Anello Mouthpieces

Virtual Mouthpiece Clinic

Emil Anello conducted several mouthpiece clinics around the country, where he discussed the fundamentals of saxophone and clarinet mouthpieces. The information contains his advice on a variety of mouthpiece topics, including basic terminology, mouthpiece materials and design, facing considerations, shopping and caring for a mouthpiece. The clinic concludes with a discussion of the Variable Radius Mouthpiece Facer, designed and patented by Emil Anello. Notes and schematics compiled from Emil Anello clinic presentations.

Main reasons for different mouthpiece requirements among individuals:

  • Facial & Muscle Differences
  • Bone Structure of Face
  • Teeth Formation
  • Different Lip Structure

Materials used in Mouthpieces

  • Hard Rubber (Ebonite-Molded or Rod) – A very good material. It has a low coefficient of expansion and contraction. Hard rubber is considered a thermoset material because high heat causes changes the to molecular structure, and the material cannot be changed back to the original by further application of high temperature.
  • Glass – Typically used for clarinet mouthpieces only. Any advantages of glass materials are permanent. However, low or high room temperatures can affect intonation.
  • Metal – Brass or Stainless Steel. Advantages include rugged material and wall thickness can be thin due to strength. However, tone control can be a problem for some individuals and the tone tends to be “buzzy.”
  • Plastic – Considered to be thermoplastic. High heat manufacturing process does not change the molecular structure, and the material has more elastic memory than other materials. Therefore, tends to warp causing intonation and reed problems. Advantage – low cost and good for new students.

Mouthpiece Facing

  • Length of Lay

    • Definition: The shape of a curve from the flat of the table to the extreme mouthpiece tip. It is widely accepted that the arc is formed from a perfect circle. Various measurements along the length of lay are sometimes used for those with special desired effects.

      All Anello Brand Mouthpieces are finished with regular length of lay.

      Length of Lay
      Extreme Tip Opening

  • Length of Lay - Long Facing

    • Can weaken tones
    • Requires shorter bite (embouchure)
    • Hard reed required
    Length of Lay Drawings

  • Tip Opening

    • Very Wide Tip Opening
      • Makes soft playing difficult
      • Gives false sense of volume
      • Course tone
      • Requires soft reed unless embouchure muscles are very strong
      • Difficult staccato tongue
      • Avoid very wide tip opening until your embouchure is very secure and the wide tip really achieves the desired response.
    • Narrow Tip Opening
      • Hard reed required
      • Produces thin tone
      • High register can be sharp
      • Not recommended for musicians doubling on saxophone and clarinet
      • Advantages:
        • Good for staccato tonguing
        • Can be helpful for certain ensemble work, but not adequate to deliver over broad musical demands.
        • Sometimes facial & muscular area and lip structure can benefit from narrow tip opening, but make sure embouchure is secure before exploring.
Mouthpiece Parts Labeled

  • Baffle

    • Definition: The portion back of the tip opening that receives the first shock of vibrations leaving the reed.
    • Considered most important area of mouthpiece outside of actual chamber construction.

  • High Baffle

    • Gives extra edge or buzz to the sound
    • Tone projects good, but can be rough
    • Can cause squeaks
    • Mostly saxophone use
    • Makes for freer blowing, less resistance

  • Low Baffle

    • Produces dark sound
    • Lacks projection power (especially saxophone)
    • Creates more resistance and becomes hard to blow
    • More suitable in clarinet mouthpiece construction

  • Tip Rail

    • Broad Tip Rail
      • Excellent for soft playing
      • Projection is poor
      • Gives a pure sound but without quality
      • Lacks flexibility
      • More resistance
      • Almost any reed can be applied, curve in reed not a factor
      • Advantage – Reduce squeaks
      • Note – some embouchures can cause squeaking conditions regardless of reed or mouthpiece condition
    • Narrow Tip Rail
      • Dangerous for squeaking
      • Reed must fit perfectly
      • Reed selection more critical – must have curve to match mouthpiece
      • Narrow rail offers little resistance, therefore difficult to control
Tip Railing

Selection of Mouthpiece – Depends Mainly on Four Factors

  1. Intonation – Foremost requirement. If not in tune in all registers, the mouthpiece is worthless.
  2. Security – Must be absent of squeaks. An absolute necessity. However, if the mouthpiece has all qualities but this one, an experienced refacer can correct this by working on the baffle or the tip rail width. A certain type of embouchure can invite squeaks. Make sure to try different reeds to make sure problem is really with the mouthpiece.
  3. Response – Need free blowing, but with enough resistance for proper control. Too much freedom is not only tiring, but can cause intonation and tonguing problems.
  4. Tone Quality – Must have the quality of tone desired immediately – regardless of reeds used. A refacing will not change tone quality. Refacing only make mouthpieces more compatible to the reeds most generally desired.
  5. Note: The chamber is the most important part of the mouthpiece – the facing is secondary.

Advice for Mouthpiece Selection

  1. Stick with medium facings and stable mouthpiece materials.
  2. As experience grows, a musician can be more selective as to the type of tone quality desired and playing style requirements.
  3. Doubling between clarinet and saxophone and other reed instruments will require certain sacrifices as to type of mouthpiece most suitable for doubling.
  4. Compatibility between mouthpieces
    • Clarinet mouthpieces with high resistance should not be used with a saxophone mouthpiece that is very free blowing – this will affect tone, tonguing, and intonation on all instruments.
  5. Even if all qualities found in the mouthpiece are to your liking, but remains out of tune in one or all registers – it is not the mouthpiece for you. It will not start to play in tune even after getting used to it, and will force you to favor certain notes to get them as close to pitch as possible.
  6. Mouthpieces that have a table with slight concavity may be desired by certain musicians, but serves no purpose, except to open tip beyond true reading when clamped by ligature. The tone eventual gets dull when cane swells to fill the concavity.
Advice on Mouthpiece Shopping

Care of Mouthpieces after Purchasing

  1. Clean periodically in lukewarm soapy water. Place tape on cork of clarinet mouthpiece.
  2. Do not run a swab thru a mouthpiece. It wears out the chamber and darkens the tone.
  3. Do not expose to extreme temperatures.
  4. To remove saliva build-up, use a solution of 50% hydrochloric acid and 50% water.

Variable Radius Mouthpiece Facer

Each mouthpiece is finished with the machine-tooled Variable Radius Mouthpiece Facer designed by Emil Anello and hand-finished to final specifications measured by hand-micrometer to the 1/1000th of an inch. The Variable Radius Mouthpiece Facer operates on the fundamentals of algebra and geometry, using a system of calculations prepared by Emil Anello to create any desired mouthpiece facing.

Background

The facings of all single reed mouthpieces, clarinet or saxophone, vary according to the tip opening and back taper, both of which are a function of a radius of a circle and the length of a chord that subtends an arc of the circle. By calculation, using standard mathematical formula, this facing can be achieved to an accuracy of one-thousands of an inch.

The mouthpiece is clamped to the angle plate surface, its flat portion (the table), facing down. The facing operation is performed by incrementally moving the abrasive to remove more material as the swinging arm moves back and forth on its radius, until the desired tip opening is within one-thousandth of completion. The remaining material is removed through hand-finishing process and is confirmed by micrometer. Further hand-finishing focuses on accurate width of the tip rail, side rails, and inner chamber contour.

Mouthpiece Tooling