The Buffet Clarinet Range - a 2016 Overview

The Buffet Clarinet Range at 2016

 

Introduction

The Buffet (Paris) Company has a grand tradition of making woodwind instruments dating back to 1825 and in its French factory in Mantes-la-Ville since 1850. The firm has earned a worldwide recognition for fine clarinets and they have developed a range of instrument options to suit the preferences and requirements of virtually any player - from beginner to the finest professional musicians. As the Buffet range is now quite vast I thought that a short summary of the differences, as I and many customers have found them, would be useful for anyone contemplating a purchase or just interested in a more thorough understanding of these fine instruments. I do not propose an engineering review full of specifications and key work listings or a detailed history of manufacturing - the Buffet website (www.buffet-crampon.com) or this encyclopaedia entry (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffet_Crampon) can provide such information. Rather, I would like to pass on my observations and my understanding of the intended performance characteristics and the nature of the different Buffet models while highlighting some of the subtle differences between them.

The Student Range

B12 - This model has been very popular ever since its introduction and it remains the industry standard student clarinet and for good reasons. The ABS resin body is lightweight and the tone holes are comfortable to cover for all but the smallest of fingers. The tone is resonant and sound is easily produced to be encouraging for the younger, often primary school aged beginner. Silver plated key work, fish skin pads and a wood-look finish are nice touches that link the B12 to the rest of the Buffet range.

B10 - This model has a more recent history and was introduced primarily as a production cost savings over the student B12. It has no metal bell or body rings and the key work is less refined than the B12 and it is nickel-plated. The B10 is however durable, uses synthetic pads and is easy to maintain. For longer-term satisfaction I prefer the B12.

E11 - The first wooden clarinet in the current range the E11 has a more interesting sound than the plastic bodied models and its greater weight makes is more satisfying both to hold and to blow for an improving player. The key work is nickel-plated and traditional bladder pads are used. It is manufactured in Germany. I consider this a budget value wooden instrument. The E11 has had a good reception on the Continent where it often recommended as a first clarinet for learners.

The Intermediate Range

E12F - This model is a new collaboration (first released 2012) between the French factory where the wooden body (derived from professional models) is produced and the German production facility in Markneukirchen where key work assembly takes place. This hybrid model offers exceptional performance at its price point. Some cost saving choices have been made including the lack of a bell rim ring and the use of stained and stabilised wood however good quality leather pads are used and the resonance is noticeably improved over the student range models.

E13 - For over 40 years this model has been the most often recommended of all intermediate clarinets and a great product for Buffet. Recent innovations including leather pads, a new bell (based on the RC professional bell), low F regulation screw and choice of case options have only help to confirm the desirability of the E13. It's internal taper - a unique design in the Buffet range - colourful sound, high quality finish and ease of tone production all contribute to making this an exceptional value upgrade clarinet. Manufactured entirely in France.

The Professional Range

R13 - Since its creation in 1955 (by Robert Carre, one of the greatest designers in Buffet history) the Buffet R13 has been the company's flagship professional model. Very popular in the USA for its all round qualities of projection, brilliant tone and flexibility in all idioms the R13 is the standard against which all professional clarinets are judged. It is the first instrument in the Buffet range to be offered at A440 tuning contributing to its popularity in the USA and UK markets.

RC - Robert Carre's innovative polycylindrical bore design and distinctive internal taper were introduced to create additional warmth and tonal centre to the already successful R13 clarinet for this, his namesake, model. These characteristics have made the RC a very popular choice with orchestral and chamber music performers for many decades. It continues to be preferred by many for the roundness and beauty of its tone. Supplied with two barrels for A440 or A442 pitch.

Conservatoire - Less well known in the UK this model is never the less popular on the continent in Europe and is a reliable and respected instrument recommended to many aspiring professionals.

 

The Advanced Professional Prestige Range

R13 Prestige - The performance qualities of the R13 but made from the finest natural, unstained, Blackwood for the best possible resonance and the additional features of metal-capped tenons, left hand Ab/Eb key, superior Gortex pads and a deluxe leather case.

RC Prestige - The performance qualities of the RC but made from the finest natural, unstained, Blackwood for the best possible resonance and the additional features of metal-capped tenons, left hand Ab/Eb key, superior Gortex pads and a deluxe leather case.

