Q & A with Brad Behn

Brad is the owner of Behn Mouthpieces International and creator of the Behn Vintage Collection

HISTORY

Q: How long have you been making mouthpieces?
A: I started out refacing mouthpieces in 1992 and a couple of years later, I began re-crafting Zinner blanks, but in the spring of 2005 for the Vintage Collection I began making mouthpieces from the ground-up.

THE VINTAGE COLLECTION

Q: Why did you decide to create The Vintage Collection?
A:  I vividly remember the first time I heard a Kaspar mouthpiece.  It was an eye opening experience.  The artistry of the person who owned it was extraordinary and I am sure that he would have sounded beautiful on any mouthpiece, but on that Kaspar there was something in his sound that was extra special.  I became intrigued. 

I remember playing Bruckner’s 4th symphony in a church with very live acoustics.  Before the concert, we were warming up and due to the boomy acoustics my sound on a modern mouthpiece seemed to disappear, whereas the other clarinetist’s sound on a Kaspar clearly projected over the orchestra and into the audience.  It was an effortless tone without unnecessary bulk or huskiness.  It was full-bodied, but it was lean and flexible too…much like a beautiful ballet dancer.

At that time in my career, in an attempt to improve my playing experience, I was playing on handmade reeds but I did not have a fine vintage mouthpiece yet. Unfortunately it seemed that no matter what I did with reeds, I was always seeking something that could not be attained. If I made my reeds comfortable and responsive, the sound would become thin and buzzy. If I made my reeds hard and resistant, my sound did improve somewhat. Not ideal, but in my quest for the elusive Kaspar sound I made my reeds harder than I should have. Because my mouthpiece couldn't get the sound I was seeking, I ended up crafting the sound into the reed. Unfortunately this led me down the dangerous path of playing resistant reeds with a bite and blow style of embouchure, and worse I lacked the flexibility and ring that was so easy on the Kaspar. 

Later, I became so intrigued about the effects a mouthpiece has over ones sound that I started refacing my own mouthpieces.  It was a personal quest to find a better playing experience.  I had the opportunity to learn first hand the causes and effects of mouthpiece design and improve my clarinetistry along the way.  Eventually I learned how to effortlessly produce my concept of sound using easy playing reeds on a very old Selmer mouthpiece.

Over time, I began adjusting other clarinetist’s mouthpieces and made many good friends along the way.  One of my most profound experiences was when I had the opportunity to play on a client’s Henri Chedeville mouthpiece.  I could not believe the extraordinary influence over my sound and over my playing experience that special mouthpiece had.  At that moment, I knew I had to attempt my dream…to make a mouthpiece from that same great material.

So to answer the question directly, I decided to make Vintage Collection mouthpieces for personal reasons.  I wanted to reproduce the incredible playing experience I had on that great Chedeville.  I wanted to make a great mouthpiece for me to play on.

When I began R&D for the Vintage Collection mouthpiece project, I felt that although there were many different mouthpiece designs being made, there were not many choices with respect to material. New York Hamburg is a rubber company in Germany. They together with JJ Babbit in Indiana manufacture the materials from which all other hard rubber mouthpieces are currently made. My concept was to produce handmade clarinet mouthpieces, designed from the ground-up, that are made from my own proprietary rubber rod.  The only way I could do this and maintain complete control over my material's acoustics was to go outside the normal process.  The Vintage Collection comes from a rubber tradition that is long lost in today’s modern world of high volume, and low cost manufacturing.  We had to make our hard rubber in a new way…just like they used to.

Q: How are your mouthpieces made?
A: Entirely made in the USA, we are in control of every facet of mouthpiece design and manufacturing. There are three general parts to the mouthpiece manufacturing process. First, the material must be of the highest quality. We determined that the only way that we could be in complete control of the hard rubber is to make our own. Second, CNC machining of the rubber rods gives us precision and flexibility. If needed, we could make adjustments to the shape or design of our mouthpieces with greater ease and speed. This was very helpful during the prototype development stages of our mouthpiece project. A molded mouthpiece as differing from a machined one still requires a great deal of handwork just to fashion it into a blank. Typically, the results of molding are an inconsistent product with flaws. CNC manufacturing costs much more, but the results are superior. Third, handcrafted precise finish work is necessary to achieve professional results, so I finish each mouthpiece by hand.

