The perfect combo

I do appreciate that that sounds like some kind of idyllic sandwich, but alas, today I’m on here to talk combinations of mouthpiece, ligature and reed.

I must admit that, until about three or four years ago, I hadn’t given much thought to the fact that the mouthpiece and reed would play a huge part in the quality of sound that is produced and the ease in which I might get certain notes. Having been taught through my teens by a bassoonist who played clarinet, I don’t think they had the awareness, nor did I have the interest probably to get into the nerdiness of reed v mouthpiece differences, so I bumbled along for thirty years happy with Vandorens all the way and the mouthpiece my Buffet R13 came with.

So fast forward about 25 years and I was introduced to the idea of a new mouthpiece. I was at a clarinet ensemble workshop and Vandoren were there, so I tried an M30 Vandoren mouthpiece. At that time, just the slight alteration in sound with this new mouthpiece peaked my interest. I then, in time purchased an Eddie Daniels mouthpiece and started experimenting with new reeds too.

I moved away from Vandoren and began to look at WoodStone, Steur, Peter Lautner, D’addarrio, Gonzalez, eventually settling on WoodStone with this particular mouthpiece.

So, a little on why these combinations are so important to try together.

Mouthpieces vary slightly with the shape of their tips and length of their facings. This article here from Dawkes Music Shop explains it really well and gives helpful diagrams such as the one below.

As with each mouthpiece, you will then need to try reed alternatives. Some of the Backun mouthpieces I find don’t work as well with the French cut, such as Steuer, Gonzalez and some Vandoren, by that I mean that the fit of the tip of the reed, doesn’t shape to the tip of the Backun mouthpiece, so the first time I tried a Steuer on my new Backun, I split it on the edge as it hung over slightly.

Next there is the concept of what the ligature does to the set up. Well the ligature will determine how much resonance or vibration your reed does against the reed. I will say right now, I am NO expert on ‘the best combo’.

Most clarinets will come with a basic Nickel ligature. It is sturdy and for beginners and intermediates, serves a great purpose. However, if you are wanting something a little more, there is the option of a leather ligature such as this one.

There are also ones made from rope.

The idea behind a ligature is that it holds the reed against the tip and facing of the clarinet. The vibration will then depend on the type of material used on the ligature and how closely it draws the reed to the facing. The general consensus is that metal ones will give a rich, full sound, whereas ones made from fabric will be softer.

The one I chose to use is a Rovner V-IR which, whilst made from leather, has two strips of metal that can go against the reed if I wish to get more vibration, alternatively it can be put on the other way around if I prefer the softer sound.

I will admit now, that it is taking some getting used to. I find myself as yet, not totally convinced with the reed choice - I have a Vandoren original size 3 against this set up. But like most things, it takes some time and getting used to. However the sound it produces when I’m really playing and warmed up totally is so, so beautiful.

You may need to try different combinations of reed too.

Naturally when you purchase these items, they are not cheap, some stores will do a two week loan of mouthpieces as long as they are returned immaculately and often the cost of the loan is deducted from the purchase if you decide to keep one or other. Other places, if they have a shop front, may have rooms where you can take your clarinet and try. What I will say, however, is experiment if you can. If you have reached a level of competence where you want to enrich your tone, think about working with some alternative mouthpiece/reed/ligature combos and see how it works.

I would recommend taking a look at Dawkes music shop in Maidenhead, Wood Wind and Reed in Cambridge or Howarth of London as a starting point, all of whom I’ve dealt with happily over the years.