Festival Prestige - A distinctive model in the Prestige range the Festival originated from a collaboration of top French clarinettists, Jacques Lancelot, Guy Deplus and Michel Arrignon. It shares all the extra features of the other Prestige models but is supplied with two barrels and a distinctive repositioned register key vent for enhanced response of the upper register and improved focus for the throat Bb. A very popular professional choice on the continent. Supplied with two barrels for A440 or A442 pitch.

Tosca - Another example of recent artistic design collaboration by Buffet with Michel Arrignon the Tosca is an elegant styling based upon the R13 bore clarinet with innovations in keywork including a low F correction key and new design touch pieces. The Tosca has gained many followers since its introduction this Century. Supplied with two barrels for A440 or A442 pitch.

Divine - Designer Paul Meyer bases this most recent introduction to the top professional Buffet range, the Divine, upon the bore of the RC clarinet with acoustic and technical innovations. Uniquely the Divine upper joint incorporates Green Line technology on the lining of several tone holes and carbon wire based key work that helps to reduce weight and allow for greater vibration. The innovation extends to a most elegant glass fibre case as one might expect for this most luxurious of clarinets. Supplied with two barrels for A440 or A442 pitch.

A note on Buffet Greenline technology

The patented Buffet Greenline process is a reconstitution of the Grenadilla wood residue otherwise lost during the process of turning of the clarinet body and the boring of tone holes with a powder (resin like glue) that binds the residue once again into blocks (billets), which are then bored or drilled just like the original wood. However, crucially, these Greenline billets are without a grain and are therefore virtually cracks due to water absorption or temperature fluctuation are virtually impossible making Greenline the ideal material to use in any challenging conditions. Instruments made using this material are slightly heavier than those in natural wood and, as the Greenline material is denser, they have a slightly altered resonance. I believe Greenline material instruments sound more brilliant and slightly less warm than their wooden equivalents.

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The comments and observations above are the result of many years of providing help and advice, my personal interest and study, and the teaching that I have done during my career. I have many colleagues and teachers to thank for sharing their thoughts and suggestions on this and other topics. In addition I am indebted to Woodwind & Reed, Cambridge ( www.wwr.co.uk ) where, in the course of helping customers and speaking with colleagues and manufacturers, many of these my thoughts have been refined.

Thomas Dryer-Beers

 

Review of the New 'Mozart' Basset Clarinet by Daniel Bangham

The New 'Mozart' Basset Clarinet by Daniel Bangham - A Review

I have recently had the opportunity to trial a newly introduced extended A clarinet, with range to low C, known as a Basset Clarinet. This is the type of clarinet for which Mozart composed his Clarinet Concerto. The instrument that I tried is the first production of a new design by clarinet craftsman and instrument designer Daniel Bangham. The clarinet I tried utilised the body of the popular Buffet R13 professional model though I am told the extension, which is also made of high quality African blackwood, could be matched with almost any modern issue clarinet in A. This ‘Mozart’ basset clarinet has the extended lower compass of the pitches of low Eb, D, Db and C that are necessary for the correct - as composed - performance of the Mozart Clarinet Concerto.

Daniel Bangham has researched and improved upon the mechanisms of historical Classical era basset clarinets for the keywork layout and his new concept design allows for far greater security and ease of operation than that found on any previously available commercial instrument. The wooden body and silver plated key work for this extension has been executed by Norfolk based master craftsman Peter Worrell and they are beautiful to behold. However, the real beauty of this instrument is found in the ease of operation and simplicity of function of the keys touches.

The Bangham Basset does not reply on the little finger of either hand learning a new 'routine' in order to operate the mechanism for the extended notes - the keys are operated by the right hand thumb alone - in conjunction with the low E key. Descending a C scale or executing a C major arpeggio are made very easy and logical indeed. This ease is achieved by the low D and C keys independently closing their tone holes. When one wishes to play the less often required low Eb and Db these tones are achieved by engaging their keys with a sliding motion while continuing to engage the primary key - i.e. low D + Eb key for Eb, low C + Db key for Db. Full chromatic motion is made possible with rollers in all directions on the thumb keys. No separate low Eb key is required so the right hand little finger cluster remains unaltered from a standard instrument.

