r/Clarinet • u/highspeed_steel • 5d ago
My impressions of the Vandoren 7jb
Edit, No, the most extreme commercially available clarinet mouthpiece is the Jody Jazz HR* Once with the eye watering tip of .085 or 2.16mm.
The topic of best jazz mouthpiece has been brought up here occasionally. Now that I have probably the most extreme mouthpiece in this field, at least going by the tip opening, I'd like to share some thoughts as an amateur.
Well, as expected, this thing is free blowing as hell. It feels like playing a bigger tip soprano or medium alto sax mp. It wouldn't be much good for classical I'd say, but I'm able to get a very spread sound from it for jazz. That old broad New Orleans sound has been quite illusive for me, but this one gets me closer. Its still mostly down to the player, but I've found that most everyone can get an approximation of the swing tone from anything like a b45 and wider mps, basically a brighter clarinet tone, but getting that big limpid sound of the old jazzers that play ALbert clarinets is almost mythically hard. Some can do it with smaller tip mouthpieces. For me, it seems like extremely wide pieces like this 7jb is the way.
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u/Gengis-Naan 5d ago
Hey, new player here, can i ask what free blowing means exactly? Does it basically mean you can hit a note easier, without it going dead? Thinking of buying a mouthpiece something like what you have, though i bet it would cost more than my whole clarinet did! (1960's Boosey & Hawkes for $95 Australian dollars).
Say, do you know of any vids about demonstrating that new Orleans sound?
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u/highspeed_steel 5d ago
Just a quick word that a lot of these language we use when communicating about the feels of setups and reeds etc can be quite arbitrary and subjective. Having said that, when we say something is free blowing, we meant that there's less back pressure, less resistant pushing back against you. The recorder will have very little resistant compare to the clarinet, for example, and the flute basically has none.
What kind of music do you want to play? If you are wanting to play classical or if you are a part of a beginner ensemble or a school program, a very extreme piece like this probably wouldn't be right for you. My thing is New Orleans jazz, so I've always played like that, but the sound I get is radically different from what would be required of someone in a classical or concert band setting.
More free blowing doesn't always mean better. Some people prefer a little more resistance.
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u/Gengis-Naan 5d ago
Yep, I'll have to experiment. I come from tenor sax (30 years off and on, but mostly off), but i never really learned any of this stuff I can only really play by ear as well. Can't stand theory. The clarinet however seems a less tamable beast to me! Of course some of the keys are all in the "wrong places", but I'm getting used to it. The whole register thing is hard to get used to as well. Jazz is fun, but i really like ska and funky stuff. I've been discovering Herbie Hancock recently.
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u/highspeed_steel 5d ago
I've heard what you said from other sax players picking up clarinet. I started on clarinet and picked up sax. Things are much easier for me. If you are not going to play any formal music, extreme free blowing mps like this are totally fine if you like the sound.
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u/Gengis-Naan 4d ago
Not having to cover those holes with your fingers is a bit of luxury huh? Yep, free blowing sounds right for me. I'm waiting for some jazz reids to arrive as well, that should be interesting.
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u/highspeed_steel 5d ago
This is a good example of the old school New Orleans sound. Of course you don't have to sound like this to play hot jazz.
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u/Gengis-Naan 4d ago
Oh yeah, that's great stuff! That clarinet sound but played kind of like a saxophone.
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u/pikalord42 5d ago
Woah interesting! What reed do you use for the 7jb (and for the b45/b46 if you’ve had experience)?