Q: What do your Vintage mouthpieces sound like?
A: Our mouthpieces possess a sweet, resonant, and deep voice. Clarinetists seeking a very dark and covered sound may be surprised by our proprietary rubber's resonance and clarity, but if a sweet, ringing, and focused sound with lots of depth, and character are important to you, I think you will be very pleased.

Q: Kaspar mouthpieces seem to be rare and popular. Why not copy the Kaspar instead of the Chedeville?
A: I believe Kaspar mouthpieces can be excellent, but in our quest to manufacture the best mouthpiece possible, we set out to reproduce the greatest rubber ever made. The Chedeville Company has been around for many years and made their best mouthpieces long before Kaspar mouthpieces became popular. Kaspar actually used later vintage Chedeville blanks to craft many of his fine mouthpieces. Upon discovering the secret to the great rubber of the oldest Chedeville mouthpieces, we then set out to design a variety of mouthpiece shapes and styles. We actually offer a Kaspar inspired mouthpiece in the Behn Vintage Collection.

Q: There are many clarinet mouthpiece makers out there right now. What makes Behn Vintage Collection mouthpieces unique?
A: Pairing our distinctive designs with Behn proprietary rubber, our mouthpieces celebrate a new level of resonance. I also invest great effort in my hand finishing process. I feel very strongly that it is important to make a beautiful sounding mouthpiece, and also an artistically crafted mouthpiece. It means a lot to me when my customers notice the detail of my finish because I personally handcraft each mouthpiece and take great effort to make it beautiful.

Q: What are the tuning characteristics of Behn Vintage Collection mouthpieces?
A: All of our mouthpieces are designed to play slightly higher than A440 with stock barrels. This allows all clarinetists to find a solution. If you need to play lower the solution is to either pull out or play on a longer barrel. If you need to play higher, our mouthpieces should work fine with your stock barrel. Additionally, we have designed our mouthpiece's bores and chambers to improve the problem areas of clarinet intonation. The typically wide twelfths are improved as our mouthpiece’s tuning ratios are corrected.

Q: I have not had the opportunity to play on great vintage mouthpieces. What are the differences between the “old greats” and contemporary mouthpieces?
A: Although there have been many different designs through the years, the primary difference is in the material. The fine rubber produced almost a hundred years ago is what made the old vintage mouthpieces sound so good. What you, the player, would experience is a combination of improved feel and sound. The feel of the playing experience allows for a new freedom to express your musical ideas. The sound is sweet and full of life and resonance.

Q: It seems that your rubber would have a positive effect on other products as well. Do you make Eb and Bass Clarinet mouthpieces in the Behn Vintage Collection?
A: Currently we offer an assortment of Bb clarinet mouthpieces. In the future, we will offer Eb and Bass clarinet mouthpieces.

Q: I have seen CNC machined products with a rough finish. Do your mouthpieces have a rough finish too?
A: Our mouthpieces come to you with a satin finished body, and their facings, chambers, and bores are all hand applied under scrutiny. Please note however that surfice texture influences a mouthpiece's playability and so we we vary the level of interior smoothness on an individual basis to accommodate each mouthpiece's design parameters.

Q: Other mouthpiece makers claim to have copied the Chedeville design, but you seem to feel that the Chedeville design is not perfect. Why do you feel it is important to change the design of such a highly sought after mouthpiece?
A: In designing Vintage Collection mouthpieces shape, measurements and geometry, I had to make important decisions. Should I make the throat narrower, baffle deeper, body smaller, or should I simply copy my Henri Chedeville? I have seen many great old Chedeville mouthpieces and no two measure the same. When determining our designs, each and every angle or measurement had to have a reason. Why is the beak angle such and why is the radius of the baffle so? In analyzing my Henri Chedeville, I determined that not every measurement was optimum. It became clear to me that many, perhaps most of the mouthpieces ever made, have some compromised measurements or geometry. So, in the end, I decided to put my knowledge, concepts and experience to task and not only recreate my Henri Chedeville, but attempt to improve it. I still can’t believe it. It was daring, but the rewards proved well worth the extra efforts.