Obviously the weight of the instrument is greater than that of a standard clarinet and the balance is not the same due to the longer length but a beautifully crafted sling mount / thumb rest has been created for the Bangham Basset clarinet which helps to reduce these differences. The new technique required for the right hand thumb is no more demanding than that required to operate the key work on a bassoon and, though it does require an investment of practice time to gain facility the thumb motion should become second nature within a few sessions. The tone of the clarinet remains the same throughout the range and all sounds are clearly produced.

The extension is branded CWM as it originated as a concept and collaboration out of the Cambridge Woodwind Makers project (www.cambridgewoodwindmakers.org) at the Stapleford Granary near Cambridge where both Daniel and Peter run making and repair courses. The instrument is supplied as an outfit in a well padded, slimline gig bag made specifically for the Basset by the British firm Bass Bags. It is played with a standard Bb/A clarinet mouthpiece on the instrument and the first productions are available from Woodwind & Reed to purchase from Dec 2015.

Price £5400 inc VAT (£4500 ex VAT)

Thomas Dryer-Beers, staff member WWR (www.wwr.co.uk)

Woodwind Performer and Teacher

Consultant to Reeds Direct Cambridge (www.reedsdirect.co.uk)

Dry Weather / Wet Weather Single Reed Performance

The effects of Humidity, Altitude and Seasons Upon Reed Performance

It is in the experience of many players, certainly including my own, that on occasion an excellent reed which I/they enjoyed playing on a day or two previously suddenly seems to no longer work well - for reasons unexplained by any obvious damage or misalignment on the mouthpiece. On such occasions I look to the skies, not in exasperation but to see what the weather is doing - here is why:

Cane reeds are intended to vibrate and play their best in a controlled moisture environment. This is why soaking your reed prior to playing is so important and why many players develop a specific routine to ensure that they obtain the best results.

Assuming the reed has already been well wetted if the climate conditions indoors or out are very dry the moisture (both within the reed and on its surface creating the vacuum seal with the mouthpiece) is likely to be reduced within a very short period of time - possibly even seconds - and this change can effect reed performance dramatically. A reed will often feel much harder to play and perhaps begin to squeak as a result of a warp developing on the underside of the reed.

Conversely a reed that becomes overly wet, due perhaps to very humid conditions indoors or out, will be likely to 'give out' quite quickly becoming too easy to blow and sounding thin and buzzy. It is likely to lose its resilience and effectively 'collapse' into the mouthpiece facing in a very short period of time. High note control and tone quality are both likely to be affected .

Such changes in weather conditions can account for why a reed selected as good or promising one day may feel 'rubbish' the next and why a reed dismissed as poor at one sitting should perhaps be reviewed again when the weather changes.

Altitude can be a factor as well as the conditions at higher altitudes, all other things being equal, will tend towards low humidity and near sea level conditions are usually more humid. Such factors matter a great deal to touring musicians who learn how to plan for these changes and adjust their equipment accordingly but the experience of such changes in reed performance can arise for anyone at any time. Even seasonal changes from the warmer and more humid months of Spring and Summer to the colder temperatures and drier conditions of Autumn and Winter can have some effect.

Bearing all this in mind can seem tricky but may be some consolation and assistance should you experience an unexplained reed crisis. Armed with this knowledge you have be able to increase the number of 'good' reeds you obtain from any box!

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The tips and comments above are the result of many years of providing help and advice, my personal interest and study, and the teaching that I have done during my career. I have many colleagues and teachers to thank for sharing their thoughts and suggestions on this and other topics. In addition I am indebted to Woodwind & Reed, Cambridge ( www.wwr.co.uk ) where, in the course of helping customers, many of these concepts have been refined and have proven helpful.

Thomas Dryer-Beers

The Value of Repairers

The Value of Repairers

It is all too easy to forget the value and importance of a good musical instrument repairer to ones experience of their beloved instrument. Repairers, good ones, will usually have completed a multi-year training course to learn the skills that the rest of us can only guess at. These courses often have a final project of making an instrument, often a clarinet or perhaps a trumpet, completely by hand so that all the related skills of wood and metal turnings, tone hole drilling, key work construction, plating, soldering, padding, springing, mounting of key work and finishing are experienced 'from the inside out'.

