Hi everyone,

I just wanted to tell everyone all about my Luv hate relationship with my beautiful ugly, magnificent dingy Clarinet.
I think all musicians are like this. You play your instrument well and you love it and to you its the best thing in the world.But when it goes wrong you hate it and question why you started in the first place.
But I think to me, I will always love my clarinet (yes, even on those days where I hate it)!
I think that when it comes to applying for universities the fact that, not only can i play the clarinet but I can also play as part of an orchestra (the on thing most people who play in an orchestra for the first time will realise is, its not as easy as it looks!)

But no one has replied to my last post (I sent it as miss_sunshine1 because I couldnt be bothered to log in!) So I am still very stuck about what to do on my grade 3 pieces and scales.

kate
[color:"purple"] [/color] xxx

I don't know... This coming year I'm going to be playing grade 5&6 music in band this year in 8th grade!!! Anyway, I need help! My mouthpiece isn't faring too well, and I can barely play. It is a Woodwind Company USA K 1OM. I have a wooden LeBlanc Noblet Clarinet. Any reccomendations on a new mouthpiece?

I've been using a Vandoren V45 mouthpiece, which has served me well. The best thing to do would be ask your band director (or your private teacher) to help in the choosing. My teacher ordered a bunch of different mouthpieces, and I tried them all. The one I liked best was the Vandoren, and the rest were sent back. It's definately a good idea to try different ones before settling on one.

Has anyone ever played on a crystal mouthpiece? If so, What did you think?

I agree with Chris's comment about trying different mouthpieces. When I was in high school (a long time ago) the Vandoren B45 was considered a good intermediate choice that worked for a lot of players. I played on one of those for a while and liked it o.k., I played a selmer HS* that I liked too. I'm using a handmade Pyne mouthpiece now. I tried about a half dozen of these before I found one I liked. I've seen some mail order catalogs that will let you try and return mouthpieces, if you don't have a teacher that has some for you to try.

I've tried a crystal mouthpiece and didn't like it. It gives a very bright tone. Might be good for jazz, but not suitable for anything else.

Also, before you invest a lot in a new mouthpiece, you might want to reconsider your ligature and reed combination, they can make a big difference.

- sandy

Ligatures...

Forgive me for not remembering the exact names... but when I got my Vandoren mouthpiece, I also got a Bonade ligature (it looked like a reverse from the standard ligature with two vertical bars traveling the length of the reed). I really liked it.

Last year, a buddy of mine (who I'm trying to convince to visit this board) loaned me a Rovner ligature (made out of Kevlar or something crazy like that). I really like this ligature, the idea is that it provides an even ammount of pressure on the reed, allowing it to vibrate more naturally... Anyway, I've had alot of luck with it and have gotten one for the Tenor sax as well.

*plink* *plink*

i have played on a crystal mothpiece and it is great for hitting both high and low notes they are very expensive but well worth the money.