I thought I would give an insight into my mouthpiece testing, or swapping as it may be. I'll be play testing a ton of my mpcs - picking which ones to sell in the near future; customers mouthpieces; or trials, so I thought would give an idea of what I thought of them
My 3 primary clarinets are
[1] Selmer Centered Tone
[2] Leblanc LL, and
[3] BUffet R13 - 1955 models
Primary ligatures: Rovner dark, BG Revelation, Vandoren Optimum w/top and bottom traversing ridges
I should also mention, when optional I always tend to get the traditional pitched mpcs - tuned to 440
There are days when everything sounds the same. And other days when it's a clear black & white difference. So, I guess I have to be in the right mood to interprete mpc tonal characteristics. So, my definitions may change day to day, and my "best" mpc may change. Maybe it's the humidity ? or the wind?
WHAT TONAL QUALITIES AM I AFTER ?
my Selmer CT is my jazz clarinet. I'm normally after a nice clear tone that can cut through a jazz ensemble. It must be able to handle a wide variety of dynamics and alot of air pressure without feeling like it has too much resistance (ie, can't shove a tone of air into it).
On mY Leblanc LL, this is my most variable instrument. I don't have a particular tonal quality I prefer from it but I prefer more of the complex tonal qualities from better mouthpieces. On more symphonic mouthpieces I'll tend to migrate towards the harder Vandorens, like traditional 4s or 3.5s as the harder reed helps in intonation and a good full, woody tone.
Buffet R-13. Here I'm looking for that certain R-13 ring that is mostly accustomed to the mid 1960s R13s. Okay, mine is a 1955 model so I'm looking for a nice ring and an elegant and smooth tonal quality.
RATING
I'l put a ranking of each mouthpiece per my taste of A, B or C for each of my instruments.
A being top pick. Good complex tone, ease of range on the clarinet, good response, player friendly. Though a clear tone may be needed/wanted in certain settings.
B - a good pick - nearly the same as A except lacking in a complex tone. So more clear of a tone. maybe the response is not as fast, but easily overcomeable by practice. Basically, a very good mpc just a minor lacking in one or two areas.
C - it doesn't match well to that particular instrument (or me). Maybe be deficit in a few areas
D - off to the drawer
CATEGORIES
We understand that mouthpieces may not be best suitable for a particular genre. Thus in my ratings I will also provide a category of the general type of music that a mouthpiece may be suited for.
S - Soloist (Classical type)
O - Orchestra, or large group
C - Chamber or small ensemble
G - General playing, concert bands etc
J - Jazz
MOUTHPIECE CATAGORY - I may rank a Student Mouthpiece differently than a Professional mpc. based on tonal qualities and price and the overall value received.
Student - student mouthpiece (NOTE: an A in the Student category isn't an A in Professional)
Professional - professional mouthpieces
DEFINITIONS
LH - Left Hand
RH - Right Hand
mpc - mouthpiece
Response - does the mpc respond well, allow notes to change quickly.
Dynamics - the ability to easily crescendo without too much resistance.
Resistance - the "push" back a mouthpiece gives are you blow air into it. As you increase dynamics on a small tip it becomes increasingly more difficult to push more and more air through. As some point your eyes may pop out.
H Frame - This is in reference to the design of the throat. If you look into the round end you will see the throat. A "H" frame is simply parallel walls.
A Frame - (see H frame for more info) Throat walls that are not parallel. Usually the top is closer than the bottom which may span out. The more it spans the less centered the tone is (more spread) and the core tone gets more washed out as it spreads more.
Reeds
I don't use very many types of reeds. I use 3 primary reed types:
[1] Vandoren purple box. These are not made anymore and are from the 1970s- 1980s. I'm not sure when the Blue box (Traditionals) came out but I have plenty of purple box reeds. They come in Medium, Medium Hard, Hard categories. But for simplicity I'll use the 3, 3.5, 4 etc numbering system
[2] Vandoren Traditional (Blue Box) reeds. These are the standard current production reeds from Vandoren.
[3] Mitchell Lauries Reeds. These are a Rico brand. They are sometimes considered a premium student line of reeds. They tend to be on the soft side and (for me) are good to pick up and play. After they start retaining moisture they tend to lose their tone and get thin sounding. But overall a very nice reed.
I have a few other reeds laying around - Superials, Vandoren 56s etc and will only use these to find a better response or tone reed for a particular mouthpiece.
I'll use "Vandy" for Vandoren and "ML" for Mitchell Laurie in my writeups.
MOUTHPIECES
I try to make sure the mpc is an original facing mpc. No alterations or other modifications. For vintage mpcs, that is quite hard. Luckily alot of my mpcs were obtained years ago but over the years you never know if a good refacer did an exceptional job at making it look like a factory job.
RANGES OF THE CLARINET
Chalumeau - this is the lowest range, from low E to mid Bb. It contains what is called the "throat" tones or the two top keys, the Ab/G# and A keys, which are often quite weak sounding on the clarinet (some teachers also includes everything from F# on up as throat tones). These keys normally are also called the "break" area as it take quite some practice to be good going up and down the break.
Clarion - This is the midrange of the clarinet, from mid B to 2 lines above the staff to high C.
