How much does the mouthpiece affect the tone of the instument?

Question

I have always wondered, would a nice mouthpiece compensate for the tone of a crappy model of instrument or vice versa? Does the combination of both really matter? I have been playing clarinet for about 4 1/2 years now and my teacher says that I have a tone that is just as good or even better than his students with pro models. Is it within the player of the instrument who creates great tone? Now keep in mind, my clarinet is only $175. I eventually want to get a better clarinet&mouthpiece but a new mouthpiece will do. How about reeds? Right now I'm using 2's just fine. 3's are still tough on me. Can someone help???

Answer 1

Yes it would. I have played on a 24k gold bari sax mouthpiece  and it sounded horrible. It had no tone, and I was afraid to drop it. However when I got a Hard rubber bari sax mouthpiece it sounded very compelling. It also depends on size as well.

First off, you need to know what tip opening you like. The bigger the tip opening, the more air you need. It barely affects tone though.

Secondly, what facing do you prefer? The facing is a curved section that leaves the flat table and continues to the tip of the mouthpiece. The length of a facing - defined as the distance from the tip of the mouthpiece to the point where the reed and mouthpiece meet - can vary. Different facing lengths have different response properties.

The combination of both really does matter. The type of material a clarinet is made of normally made of plastic, resin, and metal. The most expensive type of clarinet is a Resin clarinet. The material is called "Resonite" which is basically a high quality plastic. Resin clarinet's will give you some of the best tone you will ever hear. And, yes, the mouthpiece matters as well. Different facings can give you a different tone.

It is, and it isn't the player who creates the tone. Like any other instrument, there is a certain part of your body where the instrument needs support in, For the clarinet is the mouth and hands. You can give a different sound to a clarinet by your air flow. But it is mainly the instrument that is giving you the tone. A $175 clarinet is not that great, but your clarinet might have been made on a Tuesday, so that's probably why you have a good one.

Reeds are another issue. You see, sizes of the reed only vary due to their thickness. The thicker the reed, the higher you can play. The softer the reed, the lower you can play. On my bari sax, I use a 1 1/2, mainly because I like to play low, and all of the parts I play require low B flats.

Although since you are using a clarinet I'd recommend a 3.

Hope this helped!

-Nakayama AKira

Answer 2

Well, really it's the whole setup.  A lot of it has to do with your equipment (mouthpiece, horn, etc...), and some of it is your embochure.

A pro model clarinet and mouthpiece will still sound like a dying duck if you give it to a 6 year old, or you could hand a cheap plastic Armstrong or Bundy to someone like Eddie Daniels and it would be spectacular.

So that being said, if you are getting a great tone with a plastic clarinet, imagine how great it will be if you upgrade at some point!

With mouthpieces, it is really dependent on you.  Some will tell you that certain ones are better than others, or that it's no good unless it costs you almost as much as your clarinet... but nobody elses mouth is built like yours, and I don't believe that one set up is better than any other.

As far as which reeds and which strengths to use, depends on a couple things... a mouthpiece with a narrow facing will require a different reed than a mouthpiece with a wide facing, for example.  And generally, a harder reed will help you get a better tone and pop out those crazy high notes that only dogs can hear! LOL  -BUT there is also too hard... if it is hard to play, or if you are using tons of air and pressure but nothing is coming out, you are working too hard and need to go to a softer reed.

There is a difference in strengths with which brand of reeds you use.  For example: Vandoren 2, Mitchell Laurie 2.5, and Rico 3, are all about the same strength.  This isn't always the case, but generally you can count on this being true.  If you want to push yourself to a slightly harder reed (to get a richer tone or work on your higher ocatves), try going to a 2.5 or switching brands.  

Personally, I use a Buffet R13 (as most pros do), but I also LOVE the Selmer Signature.  I have 2 mouthpieces: one is just a generic blank (E15, I think?) that cost me $20.  The other was handmade for me by a guy named Clark Fobes (ask your teacher) and cost me $225.  I use Vandoren 3-3.5, depending on where I am (in Denver I need a slightly stronger reed than in Chicago- humidity and elevation influence this!).  If I'm playing a lot of jazz charts, sometimes I'll use a 2.5 or switch to a Rico... the tone needs to be different than for classical, and for me it's just easier to switch reeds than embochure (I'm a doubler, so I have enough embochure issues, lol).  Also, I have a few different ligatures, including a Rovner Dark (leather), a Mitchel Laurie Reverse Springboard, and a plastic Gigliotti... they all do neat things to the tone.

My advise to you would be to take your horn into your local music shop, and ask to try differnt mouthpieces and ligatures... You may find that no matter what set up you use, you sound great, or you may find that you are utterly dependent on that little piece of plastic between your lips... either way, it's good to know!  You can learn a lot about what makes a mouthpiece work for you, and learn more about what makes you sound like you!

I hope this info was helpful... happy playing!

EDIT:  There are not many metal clarinets left... there is only one company (ORSI, in Italy) that has made them since 1944.  ABS plastic took its place, and has since been reformulated into Resonite.  While this IS a great plastic, with good resonance, clear tone, etc... the high end clarinets (most intermediate models and all pro models) are ALL made of Grenadilla wood or Rosewood.  THESE are the ones that give that great, unparalleled clarinet tone!  Buffet recently released a "Green" version, with recycled plastics and woods... but they still don't give the quality of tone that the Grenadilla ones do!

Answer 3

As suggested above it is the setup of your clarinet/ reed./ mouthpiece plus your spefic embouchute combination!!! A Lot of professional players can get a great sound on a dodgy instrument by changing their embouchure slightly!! You may want to experiment with different reed brands before you buy a new clarinet or mouthpiece! Or if you or your teacher are happy with your tone leave it as is!

Answer 4

It isn't the reeds or the mouthpiece.. But it is the embouchure that you are using on a clarinet. I play the clarinet (2 years) and my teacher told me that the mouthpiece and the reeds do not matter but it is the embouchure. But if you are looking for good quality reeds, try La Vaz Medium- Hard (perfect for beginner-advanced.)