Learning the proper techniques and use of tools for dent removal, key work straightening and silencing, pad seating and the balancing of springs and mechanisms, crack repair and reconstruction following major damage is a lifelong and continuing effort and one where experiences gained from handling hundreds of instruments is vital. An inquisitive repairer will pay attention to and learn from all of the situations which he or she has encountered and then draw upon these experiences to both inform, improve and make more efficient subsequent repairs.

It is not unusual in many music shops for a senior repairer to over see the work of more junior repair staff for a number of years before the apprentices are truly competent to take on unsupervised repair work for customers.

The result of all this training, on the job experience and supervision, is a highly skilled individual who should be able assess the genuine cause of poor instrument performance and have the skills to repair the problems identified and thereby return an instrument to a top condition - often 'better than new' - as instrument manufacturers are usually producing instruments under such time pressure that final finishing stages are rushed and such time consuming personal attention is not feasible.

In addition to all the time spent gaining knowledge and experience a repairer is providing a service that relies upon expensive tools, machinery and consumables (pads, corks, felts, screws etc.). A selection of woodwind pads of suitable sizes to handle most demands can cost thousands of pounds for each instrument. Brass dents tools and mandrels are very costly as well. Maintaining a workshop is a significant expense and of course, so are handling the inevitable questions of customers. Customers should be wary of 'cheap' repairs and my advice is to allow a repairer to do the job that they feel your instrument requires or deserves. This often ends up being the best way to ensure proper performance and ensure cost effectiveness. You should be encouraged to ask friends and colleagues or working professional for their recommendations for repairers. It is usually best advice to pay for good quality repairs and work to maintain the condition of your instrument afterwards.

A note to all players and teachers - 

  
All musicians are well advised to pay attention to the construction and function of their instruments and it does pay to learn some 'quick fix' skills for emergency situations. Teachers really should prepare themselves to be able to advise their pupils on the condition of their instruments and perhaps understand and execute simple key work regulation and explain proper handling, cleaning and lubrication as a part of the regular lesson process.

Even a little time spent understanding how instruments function is sure to prove very useful throughout a playing / teaching career and the knowledge gained is fascinating in itself - if for no reason than to better appreciate the further skills and resources provided by an actual repairer when a situation calls for their greater experience to solve more major problems or provide the more thorough servicing that will keep an instrument playing at its best.

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The thoughts and comments above are the result of many years of learning from and reliance upon the skills of repairers for my own and my pupils instruments. I am grateful for the help and service that I have received as well as the inspiration that I have drawn from my encounters with some very talented and dedicated professional repairers. It has been my privilege to have worked alongside many such repairers including Daniel Bangham, Brian Dent and Timothy Taylor from Woodwind & Reed, Cambridge ( www.wwr.co.uk ) and others in the UK and USA to whom I am indebted.

Thomas Dryer-Beers

Owning and Caring for a Wooden Clarinet

Owning and Caring for a Wooden Clarinet

 This is a subject of interest to all clarinet players at some point in their musical progress and of vital understanding for teachers or those in a position of influence and guidance for younger players. I hope the following thoughts and suggestions will be found helpful.

Why purchase a wooden bodied instrument in the first place?

The short answer is that it should sound better and almost without exception be more rewarding to play than even the best of the plastic bodied models. However, to understand the reason for the recommendation (and the expense) of upgrading to a wooden instrument a few other points might be useful to bear in mind:

• Grenadilla (African Blackwood), the wood from which most instruments are made, grows very slowly and is in short supply, and the highest quality wood, with the greatest density of grain, is rarer still.
• The billets of wood (the rectangular blocks of wood cut to size from the tree trunk and limbs) are stored and dried for years and specially treated before being turned into instruments.
• While computer aided manufacture is now common for boring the billets, the cutting of tone holes and the making of keywork, much handwork for the fitting of keys, padding and finishing remains. The workers undertaking this work are specialists who have been highly trained for years.
• Most metal parts are silver plated to a high standard of finish and the turned wood is stained and polished.
• Even the least expensive model ranges carry these costs but corners are cut to help to hold down prices at the intermediate and upgrade levels. More expensive and professional quality top end instruments receive additional finishing by hand to balance resonance and playing response as well as careful final fine-tuning. Such instruments are quality control tested by experts prior to release for sale.
• Cases, accessories and mouthpieces supplied add to the overall cost.

Care tips and suggestions

Once you have invested in your lovely instrument you will hopefully wish to take good care of it. Developing a few good habits and taking on board a couple of tips will pay large dividends in long term performance and service.