Q: How do your mouthpiece designs differ from other makers?
A: We made our Vintage Collection designs to enhance the natural resonance characteristics of our proprietary rubber. Even though I have confidence in what works best for me, I am fully aware that there are many differing styles of execution. How I poise my sound may differ greatly from that of someone else. As my personal choice is certainly available here in the Behn Vintage Collection, we also offer a variety of models to better serve the varying styles and preferences of the clarinet community. At the core of all of these designs is the material. Our proprietary rubber is available only in the Behn Vintage Collection.

Q: Why are your Vintage Collection mouthpieces so expensive?
A: My goal has always been to make the best mouthpieces I can make. Unfortunately, good things don’t come cheap. Actually, the price for Vintage mouthpieces is not so bad, when factoring in the cost of production. But this is a labor of love, and as I am a musician, perhaps my business sense has taken a back seat to my artistic sense. I am very proud of what we have accomplished…it is expensive, but it is worth it. We also have three other lines at very affordable prices listed on our other website behnmouthpieces.com.

CONCEPT & DESIGN

Q: What type of mouthpiece facing and chamber do you personally prefer?
A: My preferred mouthpiece design is to utilize our proprietary rubber with a combination of standard to higher baffle shape with a narrow throat resulting in a resonant and focused sound. Blend this with a close tip opening, long beak, medium long lay, and balanced rails and you will find something that works very well with my preferred style of reeds and tonal concept. We offer this style of mouthpiece in The Vintage Collection as well as other models to suite differing concepts and playing styles.

Q: I noticed in your bio that your playing experience is primarily orchestral. Do you make mouthpieces for other types of music?
A: We offer mouthpieces in a variety of styles to give clarinetists of all types of backgrounds the selection necessary to find their ideal match. We also have a special order program that allows you to make certain requests to accommodate the specific style of music that you play or to request a custom facing. Just call 801-867-4335 or email: bradbehn@hotmail.com so we can discuss your needs and work together to create the ideal representation of your concept.

Q: You observe that classic mouthpieces often had "important design flaws," can you elaborate on this?
A: When creating our designs we wanted to fix the problem areas of the most highly sought after mouthpieces. 

Kaspar mouthpieces in general had bores that were too conically shaped and too big at the exit.  This results in less than satisfactory intonational characteristics as the twelfths would become too wide and the overall pitch of the mouthpiece would require much more maintenance from the player.   Additionally they were typically made quite small and this would require the player to use longer barrels to play in tune.

Chedeville mouthpieces often had chambers that were too big.  Although beautifully rendered, their chamber volume combined with their rather large bore would often create a pitch level that was too low and a sound that was slightly washed out.  Even though the best designs made in the golden years used a very special hard rubber formula, they were frequently unable to realize the resonant potential of their hard rubber.  But sometimes a great (anomalous) design slipped through and It had a beautiful chamber and perfect bore. This very rare Chedeville would become an exceptional mouthpiece.

We decided to make our exit bores smaller than many Kaspar designs and we decided to make our chambers smaller than many Chedeville designs.  Additionally we created four different models to create more options for the clarinet community.

Q: Mouthpiece makers often describe a Chedeville chamber and a Kaspar chamber. What is the difference?
A: Generally speaking, Charles Chedeville chambers tended to be large and had a deep double concave baffle and a wider throat. Kaspar mouthpieces had chambers with a smaller total volume and when compared to many Ch. Chedevilles, Kaspar mouthpieces had baffles that were not as deep, did not have as extreme double concavity and had narrower throats. Henri Chedevilles had a variety of throat dimensions and were made with either deep or high baffles, but in my opinion, the best Henri Chedeville mouthpieces were made with narrow throats and had baffles that were not very deep.

It is important to note that the Chedeville Company made mouthpiece blanks for many different people including cousins Henri and Charles Chedeville. Later, Kaspar, Bundy, Buffet, and countless other mouthpiece remanufactures used their blanks. So, when comparing the differences, keep in mind the era from which it was made and the craftsman or company that remanufactured it. For instance, the Goldbeck Company made mouthpieces from rubber rod, but they also used pre made blanks from the Chedeville Company. Those Chedeville made Goldbeck mouthpieces were exceptionally good. Later, when Kaspar acquired the Goldbeck Company, he used Chedeville blanks. But the blanks made by the Chedeville company in the 50’s and 60’s were very different than the blanks Chedeville made in the 30’s. Perhaps one of the reasons Kaspar mouthpieces are thought to have smaller chamber dimensions is not because Kaspar wanted to make them small, but because he was using what was available at the time. Incidentally, Kaspar used blanks from Riffault, Lelandais, and J.J. Babbitt as well. I have even seen a Frank L. Kaspar Eb clarinet mouthpiece that had the Selmer logo still visible. Many of the blanks Kaspar used were actually readily available mouthpieces such as Lelandais, Buffet, Evette, Selmer, Fischer, and Riffault that he turned down on the lathe to remove the trademark. Have you ever wondered why many Kaspar mouthpieces were made so small? In the 70’s Kaspar used Babbitt blanks, but those are considered to be not as good as his previous French made blanks.

