I've tried several over the (many) years, including the C*, B45, and one custom
made job. But I always seem to gravitate back to my faithful Stoll & Schneider.

>
>Also, do you vary the mouthpiece and reed hardness depending on the tessitura
>of the work?
>

No.

[Maarten van de Velde]

In article <93237.093...@uicvm.uic.edu>, Tom Ascher <U15...@uicvm.uic.edu> writes:

> Can anyone recommend classical CD's that would reveal some of the different
> regional clarinet sounds? It would help if you could suggest a particular
> sound, and an associated recording. I'd like to educate my ear to hearing
> some of the variety possible. Thanks!

--
Just some highlights that I can think of now.
The 'German' sound:
Karl Leister (Wurlitzer Clar. - Ens. Wien-Berlin, & recordings of Brahms,
Spohr, Crusell, Mozart on labels Philips, DG, Sony, BIS, Orpheo)
German sound, a bit lightier, very slight vibrato:
Sabine Meyer (Wurlitzer Clar. Mozart, Brahms, Schumann, Strawinsky,
Poulenc Duo,etc. mainly on EMI label - BTW I do not like her
recording the Weber Concerto's, she naturally waves her clarinet
in playing, thus producing a 'multivoice' sound)
her brother, Thomas Meyer, is also equally good, but less active
in recording.
The 'Belgium' sound:
Walter Boeykens (Buffet Crampon, Weber recordings on labels I don't recall
very good chamber musician IMO, heard him more than a few times)
The 'Goodman USA' sound:
Benny Goodman (Selmer Clar. fantastic recordings of Strawinsky's Ebony Conc.
Morton Gould's Derivations for Band, Copland's Concerto, etc.
on label CBS I think)
The 'Swiss' clear sound (although these may be of Germany or Austria):
Thomas Friedli (clar. don't know, very nice recording of Pleyel's
clar. concerto for C-clarinet!)
Eduard Brunner (clar. don't know, Weber concerto's,
Mozart Sinfonia Concertante - label Philips)
The 'new French' sound (something in between of Boeykens and Friedli):
Paul Meyer (not family of Sabine, just starting as soloist, nice
recording of Bruch's duo for Clar., Viola and orchestra)
The 'Dutch' sound:
George Pieterson (Wurlitzer Clar.
in Koninklijk -Royal- Concertgebouw Orchestra:
buy the recordings of Vladimir Ashkenasy conducting KCO in
Rachmaninov's 2nd symphony, 2nd piano concerto, the clar.
solos in the slow movements are amazing!,
IMO his sound is less suited for chamber music)
Henk de Graaf, Sjef Douwes (Wurlitzer Clar. - Rotterdam Philharmonic)
** List far from complete **

I'm sorry the say that I do not know of any internationally known Dutch
soloists, but still the readership may become fans?
- In the south of The Netherlands a lot of players are influenced by
Walter Boeykens, also because of the commercial succes of the Buffet Crampon
clarinets; these instruments are quite good at a more economical price
(around $2500) than the Wurlitzer instruments ($5000), for which you have
to wait something like 3 years to have them custom build.
I use a Buffet clar. with Wurlitzer mouthpiece myself, but hope to buy
a Wurlitzer clar. when I win the lottery :-).
--
And, also following up on a previous quest,

>
>Also, do you vary the mouthpiece and reed hardness depending on the tessitura
>of the work?

I do not vary the mouthpiece, although I may want to, if I have more time
and money to sort out and buy some more of the Wurlitzer series (Yes, I would
stick to this series, because I believe that this is the optimal way for
any varying of mouthpieces). But the reed hardness I use does depends
on the 'tessitura', e.g. Brahms (opus 115, 120) vs. Debussy (Rhapsody), and
also on playing either (1) chamber music, (2) solo or with piano accomp.,
(3) in a symphony orch., (4) in a band, (5) in large or small spaced rooms.
Obvious reasons (for me) for this are the ways the sound (a) fills the room
(b) reaches every listener, I check this before performing.

