Created by me for me, mostly. Because I see too many terms I have no clue about being tossed around.
FWIW, these terms are great to KNOW, but in practice, you're not going to need them, much: a good mouthpiece is one that plays good for you. If you need a suggestion, I'd recommend a Selmer Soloist (now that they make 'em again) C* hard rubber for sax and a Selmer C85 hard rubber for clarinet. Or Vandoren equivalents (V5 and B40/45, respectively -- and IIRC). However, my suggestions are just that. SteveSklar's got a nice review thread going for clarinet mouthpieces and Ed's played more sax mouthpieces than any 5 other people you know.
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What Mouthpieces are Made of:
A nice review of crystal clarinet mouthpieces is at http://clarinet.cc/archives/2004/05/cry ... hpi_1.html
I own a 1920's wooden clarinet mouthpiece. I've seen a vintage 1880-ish wooden bari sax mouthpiece. I've talked with Peter Ponzol, in the past, regarding wooden mouthpieces. A summary is, "Skip 'em."
For a more technical essay, check out http://hal9000.ps.uci.edu/does%20saxoph ... er.doc.pdf
FWIW, these terms are great to KNOW, but in practice, you're not going to need them, much: a good mouthpiece is one that plays good for you. If you need a suggestion, I'd recommend a Selmer Soloist (now that they make 'em again) C* hard rubber for sax and a Selmer C85 hard rubber for clarinet. Or Vandoren equivalents (V5 and B40/45, respectively -- and IIRC). However, my suggestions are just that. SteveSklar's got a nice review thread going for clarinet mouthpieces and Ed's played more sax mouthpieces than any 5 other people you know.
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What Mouthpieces are Made of:
A note on this: I've found that metal mouthpieces are made out of just about any kind of metal, including sterling silver. The other mouthpiece luminaries on this 'board can probably say which metals can't be used because they're too difficult to work with, etc.http://www.clarinetmouthpiece.com/nomenclature.asp said:Wood was used before the advent of hard rubber and was plagued with problems. As a wood mouthpiece warms up, the dimensions would change causing intonation problems. The mouthpiece can ?warp? causing an ineffective relationship between the reed and facing. Wood can create a variety of tone shapes and colors (depending on the density) but is usually responsible for a colorful warm sound, easy response and good blow-through. A good wood mouthpiece can sound very pleasing?when it works properly.
Ivory was used in the ?old days? in an attempt to find a material that sounds good but is more stable than wood. Ivory is more dense than wood and has a more resistant feel. The sound has depth and point, but the response is not as quick.
Hard rubber, also known as Ebonite, Vulcanite, and sometimes known as India rubber, Steel Ebonite, and Caoutchouc, replaced wood and ivory as the new wonder material. Hard rubber is stable and has a wonderful acoustic range. Depending on its density, the sound, response, and resistance can be modified to suit most tonal concepts. Since its inception, rubber has remained the chosen material for clarinet mouthpieces.
Glass {ed. "crystal"} creates a very different playing experience. It is very resistant to the blow-through and it can create a dark but colorful flute like sound. Usually, when playing on glass mouthpieces it is necessary to play on softer and very vibrant reeds.
Metal in the form of brass, bronze or aluminum is usually plated gold or silver and is used much more in saxophone mouthpieces for its quick to resonate sound. It is often paired with a higher baffle for added brightness and volume.
Plastic is commonly used in student mouthpieces for its ease of manufacturing and therefore low cost. As there are many types of plastics, there are many ranges of sounds, but generally it is understood that plastic is not capable of producing the depth and range of sounds that rubber can produce.
A nice review of crystal clarinet mouthpieces is at http://clarinet.cc/archives/2004/05/cry ... hpi_1.html
I own a 1920's wooden clarinet mouthpiece. I've seen a vintage 1880-ish wooden bari sax mouthpiece. I've talked with Peter Ponzol, in the past, regarding wooden mouthpieces. A summary is, "Skip 'em."
For a more technical essay, check out http://hal9000.ps.uci.edu/does%20saxoph ... er.doc.pdf