It is also worth noting that there were two Kaspars. Frank L. Kaspar was the elder and Frank Kaspar was the younger. So, when comparing Kaspar mouthpieces, it is well advised to keep in mind who did the work and when it may have been made. Although it may seem like the Kaspars only reworked mouthpiece blanks, I have seen a few Chicago Kaspars that were made from rubber rod. They were made by Frank L. Kaspar and sounded beautiful and of particular interest is that these mouthpieces were not produced with a deep baffle.

As you can see, both Chedeville and Kaspar mouthpieces were around for many years and had a wide variety of designs and material formulae. For the purposes of the Vintage Collection, we used the very best vintage rubber of the thirties as the basis of our material. With respect to our designs, they are inspired by our favorite mouthpieces of the past but modified to further improve resonance, tuning, and tonal characteristics.

Q: Some mouthpieces seem resistant and others seem very free blowing. Which is better?
A: The answer is entirely up to you and your reed style. Clarinetists often prefer a free mouthpiece because they may play on reeds that are very hard. This results in the need to play on a free blowing mouthpiece to compensate for their reeds unnecessary stiffness. Others simply put a lot of air through the mouthpiece and in order for the reed to hold-up they need to play harder reeds. The danger is that if a mouthpiece becomes too free, it no longer serves the role of helping produce a quality sound. We believe one is best served by playing a mouthpiece with a moderate amount of working resistance paired with a vibrant reed.

I believe clarinetists are using harder reeds today than in the past. Having evaluated many old mouthpieces in their original condition, it seems fairly consistent to me that mouthpieces used to be voiced with more resistance. This was done by the manufacturer to create working resistance to compensate for the lighter reeds that were common at that time.

To illustrate this point, think about the popularity of glass mouthpieces of the past (very resistant).  Also, an untouched Kaspar mouthpiece tends to play with more resistance than is common on many contemporary mouthpieces.  Old Chedeville mouthpieces often had facings that were more resistant than what would be common today.  Indeed many of the more recent Chedeville made mouthpieces from the 60’s and 70’s did not have functional facings and had to be refaced just to work, but the older mouthpieces were finished to a much higher degree.  I believe the old excellent mouthpieces of the golden era (thirties) were made more resistant for a reason.  They were made to work with the type of cane and preferred reed style of their era.

I think best results can be achieved on vintage material with a facing that is not too free.  A mouthpiece’s working resistance will help process a reeds vibrant energy into pure tone.  Common in today’s tonal concept is a bulkiness that is caused by a reed that is too hard.  Our approach is to put the resistance in the mouthpiece and celebrate the reed's vibration to invite a new level of resonance.

Q: Why do you have so many different styles of mouthpieces?
A: As there are so many different players and styles of execution, we found it best to offer a selection.

Q: I play jazz and I need a piece that plays higher than what is commonly available. Do you have a solution?
A: All of our mouthpieces are designed to play A440 with a stock barrel pulled out, or with longer than stock barrels. So, if you need to play higher, just use the standard length barrel that comes with your horn.

Q: Are your mouthpieces generally bright or dark in tone?
A: Behn Vintage mouthpieces are designed to celebrate resonance. We believe that a mouthpiece with an efficient facing coupled with the ideal rubber and physical design will allow you to easily produce a classic, characteristic clarinet sound. Once it becomes easy for you to produce a pure and consistent sound, it should become easier for you to customize it brighter or darker with reed selection.

HARD RUBBER

Q: Are all of your Vintage Collection mouthpieces made from the same rubber formula?
A: Yes, our proprietary rubber is available exclusively in the Behn Vintage Collection.

