Clarinet players. What should I look for in a mouthpiece? I do not have a clarinet now but plan to buy one.?

Question

I am getting a good clarinet and want to get a good mouthpiece to use when testing them. I have heard Van dorens are good, but what should I look for. I am an intermediate player, but want to get a good mouthpiece. Do stores let you try mouthpieces?

Answer 1

I highly recommend the Vandoren B45. They can be pretty pricey, but you definitely get your money's worth. The tone quality is excellent and the mouthpiece is very durable. Most stores usually let you try them out (but you should bring your own reeds and your clarinet, of course).

You should probably know that the ligature is not included. Almost every clarinetist I know (myself included) prefers the Rovner 1R.

Answer 2

I've been playing clarinet for 14 years now, and I really found that you can get a pretty inexpensive mouthpiece itself, most all of them are made of plastic, and unless you are going to be playing professionally anytime soon I wouldn't spend the extra money on a mouthpiece. Most band directors will tell you the same thing. Now my band director in high school did recommend a ligature made of leather/pleather :-) it has one screw and the screw is on the topside of the mouthpiece rather than the bottom. I really preferred this type of ligature, because it allowed the reed to expand and contract more freely, and you didn't have to constantly adjust it to get the best sound. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

Stores usually let you try mouthpieces. They'll put a plastic teeth guard on the top and let you play for a little bit. Bring your own reed though. They will only provide you with crappy reeds if you don't bring your own.

You should try a variety of mouthpieces before you settle on one. It might be wise to get two, one for classical, and another for jazz, as the clarinet sound required for the 2 genres are very different.

Comfort, tone quality, and compatibility to your preferred reed are all good parameters to consider before buying. Play the highest note possible and the lowest note possible to get a good idea of the quality. A good mouthpiece should maintain tone quality throughout all of the clarinet's range.