Clarinet Local Treasure: Lee Livengood

[jbtsax]

My saxophone teacher Jory Woodis is also an excellent Dixieland clarinetist. I asked him what mouthpiece he uses and he said he got one from Lee Livingood who is a clarinetist in the Utah Symphony and who makes and refaces mouthpieces. He said Lee makes mouthpieces that are designed to be more "user friendly" for sax players for whom the clarinet is not their primary instrument, and he suggested I try some.

I drove to Salt Lake City which is about 45 minutes from where I live and met with Lee at his home. He had 7 mouthpieces laid out for me to try. I was quite apprehensive not being an accomplished clarinetist, but Lee put me at ease right from the start. The first two were the stock D'Addario (Rico) Reserve mouthpieces and the rest were those mouthpieces that Lee had customized a bit for doublers like myself.

The "off the shelf" X5 for $100 worked really well for me and was a big step up from the Vandoren B45 I had been playing on for years. One of the "customized" pieces for only $200 was even better. It has taken my clarinet playing (with practice, of course) to a new level I never thought possible.

This link takes you to more information about the D'Addario mouthpieces and how they are made. D'Addario

 

[rhysonsax]

If Lee's customised piece is the one you used for our recording project then I think it has a lovely sound (when being driven by you of course).

I have often wondered what particular aspects would make a clarinet mouthpiece "good" for a sax player. Is it the facing, the tip opening, the shape of the beak or some internal features ?

Rhys

 

[jbtsax]

If Lee's customised piece is the one you used for our recording project then I think it has a lovely sound (when being driven by you of course).

I have often wondered what particular aspects would make a clarinet mouthpiece "good" for a sax player. Is it the facing, the tip opening, the shape of the beak or some internal features ?

Rhys

That's a good question. I asked Lee the same thing and he suggested that it's a combination of things, but he didn't go into any detail. I wouldn't have been able to play that part on my old mouthpiece with any kind of control in the upper register. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the D'Addario X5 to any clarinetist for either jazz or classical.