• Handle the clarinet carefully during both assembly and disassembly. Apply cork grease whenever needed and when handling hold the instrument in such a way as to avoid damaging or bending the keywork.
• Warm up the instrument before playing by holding in your hands or placing under your arm for a time and never blow warm/hot air down the tube as this will risk stressing the wood.
• After playing use a swab to dry out the instrument including the recesses of the barrel and joints - moisture often accumulates here as well. Do this frequently during a practice session and draw the swab through slowly even allowing it to come to a stop for several seconds in the top joint to allow it to absorb the moisture within and not just 'spread it around'. There are many brands of swab available and using any are better than doing nothing but my favourite, for many reasons including the fact that I designed it, is the Dryer Swab available from Woodwind & Reed and Reeds Direct Cambridge ( www.wwr.co.uk/clarinet.../the-dryer-pull-through-bbaeb-clarinet.asp ) Follow the link to read about this product. It is pictured here: 

 

• If your wooden instrument is brand new you should consider being kind to it and playing it for short periods of time - say 30 minutes maximum at a session - then giving an hour or so to recover before playing again. Following this routine for a settling-in period of a month or so can avoid many future problems.
• If, despite your best efforts, a joint becomes stiff to assemble or remove then you may be experiencing a swelling of the wood due to moisture. A skilled repairer will be able to sort this problem out but if, in the meantime, you need to remove the offending joint then here is a tip: Hold the stuck parts firmly one in each hand and exert a rocking pressure in each of the four points of the compass to try to 'break' the tension of the wood-to-wood contact that has developed. Patiently repeat as necessary. You may have to leave the stuck portions for a period of time or even overnight to allow for drying out and then repeat the process. This almost always works but is of course best to avoid through regular use of your swab.
• It is not generally necessary to use bore oil on modern era instruments (post approx 1980), as their wood has usually been pressure treated. However, for older instruments or wherever the wood has begun to look 'dry' a light oiling with almond oil or a proprietary bore oil can be helpful. Do not apply in excess as the oil can run and will eat away at pads and attract lint.
• It is very good advice to have your clarinet checked over by a skilled repairer once a year as any instrument can suffer adjustment or regulation problems from the atmosphere, handling, compression and moisture whether used infrequently, regularly or heavily. 

Having said all the above it remains to add that playing and taking care of your wooden clarinet should be a great joy as well as a responsibility. The tips above should help you to increase the pleasure you experience from playing and reduce both the cost and frustration related to maintenance.


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The tips and comments above are the result of many years of providing help and advice, my personal interest and study, and the teaching that I have done during my career. I have many colleagues and teachers to thank for sharing their thoughts and suggestions on this and other topics. In addition I am indebted to Woodwind & Reed, Cambridge ( www.wwr.co.uk ) where, in the course of helping customers, many of these concepts have been refined and have proven helpful.

Thomas Dryer-Beers

A Brief Guide Vandoren Clarinet Mouthpiece Terminology and Product Background

Vandoren Clarinet Mouthpiece Terminology and Product Guide

The Vandoren clarinet  mouthpiece range is large and can be confusing. The guide / tips below are reinforced by the Vandoren Reed and Mouthpiece Catalogue – well worth a read by all interested musicians – and my additional comments.

Terminology- 

1) In the Catalogue tip openings are listed from narrow to open and the appropriate reed strength suggestions offered by Vandoren are a good indicator of the relative tip opening and the expected successful reed matches. Generally beginners are (or should be) advised towards more open to moderate tip mouthpieces, including B45, B40 and M30. VERY WIDE tip openings are best left for knowledgeable players with the experience to choose to match their soft reed preference or a requirement of jazz playing (5JB, 7JB). VERY NARROW (Closed) tip openings are options for more experienced players seeking a mouthpiece to suit their preference for stronger reeds.

2) Profile 88 simply refers to an option in the beak angle (slightly more acute than the traditional beak) that many players will prefer but few will know by name. I believe this should be the ‘default’ choice for many players as it both likely to be more comfortable to play and more like any other familiar mouthpiece in ‘feel’.

3) The LYRE versions of any standard Vandoren mouthpiece are variants in the length of the facing, often paired with subtle changes in the tip opening, that will affect the playing feel of the mouthpiece. Lyre mouthpieces should retain the same tonal quality and pitch of their standard non-Lyre equivalents. 