**************************************************************************
* MIND MUSIC: Intent inwards indulging in Music invokes 'inaudible' *
* 'imageries', initiating infinitely inductive inspirations in your Mind.*
*------------------------------------------------------------------------*

* Maarten van de Velde | Eindhoven University of Technology *

* Assistant Scientist | Division of Medical Electrical Eng. *

* Fax: +31 40 466508 | P.O. Box 513 - 5600 MB EINDHOVEN *
* Internet: ELM...@urc.tue.nl | THE NETHERLANDS *

**************************************************************************

[Maarten van de Velde]

In previous post
>her (Sabine's) brother, Thomas Meyer
... OOPS, should be WOLFGANG Meyer
(sorry to Wolfgang, but anyway, now he'll get the proper attention)

Additions to the list:
The 'nice' 'English' sound:
Antony Pay (I think he plays Boosey & Hawkes,
made very good recordings of Weber concerto's,
and a Mozart that is the most beautiful to me on Basset-clar.)
Andrew Marriner (with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, which I
like not only for their music, but also because my name is
a close translation in Dutch |-) ; actually Andrew did also
study with H. Deinzer in germany, the teacher of the Meyers)
And, if you are interested in such clarinet sounds as Pay's on Basset-clar.:
Eric Hoeprich (still another Dutchman!, is with the 'Orchestra of the
18th Century', made distinguished recordings of Mozart for the
Philips label on a period instrument - newly made of course :-) )

Mind and Ear absorb yesteryear,
when listening to music very clear;
which must to you be really dear,
for new thoughts will too appear.
Maarten van de Velde, ELM...@urc.tue.nl

[Claudia Zornow]

I've been playing on a Borbeck 12 for several years.
I just tried some others, including a Larry Combs,
a Hite, and a Mitchell Lurie. The Combs was the only
one I liked; it sounded about the same as my Borbeck
but it was a little easier to play. Not $60 easier,
though, so I didn't buy it.

I know people who go through constant agonies of
trying mouthpieces; one person I know has 4 different
ones and doesn't like any of them enough to settle on
it. (Sometimes I think that more practicing would help
these people more than additional mouthpieces would!)

I'm starting to dip my toes into the waters of mouthpiece
searching, though, so I'll be eager to see any suggestions
here.

Claudia

[Bitter]

I recently switched to a Mitchell Lurie crystal mouthpiece and I really
like it. My teacher normally does not advise the glass variety, but we
both agreed that this one was a great find. The others I tried were
awful, not at all responsive. Besides darker and less responsive, what
are other characterstics of the glass ones? This one offers a warm and
smooth sound. It seems slightly larger in size. Is there a type of
reed I might try for better results? I'm using the Vandoren V-12's and
my only complaint is the inconsistency (maybe 1 or 2 good in a box).
I've tried Lurie and Queen reeds and I don't care for them.

I still have my B-45 mouthpiece but I like this one better.

I'm starting to look for tuning barrels and would appreciate any
insights. I'm told they can make a big difference, beyond pitch.

Mark
--
Mark Bitter (bit...@allegro.TTI.COM) (310)450-9111 Ext 2425
Citicorp/TTI; 3100 Ocean Park Blvd; Santa Monica, CA 90405

[Claudia Zornow]

There can be a lot of variation among instances of the
"same" mouthpiece. Perhaps this helps explain why some
people are attached to their B45-dot or whatever, and
others scorn the same model.

Claudia

[Claudia Zornow]

> ... BTW, in the previous post C'''' is

> European notation, that would be C7 in American notation. And I get the
> impression that the German/French distinction in clarinet playing doesn't
> exist in the States, is that correct? (I mean the distinction in Boehm/Albert
> system applicature).

I didn't know that there was a consistent American notation!
If anyone knows it, I'd love to see it described.

As far as I know, Americans all learn the Boehm system. There was
an interesting article in "The Clarinet" (magazine) a few years ago
about the difficulties and rewards of switching to Wurlitzer
clarinets for an American-trained clarinetist.

Claudia

[Maarten van de Velde]

In article <6541...@hpcc01.corp.hp.com>, zor...@hpcc01.corp.hp.com (Claudia Zornow) writes:
>> ... BTW, in the previous post C'''' is
>> European notation, that would be C7 in American notation. And I get the
>> impression that the German/French distinction in clarinet playing doesn't
>> exist in the States, is that correct? (I mean the distinction in Boehm/Albert
>> system applicature).
>
> I didn't know that there was a consistent American notation!
> If anyone knows it, I'd love to see it described.

Described in the book "The Science of Sound" by T. Rossing.

