Texas Bandmasters Association
Bandmasters Review • June 2014
21
MEC:
How about particular materials for different
ages or recommendations or equipment?
JD:
Band directors probably know more than I
do. I grew up with the Rubank books and I still think
they’re great. They actually sequence teaching very
well. I used to use the
Rubank Elementary Method
.
When the students got a little better, add the
Selected
Duets by Voxmann, Volume 1
. When they needed a
solo, I would go to the local store and find
Clouds in
Summer
(or that sort of solo) to keep them interested.
Later on I use the Albert Scales, with a very specific
practice methodÇ—slow to fast, and lots of repetition,
but that is more for high school and college students.
I do have a strong opinion that no one should use a
Vandoren B45 mouthpiece.
MEC:
Because the lay is too open?
JD:
It’s too open. The more open the mouthpiece,
the softer the reed has to be because it has to reach
the face of the mouthpiece to vibrate and make sound.
When the student gets better, the soft reeds don’t
work. Then teachers tell their students to get a harder
reed, which won’t feel comfortable on the more open
mouthpiece, so the student bites it like crazy. They use
their jaw pressure to make their reed actually close
against the face of the mouthpiece, but in a bad way.
MEC:
And so would you recommend the Vandoren
5RV Lyre?
JD:
That’s the one, or 5RV; they both work. I went
to a junior high and did a blind test with a bunch of
different mouthpieces with kids that were in sixth,
seventh and eighth grade, and the band director was
also there. This was only one school, but it was maybe
ten kids. I asked them what they liked, and I asked
the band director what he liked, and I wrote down
what I liked. We all liked the Vandoren 5RV. That was
compared to some mouthpieces that were quite a bit
more expensive.
MEC:
What reed would you pair with that?
JD:
Probably a 3 or 2 and a half.
MEC:
A Vandoren 3?
JD:
Depends on the age. I think at the beginning
you don’t have to start with Vandoren. I like LaVoz and
Mitchell Lurie reeds. I play Vandoren now.
MEC:
I don’t think you need to spend that kind
of money initially if they’re going to break them
frequently.
JD:
Yes, and I think LaVoz can be better for kids. I
haven’t gotten hooked on Rico reeds for beginners yet,
but some people really like them. The thing is, harder
reeds will feel totally comfortable on a closer facing.
You can move them gradually up from a 2 and a half,
then three, etc.
MEC:
What would you suggest after the 5RV?
JD:
Well the 5RV can get them through much
of high school, and then they should work with
their teacher. I have had students come in who have
had very beautiful tones on Vandoren mouthpieces,
but they don’t have the subtlety that allows them
to be really flexible. So eventually, usually around
sophomore year, I say, “do you want to try something
else?” It may be another type of Vandoren, something
completely different—depends on the student. I use
a Richard Hawkins mouthpiece. It’s one that he and I
have collaborated on. It’s somewhat of a combination
of two of his mouthpieces.
Richard is the clarinet professor at Oberlin, and he
has a mouthpiece business. He makes mouthpieces
on a German blank called a Zinner blank, which is a
commonly used type of blank. It’s just the combination
that I like. I use his mouthpiece, and a lot of my
students use it. It’s comfortable to play when you get a
good one, and it makes a very flexible, beautiful sound.
Clarinet Clari ty: An Interview wi th Jul ie DeRoche