4) The 13 Series is all about pitch and is designed to help modern instruments (often pitched at 442) to more comfortably play at A440 (as is the standard practice in the USA and UK). They can help any musician with a consistent sharpness in their tuning and will reduce the amount of ‘pull’ needing to bring the instrument to A440 tuning. The 13 Series is not intended to have any effect upon tone when compared to a non-13 'traditional' mouthpiece.

Additional product background –

Mouthpieces are made from a variety of materials including plastic (associated with student mouthpieces and ease of manufacture) hybrid materials (often for cost reasons but also for specific timbres of sound), crystal (glass) and various types of metal in addition to the traditional ebonite.

The reason the Vandoren range is made from ebonite (sulphurous hard rod rubber) is that this material provides the greatest manufacturing stability, warmest sound and workability for the purpose. Vandoren use only the finest quality of ebonite for their production and have the most accurate computer machining and finishing in the business. Their products are remarkably consistent – so much so that I would assert the performance differences between identical examples (if found at all) will almost always be down to the placement of the reed during the comparison by the musician.

The original and popular Vandoren mouthpiece was / is the 5RV. Designed by Robert Vandoren for French professional clarinettists desiring a bright sound, consistent performance and a comfortable match to their mid to stronger reed strengths. Vandoren call the 5RV their ‘time-proven standard’. It continues to be popular but it can be selected for the wrong reason, i.e. it will play very easily with soft reeds and if a player is not yet ready to move to the correct reed match, performance in the upper register will suffer.

The most successful and more often recommended mouthpiece in the Vandoren range is the B45 designed by Bernard Vandoren. It is intended to successfully match the lower and mid-strength reeds more regularly in use by improving players (around GD 4-5 and above). The B45 works well in many applications and for many levels of players. Vandoren call this their ‘Universal’ mouthpiece.

The more recently introduced M30 model offers a darker tone with a mellowness and warmth not found in the other mouthpieces of the standard range and works well with mid-strength reeds. It has proven popular and I believe it is worth all players experiencing.

The Masters or CL series of mouthpieces (CL4, CL5 and CL6) are recent introductions with a specific new design derived from the older, handcrafted designs favoured by many American orchestral players. They have an ease of playing, stability of tuning and clarity of sound that is distinctive and attractive to more experienced players.

The most recent release is the Black Diamond which is the result of much experimentation, with both internal and external design changes, and is intended to offer an option that generates a richer tonal palate and offers greater control of the entire range of the instrument – notably helping with the production of the altissimo (extreme high) register.

NB - Vandoren used to make a glass crystal mouthpiece that was popular but has for many years now been discontinued due to high production costs and the inherent fragility of glass.

 

General Trial Suggestions-

When trying mouthpieces it makes sense to have some idea of what one wishes to achieve with the change. For example - what type of sound is desired or which style of music will be performed most often, what aspects of instrumental control are the concern to be addressed via a change of mouthpiece (articulation, projection, tuning, response, comfort, range, etc) and what reed strengths and brand of reed one will wish to use. Armed with these thoughts a selection of appropriate mouthpieces can be suggested. Trying them briefly and consistently with new reeds, using a familiar scale, perhaps a passage of music and a variety of articulations and dynamics can quickly establish a likely choice - which may or may not lead to further comparable mouthpieces being tried and a winner selected. I suggest that anyone trying mouthpieces be prepared to consider matching different reeds to their new mouthpiece as this very important pairing may well determine the long term success and enjoyment one will experience. 

In Conclusion - 

The potential for improved performance that is so often found with a change of mouthpiece is potentially so profound that all players would be well advised to take whatever opportunities they have to become aware of new products, gain an understanding of the various options in specifications that are available and take note of any changes to their own playing requirements or instrumental progress that might benefit from a change of mouthpiece. In terms of playing satisfaction the finding of a mouthpiece well suited to purpose is hard to beat!

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The tips and comments above are the result of many years of providing help and advice, my personal interest and study, and the teaching that I have done during my career. I have many colleagues and teachers to thank for sharing their thoughts and suggestions on this and other topics. In addition I am indebted to Woodwind & Reed, Cambridge ( www.wwr.co.uk ) where, in the course of helping customers, many of these concepts have been refined and have proven helpful.

