[Dixielandjazz] Clarinet Question

Mon Sep 17 11:48:48 PDT 2007

I have never heard Sidney Bechet on Clarinet only Soprano Sax.

I don't know if you are interested in trying to sound like them or not.

I have been asked this question a lot of times about my mouthpiece / reed / 
horn by other players.  It's not a bad one as a starting point BUT unless 
you have the same facial structure, oral structure, ear and tonal concept of 
a player you will not sound like that player.

Mouthpieces, reeds, and horns are a lot like tooth brushes.  Very 
individual.  What works for me may not be a good fit for you.

While I was in the AF there was a tenor player that I wanted to sound like 
more than anything.  It just so happened that we had identical instruments, 
mouthpieces and reeds.  Why didn't I sound like him?  You just have to fall 
back on that facial structure, etc. and tonal concepts of the player just 
make it more than a mechanical thing.

Does the mouthpiece / horn combination make a difference?  Yes but not as 
much as you might think.  You can't buy a sound.

I think, at least on woodwinds, there are a lot of variables.  There are 
hundreds of different mouthpieces and many combinations with each brand. 
Couple that with slight differences of individual instruments of the same 
brand you end up with not the same thing.

Another important consideration is your strength level.  On tenor I play on 
a Wolf Tayne 8 (they made a 9) which is a very open mouthpiece.  I use a 3 
1/2 Rico Royal and my Tenor is a Conn 10M which is a fairly large bore horn. 
This combination is definitely not for a beginner and is a killer for the 
average player.  It takes chops and a lot of air but is capable of a much 
wider volume range and intonation can be controlled much better.   I tried 
and play on a Soprano mouthpiece recommended by a friend of mine who is a 
fantastic pro player.  It damned near killed me when I first started playing 
it.  I can now play it but it was a trauma for awhile.  We are playing on an 
almost identical set up but he sounds a little different from me.

Another thing about mouthpieces and reeds is that what is good now may not 
be good a couple of years from now.  I have out grown my Alto mouthpiece and 
I need to try some others.  Because I'm not primarily an Alto player I took 
the recommendation of another player and bought a Meyer 5.  It's a good 
intermediate mouthpiece but is a little wimpy.

I also played Oboe for many years.  On that instrument facial structure, 
oral cavity, correct embouchure, tonal concept, breath support and 
incredible facial strength make all the difference in good tone and overall 
sound.

That's my opinion based on playing a lot of horns, trying mouthpieces, 
trying to sound like someone else and failing, having people try to sound 
like me and failing along with a lot of years playing.  All of these things 
are also true of the clarinet too.  I just try to make the best, in tune, 
sound I can.
Larry
St. Louis
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Jeffmatthews111 at aol.com>
To: "Larry Walton" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Saturday, September 15, 2007 5:00 AM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Clarinet Question

> Hello,
>
> I am interested to know if there is information on the make of clarinet 
> and
> mouthpiece set up used by Sidney Bechet, Bobby Gordon and Archie Semple. 
> Any
> Ideas?
>
> Thank you.
>
> Jeff Matthews
>
>
>
>
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