Clarinet Mouthpiece Guide

Welcome to the expansive world of Woodwind & Brass mouthpieces! Here at Mouthpieces.co.uk we offer a huge variety of mouthpieces, which of course can only mean one thing… A huge amount of variables!

Below, we have outlined the crucial elements of mouthpiece anatomy for you to use as a resource when deciding on which mouthpiece you are going to buy. Crafting a world class mouthpiece good enough for public consumption is a very technical subject which brings along jargon into the retail industry that can often leave us musicians dazed and confused.

DISCLAIMER...!
This guide isn’t going to simplify a vast subject; that would be a wild claim. Instead, we will break it down into bite size chunks allowing someone who has never purchased or upgraded their mouthpiece before to make a solid decision when ordering on our website WITHOUT even play-testing the mouthpiece. If you are reading this and pondering, “well I am a very experienced player, I can manage all the technical details that come along with mouthpieces, I invented quadruple tonguing” then fear not, this guide will cater to all abilities and technical appetites.

The clarinet as you know comes in various forms but we are going to use the traditional Bb as reference for this example. Having a good performing clarinet mouthpiece is massively important to any player whether beginner, hobbyist or professional, but before we even start thinking about which one we are going to choose, we need to decide on a few key factors. Most importantly, what style of music are you playing?

We think we’d be right in saying that the vast majority of clarinet players will be focusing on classical or jazz music. Roughly 80% in favour of classical. You may be practicing at home, learning with your teacher, performing in chamber orchestras, jazz bands or even playing solo.

If you are a player that is still using their mouthpiece that came with their first “beginner” clarinet then you will certainly find huge value in this guide. If you are a hobbyist or professional player that is curious as to what is out there or even how changes to the break point of the facing curve can affect your dynamic control in different registers… then stay tuned.

Occasionally players think a new mouthpiece will be the answer to their woes. It is best to think of a mouthpiece like a dietary supplement. (Bear with me on this one). You may have seen on the labels of vitamins, protein bars or any other product you might find in a health store reading “This is not a meal replacement, but a supplement to a healthy diet.” Think of your diet as the practice, and the mouthpiece as the supplement. No mouthpiece upgrade is a substitute for a healthy balanced practice routine.

Below are the subject areas that will be key to helping you ascertain which specification you want to order your mouthpiece to compliment your playing style. This will be done in order of the greatest effect on tone and timbre. The following points discussed apply to all clarinet mouthpieces.

 

Tip Opening

Tip opening is the distance (gap) between the tip of the reed to the tip of the mouthpiece. Traditionally this is indicated by a number which is found embossed on the body of the mouthpiece. Clarinet tip openings are generally measured in millimeters (mm) The smaller the number the closer the tip opening, the larger the number the wider.

What is the point of this?

Increasing the air flow via tip opening on a mouthpiece will increase projection potential (volume potential) and resistance. Resistance is exactly what you might think, it’s harder to blow! Increasing the tip opening means it requires more air to generate the movement of the reed. When buying a new clarinet mouthpiece we recommend being cautious with how much you change this, as a larger jump may prove extremely difficult to play without the adjustment of reed strength.

Without opening up a can of worms, that being the subject of reeds, there is a way to balance the resistance with reed strength. When you first started you may remember using a softer reed such as a 1.5. After a period of time when your embouchure has developed and strengthened, you more than likely increased the reed strength and maybe settled with a 2.5 or 3 (I’m guessing). The same logic applies when increasing the tip opening. As it is a new mouthpiece to you, you may have to drop the reed strength until your embouchure adjusts.

The key takeaway from tip openings is it allows you to have a much wider dynamic range.

 

Baffles

Baffles are true to their name, a device which is implemented to restrain (or change) the flow of sound in a particular direction. Inside a mouthpiece, a baffle is situated below the tip rail and can vary in shape, size and length. After the airstream enters the mouthpiece the first surface area that it has to navigate is the baffle, this gives the baffle an opportunity to determine the fundamental tone of the mouthpiece whether bright or dark. Baffles on the clarinet are generally flat or roll-over.

Flat baffles are flat from the tip rail to the chamber, they are often more mellow sounding and could require more diaphragm support.

Rollover baffles feature a convex surface area which can differ in height and length between the tip rail and chamber. This will speed up the flow of air and introduce treble overtones whilst having more projection.