Thomas Dryer-Beers

Clarinet and Saxophone Playing Position, Mouthpiece Angle and Embouchure

Playing Position - Introduction

We are all different shapes and sizes and very importantly have different teeth structures and lip shapes. The holding position that works well for some may not work well at all for others. Some players are fortunate enough to be able to just 'get on with it' and never give any thought to how they address their instrument, mouthpiece and blowing angle. For many it is not a consideration - though it should be - as how the instrument is held can be a large factor in the success one experiences in obtaining the control and sound desired. Here are a couple of tips worth bearing in mind. I encourage you to try them for yourselves.

Clarinet -

Given a typical teeth structure the best results are often found if the clarinet is held at an angle of 30 degrees from the body (off the vertical) in standing position - an angle desirable to maintain when seated as well. Do avoid resting the instrument upon a knee(s) as this leads to bad habits - there are other ways to help relieve right hand tension and aches (see previous blog on the Claritie - 02/10/15).

You can demonstrate the effect that the holding angle has by sustaining a single tone and moving the instrument through an arc from very close to the body to 90 degrees perpendicular. The effect upon the sound can be dramatic. The tone is often very strangled when the instrument is held too close and becoming completely uncontrolled when too far out - with the best sound and control to be found in between - usually around the 30 degree position.

Saxophone - 

The saxophone family relies upon a sling as part of the correct playing position as well as a correct holding position from the hands and the teeth. When standing the instrument should be comfortably straight in front of the player often with the D#/Eb keyguard (in the case of the alto) gently resting on the body at the abdomen or with the sax gently pushed forward by the right hand - whichever is more comfortable. The left hand thumb first joint must exert a pressure on the thumb rest while allowing the tip freedom to engage the octave key. The mouthpiece should then enter the mouth at a 'flatter' angle than the clarinet - something approaching 25 - 45 degrees off the horizontal. With a firm contact downward from upper teeth to mouthpiece (use of a mouthpiece patch is advised) a triangulation is achieved between the teeth, the left hand thumb and the sling. In this position the sax is secure, the embouchure is able to control the reed and mouthpiece properly and the fingers are able to move with complete freedom as required.

When seated the alto, tenor and baritone must (for all but the tallest of players) move to the side but achieving the same triangulation is desirable. What is most often overlooked is the crucial role played by the left hand thumb in maintaining a constant, reliable pressure on the thumb rest so that, in conjunction with teeth and sling, the player does not resort to tightening the embouchure in order to keep the instrument in position or find that finger tension increases in order to 'hold on' to the instrument. Be sure to appropriately adjust the angle of rotation of both crook and mouthpiece when changing from a standing to a seated position.

 

 

General embouchure comment - 

 The lower lip should make contact with the reed at or near the 'control' or 'friction point'. This is where the reed leaves contact with the mouthpiece and begins vibrating freely. Below this point the reed will vibrate in an uncontrolled manner and too far above this point the lip will effectively 'shut off' the vibration entirely. This 'correct' lower lip position is often determined and discussed by noting how much of the mouthpiece is taken in relative to the top teeth and this does vary bearing in mind the chosen playing angle, an individual's own natural individual overbite and teeth structure, as well as the concept of tone desired. This position is very personal but it is fair to say that it is almost impossible to support well and obtain the best possible performance without finding ones 'optimal' teeth position and returning to this position consistently.

A further note -

A simple way to describe the very real differences between the embouchure shape and firmness between the clarinet and all the saxophones is worth remembering. The clarinet plays best at the 'top' of its available pitch range with no firmer embouchure than is required to produce the entire range accurately. The saxophone family performs best when played well 'down' into its available pitch range using air support to centre the tone and stabilise the pitch. When this is clearly understood and achieved both families sound their best and many other 'problems' of all sort become manageable.

For both instruments it is wise to choose your reed strength to match your degree of air support rather than your willingness to squeeze your lips.

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The tips and comments above are the result of many years of providing help and advice, my personal interest and study, and the teaching that I have done during my career. I have many colleagues and teachers to thank for sharing their thoughts and suggestions on this and other topics. In addition I am indebted to Woodwind & Reed, Cambridge ( www.wwr.co.uk ) where, in the course of helping customers, many of these concepts have been refined and have proven helpful.

Thomas Dryer-Beers