>
> As far as I know, Americans all learn the Boehm system. There was
> an interesting article in "The Clarinet" (magazine) a few years ago
> about the difficulties and rewards of switching to Wurlitzer
> clarinets for an American-trained clarinetist.
>

Did it also describe the 'Reform-Boehm' clarinets Wurlitzer makes?
Fingering is the same as on normal Boehm, with a few extra possibilities and
new applicature for instance to improve upon the B'-flat sound.
Almost everyone in the Netherlands that plays Wurlitzer uses this
system. The Boehm system is more generally used here also, so when switching
to Wurlitzer you only need to adjust your embouchure on 'Reform-Boehm'.

--
**************************************************************************

[Tom Ascher]

Speaking of Wurlitzer, any suggestions for those of us in the U.S. on
how to get information, prices on Wurlitzer clarinets, mouthpieces, etc.?
Is there a U.S. office, phone #, address? Thanks.

[Stephen Cranefield]

In article <1993Aug31...@urc.tue.nl> elm...@urc.tue.nl (Maarten van de Velde) writes:

In article <6541...@hpcc01.corp.hp.com>, zor...@hpcc01.corp.hp.com (Claudia Zornow) writes:

> As far as I know, Americans all learn the Boehm system. There was
> an interesting article in "The Clarinet" (magazine) a few years ago
> about the difficulties and rewards of switching to Wurlitzer
> clarinets for an American-trained clarinetist.
>

Did it also describe the 'Reform-Boehm' clarinets Wurlitzer makes?
Fingering is the same as on normal Boehm, with a few extra possibilities and
new applicature for instance to improve upon the B'-flat sound.
Almost everyone in the Netherlands that plays Wurlitzer uses this
system. The Boehm system is more generally used here also, so when switching
to Wurlitzer you only need to adjust your embouchure on 'Reform-Boehm'.

I believe that Yamaha also make German style clarinets with Boehm
fingering -- I saw this mentioned in a catalogue a year ago.

By the way, what on Earth is applicature? I've never heard this term
before.

- Stephen

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stephen Cranefield E-mail: S.Cran...@otago.ac.nz
Artificial Intelligence Laboratory Phone: (+64 3) 479 8588
Department of Computer Science Fax: (+64 3) 479 8529
University of Otago P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, NZ
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Claudia Zornow]

Well, I just bought a Portnoy BP3. When I played long-tone
crescendos on it, I was able to get more volume than on my
Borbeck 12 without spreading the tone too much, and I seemed
to be able to control it fairly well. We'll see whether I
like it enough over time to switch completely.

I continue to be amazed by the variation among supposedly
identical models. I tried three different BP3s, and they
were quite different from each other.

Claudia

[Steven Popper]

At last! There was mention in a recent post about the magazine "Clarinet".
I had heard of this and have been trying to find out more about where it
may be acquired, but without success. Even my clarinet teacher, with the
LA Philharmonic, has heard of it but has not seen it. Could anyone forward
information about the magazine, how one subscribes, and where it might be
possible to find back issues to look through? Thanks in advance.

Steven Popper
RAND Corporation
e-mail: swpo...@monty.rand.org

[Mark A. Theobald]

In article <260sbc$a...@swift.rand.org> swpo...@swift.rand.org (Steven Popper) writes:
>At last! There was mention in a recent post about the magazine "Clarinet".
>I had heard of this and have been trying to find out more about where it
>may be acquired, but without success. Even my clarinet teacher, with the
>LA Philharmonic, has heard of it but has not seen it. Could anyone forward
>information about the magazine, how one subscribes, and where it might be
>possible to find back issues to look through? Thanks in advance.

Try contacting the International Clarinet Society, P.O. Box 7683,
Shwanee Mission, KS 66207-0683.
--
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Mark Theobald - Marimba, Vibraharp, & Electric Bass

0 0 "Radio stations, taken over by the Government, 0 0
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1 2 in Guatemala... 3 4

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[edgar pearlstein]

If you want to know about a periodical, go to your library and ask.
Librarians can find the information, and in my experience they are
always delighted to help.
.

[Tom Ascher]

Re Clarinet Magazine. Please post to the net information on how to
obtain/subscribe as I suspect there are others of us interested!

[Charles Evans]

I've played clarinet for abotu 12 years now.. my B-45 is still going strong.
I've tried a few others.., experimented with 4 or 5 others, fits my mouth
the best.. i switch between Mitchell Lurie reeds, Vandorans and my handmades.

ML's usually do best for me.. on a 4 1/2 or 5. I project very well
people say i have a nice darrrrk German sound.. i guess that is good

--
___ _ _ ___ _ __ ce...@ra.msstate.edu
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| \ |__| | \| o o o |__/ | | \ |__ o o o . . .