Q: There are a lot of words on this website...what one word would you use to describe Behn mouthpieces?
A: Resonance.

Q: Why not make mouthpieces from a mold?
A: We are actually using a mold to make the rubber rods but not to make the individual mouthpieces. Our rubber rods have a sufficient diameter to manufacture any type of mouthpiece including bass clarinet. Once a mold is made, you cannot change it. We enjoy the flexibility during our prototype development stages to make changes and better couple the shape of the mouthpiece with the natural resonance characteristics of the rubber. Additionally, Mouthpieces made from molds require a great deal of hand finishing, and this can cause lower levels of consistency and quality control. We make a much higher quality product with CNC machining than could be made with the molding process.

Q: You are using a mold to make rod rubber? Why not extrude the rubber?
A: Our cure time is so long, it would be impossible to extrude rubber of this quality.

Q: What is the difference between your proprietary rubber and everybody else’s?
A: Behn proprietary rubber utilizes a different visco-elastic framework to enhance response and resonance. What this means is that you will more easily achieve a focused sound that is deep, colorful and full of life.

Q: Do other mouthpiece makers focus as much attention on the rubber as you?
A: I don' know how much effort others have invested in their products, but I will say that the rubber is the center of our mouthpiece concept. We believe that with the best rubber, you can achieve the best sound.

Q: Why don’t other mouthpiece manufactures use rubber like yours?
A: I don’t know about the motivation of others, but we have worked for years on our proprietary rubber formula, and we would not have been successful if we had not invested a tremendous amount of effort and money.

Q: I read that another mouthpiece manufacturer puts glass in their rubber formula. Do you?
A: The sky is the limit when it comes to rubber formulation. There are many different types of fillers used to reduce costs, or to achieve certain physical parameters.

Q: Which is more important, the mouthpiece’s design or the rubber from which it is made?
A: The short answer is that both parameters are of equal importance. The long answer is that mouthpiece makers currently provide a much greater assortment of designs than of rubber selection. As a result, there has long been the great need to focus on the material. We started this project assuming that we would recreate the great rubber of the 1930’s and then make one type of mouthpiece design. We later found out that our proprietary rubber is so good that it willingly receives a variety of mouthpiece designs with terrific results. So, we decided to manufacture a selection of designs from the same rubber to more easily allow our customers to find their ideal match.

Q: Did WWII have any effect on the rubber industry?
A: Rubber manufacturers were forced to adapt to a changing world. Even WWI created a great deal of strife on the manufacturing industry. Factories were retrofitted to make products supporting the war effort. Many industries suffered greatly as a result of the wars. As the rubber industry adjusted to support the war effort, rubber changed as well. When a rubber company that customarily produced rubber rods and rubber sheets for wholesale was forced to manufacture tires, they were forced to adjust their mixing and compounding techniques. After the war, manufacturers may not have gone back to the exact formulas and techniques of rubber compounding. They may have discovered that they could create shortcuts or cost cutting measures. These new techniques were then adopted as the norm and we never again saw the same quality rubber.

We should also mention that in the early days, rubber was produced in several generic fashions for wholesale consumption. As rubber was the only modern polymer, its uses were infinite. Manufacturers of many different products would contact their rubber distributor and order either rubber rods or sheets for their individual manufacturing needs. Manufacturers made products as varying as combs or dentures from quality hard rubber. In those days mouthpieces were made from rod rubber but the company making the mouthpiece had no control over the exact formulation of the rubber. They could request grade A, B or C quality rubber, but that was the end of the selection process. So, in finding the best quality vintage mouthpieces, luck is the most important factor. Unfortunately manufactures used many different types of rubber formulae and these different rubbers would create different qualities of mouthpieces. Over time, obtaining great quality rubber became a thing of the past. Eventually the great rubber they once new disappeared from the distributor’s shelves, never to be seen again.

Later, companies decided to start making mouthpieces from molds. This was done as a result of their difficulties in obtaining quality rubber rods and to lower their production costs. Unfortunately, once the molding process became embraced by mouthpiece manufactures, the glorious results of the past were never again achieved.