It is important to note that no two players are identical. The simple fact is that some players use more air, others have a tighter embouchure, different shaped oral cavity and throat. That’s even before you start talking about different clarinets and reed combinations. Players that use more air whilst blowing generate more air speed which in turn increases the overtones heard in the sound. We can call this a “bright” sound for simplicity. Someone that is more laboured with their air delivery will naturally be quiet of course, and have a more “airy" or “dark” tone.

It is worth establishing what sort of player you are before you delve into baffle types. The easiest way to do this is by comparing your tone to your teacher or fellow band members. This is usually a very eye opening exercise and we find it super fun.

 

Chamber

The chamber is the area of the central cavity within the heart of the mouthpiece. It sits directly below the table on which you place your reed. As we know, mouthpieces come in all different sizes, which of course means the chamber sizes will all differ. There are three main types of chambers, all with their own unique characteristics which shape the sound before entering the Clarinet itself.

Large chamber mouthpieces offer a wider, more full sound. Some people may refer to this as a spread sound. Large chamber mouthpieces are great at filling the room and are often favoured by jazz musicians as traditionally they tend not to be a sound you’d associate with brilliance or brightness, but fullness and stability.

Medium chamber mouthpieces are a versatile option. They allow the player to retain the core sound whilst also having the ability to generate more airspeed to increase treble overtones and display a more focused tone.

Small chamber mouthpieces have a chamber circumference smaller than the bore which squashes the air through the mouthpiece at a faster rate, offering a focused, brighter sound.

Mouthpieces with a small chamber can often feel more free blowing as less air is needed to generate the same volume.

 

Materials

Clarinet mouthpieces come in all different shapes and sizes, they are even available in materials which you might not have considered.

Traditionally the most popular choice of material that mouthpieces are made from is vulcanised rubber known as ebonite. This process hardens the rubber to allow it to be shaped efficiently during manufacture and helps cope with the strains of being used vigorously throughout ownership.

Beginner mouthpieces are more than likely to be made of plastic, these are brilliant to get you started but will not produce the best tone compared to its ebonite counterparts.

 

Facing (Curves/Length)

Now we are really getting stuck in. The vast majority of players who will be buying a mouthpiece will not consider the facing curve and length of a mouthpiece as more often than not it isn’t usually the deciding factor for most people compared to say… the price.

That being said we thought it necessary to include it in this guide so you can have access to all mouthpiece information to help you make a decision. We will do our best to explain this, but as we are trying to keep this guide “bite-sized” and useful to all consumers we are condensing some areas and technical measurements to aid understanding of concepts without writing a book on each area, as it is possible and has been done before… Good REED! (that pun was pathetic).

What is a facing? Let's put our reed on our mouthpiece. We lay our reed on the flat surface area of the mouthpiece before it is locked in position by the ligature. This area is called the table. If you look at your mouthpiece with reed and ligature assembled you will notice that there is a place in between the tip of the mouthpiece and the table where the reed begins to separate from the mouthpiece. That is called the break point, and is the start of the facing curve! The closer the break point is to the table, the longer the facing, the closer it is to the tip the shorter. Facing curves are either Long, Medium or short. Different facing curves have their own advantages.

Short Facing Curve - Short facings are excellent for players who want instant feedback and razor sharp articulation. Given only the very top (thinner part) of the reed is vibrating freely it will accentuate responsiveness, but will be more tricky to control lower down.

Medium Facing Curve - Are by far the most common due to their natural playability and evenness throughout the instruments range. This is favoured by many players as they can achieve a big, bold sound without having to spend a good portion of time finding a reed which is compatible.

Long Facing Curve - These pieces are favoured by players that want a luscious, reedy sound reminiscent of yesteryear. They often feel and play like they have a slightly wider tip opening. The long facing curve further engages the lower portion of the reed increasing body and warmth in the lower extremities of the instrument.

 

Conclusion

Hopefully now you are confused and don’t know why you decided to buy a new mouthpiece.. GOTCHA! We told you this was going to be fun, right?

Many people who have more experience than us when it comes to crafting these works of art that we call mouthpieces all have differing opinions on what they feel is essential to making a great mouthpiece and a great purchase. But the one thing they could all agree on is; to get the mouthpiece that is right for you.

Only you know what YOU want from your sound, only you have YOUR budget, only you have YOUR embouchure. As discussed, all of these things have to be taken into consideration when buying mouthpieces. Players spend years chopping and changing mouthpieces chasing a “sound” which sometimes never arrives. A new mouthpiece will take some getting used to, often months of getting used to it. If you use the above guide to help you make an informed decision you should be on to a winner. A mouthpiece is a vessel for sounding like yourself.