Evaluating and selecting a mouthpiece Indeed, a quality handmade mouthpiece can be the most important part of your equipment and your selection process should not be taken lightly. It is our sincere hope that the topics listed below will give you the framework needed to guide you to the perfect mouthpiece. When evaluating mouthpieces, there are two general issues at hand: Feel and Sound. Feel In evaluating the feel of a mouthpiece, consider the effects of air resistance, embouchure resistance and response.

Air resistance is fairly simple. Does the mouthpiece blow freely? Is it too free, or is it too resistant? Do you need to play softer or stronger reeds to make the mouthpiece blow-thru to your satisfaction? The proper resistance level is represented by an easy, free and responsive playing experience that is supported or backed-up by the ideal amount of “working-resistance.”

Embouchure resistance is often overlooked but very important. The amount of embouchure pressure required to play a mouthpiece effectively is the result of your “tonal concept” dictating a certain feel. Musicians often select reed strength in an attempt to achieve a desired tonal effect. This leads to a certain amount of embouchure pressure required to center the sound correctly. When trying mouthpieces, please take special interest in how your preferred style of reeds and embouchure pressure react. Some musicians prefer to use more embouchure pressure and other musicians prefer to use less. The key is to select a mouthpiece that allows for the most secure and comfortable playing environment. Do you have to bite more or less to make the sound you require? Is the playing experience more stable or less stable? When everything is comfortable, you will have greater endurance and you will realize your tonal concept with greater ease, fluidity and free of “bite.”

Response is essentially a byproduct of the two types of resistance. Each player has unique and individual resistance requirements, but suffice it to say that if the resistance levels are in balance with the needs of the player then response becomes clear, easy and efficient. The goal in evaluating response is to see how easy it is to achieve the widest range of styles of articulation. It should be easy to tongue with the shortest crisp staccato or the smoothest long legato. A mouthpiece that responds correctly should feel stable and reliable and should respond with comfort, clarity and ease.

Sound

Sound can now be evaluated independent of feel. Trust your initial reaction. Listen for intonation, tonal shape, size, color, flexibility, focus, clarity and character.

Intonation is of fundamental importance. Mouthpieces can have profound influence on your tuning experience and should be evaluated carefully. Please note however that instruments often have intonational tendencies and should not be confused with the tuning characteristics of your mouthpiece.

Shape can be described in countless ways. My teacher, Robert Marcellus often talked of the “pear-shaped-sound.” Others describe sound as “round”, “fat” or “thin.” Your goal should be to select the mouthpiece that most easily helps you achieve the tonal shape that suits your concept.

Size is not as simple as it sounds, is the sound large or small? Can you play loud or soft with ease? Although the size of the sound and the volume of the sound are different entities, they do interact with one another. Consider sound to be more than an inanimate object. Sound should be liquid, always moving, breathing or alive. A big sound is often the desired end result, but I dare say that sound should be somewhat elastic. Can you achieve many different sizes of sound while maintaining the same unifying tonal center?

Color is a very difficult tonal entity to describe. From a musical perspective, sound is more than noise. Sound is art. A musician varies the sound’s color to create music much like a painter uses color to create art. Your mouthpiece should have the inherent tonal flexibility to help you easily access many different colors of expression, sound and artistry.

Flexibility can refer to both intonation and sonority. Indeed the mouthpiece you are testing needs to tune well, but it should also allow for the perfect blend of stability and flexibility. You should be able to adapt to all kinds of acoustics and tuning environments while maintaining a secure and reliable feel. The sonority of the mouthpiece should allow you to “fit in” any given musical environment. If playing chamber music one week and in the symphony orchestra the next, your mouthpiece’s tonal sonority should be one that is adaptable for all kinds of music.

Focus is a very important part of tone. Some people like sounds that are softer and less pointed, others like sounds with lots of resonance and a brilliant center. Try to evaluate the “natural voice” of the mouthpiece. Does it focus the way you want it to? Is it too dark and dull or is it too bright and edgy?

Clarity of tone is very important in achieving a proper and well-schooled concept. A clear sound is full of overtones from the highest highs to the very lowest lows. The sound should be easy, flowing “liquid-gold” with a clearly stated voice of graceful elegance and rich overtones.

Character of sound is the embodiment of all of the above tonal entities. Does the tone inspire you? Does the character of your sound help bring you to a higher musical level? Does it inspire your musicianship?

Review

Separate feel from sound. A mouthpiece should create a playing environment that is easy and effortless to achieve your musical goals. The easier it is for you to achieve your personal and unique “tonal concept” the easier it will be for you to make music.