Q: I heard that the old rubber is no longer made because of pollutants or toxins or something like that. What is the truth behind this? Is it myth or reality?
A: I can assure you that the rubber industry is alive and strong. Rubber is used in countless household products, clothing, the medical industry and the automobile industry to name just a few. There are major institutions that are dedicated to the advancement of rubber sciences. If it were not for Charles Goodyear’s discovery, life on this planet may very well be entirely different!

As rubber science has evolved, manufacturer’s needs have evolved as well. For example, if a company requires a sheet of rubber at a lower cost, the manufacturing process must change in order to keep the prices down. Perhaps, the rubber manufacturer determines the best way to lower the price is to add fillers to the mix. This can allow for a much faster cure but it may change the physical characteristics of the material. These cost cutting measures may be a modern marvel to some companies but there is often a victim as well. Unfortunately, mouthpieces pose an insignificantly small amount of worldwide hard rubber sales. From a manufacturing and business perspective, mouthpiece sales have been an insignificant portion of the rubber industry. We simply have not had any influence on the types of materials, the quality of the ingredients and the physical characteristics of the rubber manufactured. The rubber industry has evolved away from our interests and moved where they can make the most amount of money. It is in the industry’s best interest…just not ours. We have been forced to take what we can get!

A century ago, hard rubber was the modern polymer of its day and a tremendous amount of research was dedicated to its cause. Rubber was in a constant state of evolution. The rubber used in the great mouthpieces of the past was modern in its day. But today mouthpiece material is very different. We no longer have easy access to the large variety of types and grades of rubber that was so common a hundred years ago. The reason why the old great mouthpieces of the past played so beautifully is not a result of the mouthpiece manufacturer’s desire to achieve greatness, but simply because the mouthpiece manufacturer was using the rubber that was available at the time. It was luck!

REFACING

Q: Can you copy mouthpieces?
A: I can copy facings, but I admit that copying a mouthpiece can be very complicated.

Q: I have a Kaspar 13 that measures much more open than the mouthpiece I got from you. They both feel like they have the same opening. How can that be?
A: Mouthpieces are much more complicated than just the tip opening. The hard rubber, depth of the baffle, length of the facing and nature of the curve all play fundamental roles in how open a facing feels.

Q: Do you customize bass clarinet and Eb clarinet mouthpieces?
A: Yes.

Q: I have a student who is playing on a rubber mouthpiece with a bad facing. Would it be better to reface the mouthpiece or buy a new one?
A: Often a refacing will do the trick and costs much less. If your student is quite advanced, he/she may appreciate trying custom made mouthpieces. Either way, he/she will be well served. Please note that we offer several different lines of mouthpieces at lower price points at behnmouthpieces.com.

Q: I play on a mouthpiece with asymmetrical rails. Do you make mouthpieces with asymmetrical rails, or can you copy my facing?
A: Typically we do not make mouthpieces with asymmetrical facings, however we are quite familiar with them, as they have a following. If you would like to order a mouthpiece with a unique facing or if you have a special request we would be happy to honor your needs. Just email: bradbehn@hotmail.com or call 801-867-4335. We also offer mouthpieces with concave tables and we are happy to copy facings. All of these options are made as a custom order.

Q: I think my mouthpiece is warped, how do you know if it is time to have a mouthpiece refaced and will refacing change the sound?
A: If you are finding it much more difficult to find good reeds than in the past, your facing may indeed be warped. Refacing will change the sound and feel of your mouthpiece, but the changes should be for the better.

REEDS

Q: My teacher says that I play reeds that are too hard, but the only way I can produce the sound I like is to play harder reeds. How can I play softer reeds and still sound rich and warm?
A: In designing and manufacturing mouthpieces from the ground-up, our goal is to allow the player to sound great with the most ease. Our mouthpieces are designed specifically for your needs. Using a slightly softer and more vibrant reed on a Behn Vintage Collection mouthpiece will allow the rubber to resonate in an optimum way for superior tonal results. Now the player can celebrate the reed's vibration rather than dampen it.

Q: What kind of reeds work with your Vintage mouthpieces?
A: Our mouthpieces are designed to work with reeds that are generally a bit softer than you may have been accustomed to. Our rubber's unique physical characteristics are responsible for creating an easy and free-playing mouthpiece with ideal amount of working-resistance. This gives you a stable and responsive platform to make music with ease and comfort.