Altissimo - starts at high C# and goes on up as much as you can stand it.
for a good fingering chart go to here
http://www.wfg.woodwind.org/clarinet/
My 3 primary clarinets are
[1] Selmer Centered Tone
[2] Leblanc LL, and
[3] BUffet R13 - 1955 models
Primary ligatures: Rovner dark, BG Revelation, Vandoren Optimum w/top and bottom traversing ridges
I should also mention, when optional I always tend to get the traditional pitched mpcs - tuned to 440
There are days when everything sounds the same. And other days when it's a clear black & white difference. So, I guess I have to be in the right mood to interprete mpc tonal characteristics. So, my definitions may change day to day, and my "best" mpc may change. Maybe it's the humidity ? or the wind?
WHAT TONAL QUALITIES AM I AFTER ?
my Selmer CT is my jazz clarinet. I'm normally after a nice clear tone that can cut through a jazz ensemble. It must be able to handle a wide variety of dynamics and alot of air pressure without feeling like it has too much resistance (ie, can't shove a tone of air into it).
On mY Leblanc LL, this is my most variable instrument. I don't have a particular tonal quality I prefer from it but I prefer more of the complex tonal qualities from better mouthpieces. On more symphonic mouthpieces I'll tend to migrate towards the harder Vandorens, like traditional 4s or 3.5s as the harder reed helps in intonation and a good full, woody tone.
Buffet R-13. Here I'm looking for that certain R-13 ring that is mostly accustomed to the mid 1960s R13s. Okay, mine is a 1955 model so I'm looking for a nice ring and an elegant and smooth tonal quality.
RATING
I'l put a ranking of each mouthpiece per my taste of A, B or C for each of my instruments.
A being top pick. Good complex tone, ease of range on the clarinet, good response, player friendly. Though a clear tone may be needed/wanted in certain settings.
B - a good pick - nearly the same as A except lacking in a complex tone. So more clear of a tone. maybe the response is not as fast, but easily overcomeable by practice. Basically, a very good mpc just a minor lacking in one or two areas.
C - it doesn't match well to that particular instrument (or me). Maybe be deficit in a few areas
D - off to the drawer
CATEGORIES
We understand that mouthpieces may not be best suitable for a particular genre. Thus in my ratings I will also provide a category of the general type of music that a mouthpiece may be suited for.
S - Soloist (Classical type)
O - Orchestra, or large group
C - Chamber or small ensemble
G - General playing, concert bands etc
J - Jazz
MOUTHPIECE CATAGORY - I may rank a Student Mouthpiece differently than a Professional mpc. based on tonal qualities and price and the overall value received.
Student - student mouthpiece (NOTE: an A in the Student category isn't an A in Professional)
Professional - professional mouthpieces
DEFINITIONS
LH - Left Hand
RH - Right Hand
mpc - mouthpiece
Response - does the mpc respond well, allow notes to change quickly.
Dynamics - the ability to easily crescendo without too much resistance.
Resistance - the "push" back a mouthpiece gives are you blow air into it. As you increase dynamics on a small tip it becomes increasingly more difficult to push more and more air through. As some point your eyes may pop out.
H Frame - This is in reference to the design of the throat. If you look into the round end you will see the throat. A "H" frame is simply parallel walls.
A Frame - (see H frame for more info) Throat walls that are not parallel. Usually the top is closer than the bottom which may span out. The more it spans the less centered the tone is (more spread) and the core tone gets more washed out as it spreads more.
Reeds
I don't use very many types of reeds. I use 3 primary reed types:
[1] Vandoren purple box. These are not made anymore and are from the 1970s- 1980s. I'm not sure when the Blue box (Traditionals) came out but I have plenty of purple box reeds. They come in Medium, Medium Hard, Hard categories. But for simplicity I'll use the 3, 3.5, 4 etc numbering system
[2] Vandoren Traditional (Blue Box) reeds. These are the standard current production reeds from Vandoren.
[3] Mitchell Lauries Reeds. These are a Rico brand. They are sometimes considered a premium student line of reeds. They tend to be on the soft side and (for me) are good to pick up and play. After they start retaining moisture they tend to lose their tone and get thin sounding. But overall a very nice reed.
I have a few other reeds laying around - Superials, Vandoren 56s etc and will only use these to find a better response or tone reed for a particular mouthpiece.
I'll use "Vandy" for Vandoren and "ML" for Mitchell Laurie in my writeups.
MOUTHPIECES
I try to make sure the mpc is an original facing mpc. No alterations or other modifications. For vintage mpcs, that is quite hard. Luckily alot of my mpcs were obtained years ago but over the years you never know if a good refacer did an exceptional job at making it look like a factory job.
RANGES OF THE CLARINET
Chalumeau - this is the lowest range, from low E to mid Bb. It contains what is called the "throat" tones or the two top keys, the Ab/G# and A keys, which are often quite weak sounding on the clarinet (some teachers also includes everything from F# on up as throat tones). These keys normally are also called the "break" area as it take quite some practice to be good going up and down the break.
Clarion - This is the midrange of the clarinet, from mid B to 2 lines above the staff to high C.
Altissimo - starts at high C# and goes on up as much as you can stand it.
for a good fingering chart go to here
http://www.wfg.woodwind.org/clarinet/