Q: How do your rubber and reeds generally react?
A: Because Behn proprietary rubber is made to celebrate resonance, one is able to play lighter reeds and let the reed do what it is supposed to do…vibrate. No longer is it necessary to focus so much time and effort on a reed’s sound. The rubber is so good that the mouthpiece becomes a tone-generating-chamber. Now the reed search becomes much easier. A reed that vibrates is all that is needed as the mouthpiece processes the vibration into quality tone. The benefits realized are: superior sound, more usable reeds, better response, freedom of expression, and easier tone production.

MOUTHPIECE DESIGN

Q: Which is better, balanced symmetrical facings or imbalanced asymmetrical facings?
A: Both styles of facings have been around for a long time and although I prefer balanced symmetrical facings, there is a large following of fine dedicated clarinetists who prefer asymmetrical facings. Frank Kaspar faced his mouthpieces with asymmetrical facings and several mouthpiece craftsmen today utilize the asymmetrical facing.

Making a mouthpiece with a perfectly balanced facing is a time consuming task and a craftsman’s skills must be honed to a fine art to be able to achieve consistent results. Many mouthpieces available today have a poor level of finish and as imbalanced facings are easy to produce, perhaps the asymmetrical facing is a result of poor quality control.

Some people prefer the imbalanced facing due to its inherent inefficiencies. An imbalanced facing often dulls the sound and slows the response much like a reed with an imbalance behaves differently than a balanced reed. Many players in their quest to achieve certain tonal results (very dark, mellow and large in size) prefer a detuned facing.

Unfortunately, when playing detuned facings over a long period of time, problems can arise. First, finding good reeds becomes a major issue because adjusting reeds becomes a guessing game. The typically solid foundation of a balanced facing is eliminated and as a result there is no point of reference to adjust reeds to. Second, stability is sacrificed and this can lead to numerous consequences. Intonation, response and control are important elements of the playing experience that can greatly be compromised. Fatigue problems are a common side effect, as the facing’s inefficiency reduces the important hold or stability of ones playing experience. Finally, the sound itself is often compromised as a facing’s inefficiency reduces the important tonal center. Imbalanced facings may sound good in a small space but in larger rooms or concert halls, the sound may not have the carrying power to be heard.

Several of today’s mouthpiece craftsmen employ asymmetrical facings in an attempt to achieve certain tonal results because the material used in contemporary mouthpieces tends to accentuate the reed’s vibration but leaves the important dampening element out of the equation. Detuning a facing can cause the sound to approximate the tonal attributes of rubber with a higher viscosity.

As a beautiful sound is most easily achieved when a reed vibrates against the ideal blend of visco-elastic parameters, the rubber a mouthpiece is made from is of fundamental importance. Mouthpieces made from the finest quality rubber better allow for the reeds vibration to be couched in a framework to achieve more tonal possibilities. With the perfect rubber formulation, a finely crafted balanced and efficient facing is all that is needed to achieve a singing, beautiful sound.

Q: I play a glass mouthpiece, how do your mouthpieces compare?
A: Glass mouthpieces are very different because they are very resistant. Glass and crystal is a much harder and denser material, so the mouthpiece resonates in an unusual way. Incidentally, for people wondering if different materials create a different playing experience, here is an example of the profound effects material can have over the mouthpiece. Glass, crystal, plastic, wood, and hard rubbers of countless formulae are all common materials used in clarinet mouthpieces. Each material has a different effect on the playing experience, but some are better than others. We feel that high quality rubber is the best.

Q: How long should it take to get adjusted to a new mouthpiece?
A: The answer to this question is different for everyone. There are no right or wrong answers here. Some people take longer to adjust to new mouthpieces than others. Ideally, a new mouthpiece should be better from the very beginning. Perhaps a new batch of reeds is the only thing necessary for the proper adjustment to take place. From that point on, it is entirely up to the individual.

Q: I have trouble finding mouthpieces that are not thin or bright sounding in the upper register. Do you have a mouthpiece for me?
A: We have mouthpieces in a variety of chambers and facing styles. And we also have a special order program. We can make mouthpieces as dark or as bright as you like, just call or email us so we can discuss your needs and make a mouthpiece that best suits your concept.

 

Q: Why do you have two addresses?
A: We do not have mail delivery in our community and therefore we must have a PO Box, but for shipping services other than the mail (UPS, FedEx, etc.), our street address is required for proper delivery.