Vandoren BD2 Review!

[@allanjmcpherson]

I was one of those players who ended up playing on what was basically plywood. It was only when my tension got so bad that it hurt to talk that I started the process of slowly finding a more sensible set-up. There was a good while that I just couldn't play. When I finally could start playing again, I had to go for really soft reeds and only do short sessions of playing. I'm finally able to play for extended periods again without tension or discomfort. I'm now playing Vandoren 56 Rue Lepic #3.5 reeds on a Vandoren BD4. I learned the hard way that playing a harder reed doesn't make you a better player. In fact, after a point, it can actually make you worse.

[@richardevans3624]

Thanks for the review. I've had a BD2 for a couple of weeks now. I have a range of vandoren and selmer mouthpieces but no custom jobs. I found that the mouthpiece felt more open than it actually was (like you) and especially when I compared it to a M15 and M13 lyre. For my embouchure, mouth/throat and clarinet, I didn't find the issues you described. It readily responded over the whole range and had a focused tone like the M15. I really really like it. I use vandoren 56 Ru le pic or d'addario classic reserve reeds on a full Boehm Leblanc LL clarinet.

[@john.kurokawa]

That's really interesting. The design is radically different from the M15, and is definitely not my cup of tea, but as I've noted in many videos, everyone is different, and my review is strictly my opinion. Thanks for watching!

[@jimis3167]

One day they'll make it in HD material and I'll be interested to try it. Your information is very accurate!

[@john.kurokawa]

Thank you! Thanks for watching!

[@claes3200]

Thank you! Educational and inspiring as always! 👍

[@john.kurokawa]

Thanks! Thank you for watching!

[@clarinetnotestudio4851]

You sound great on both mouthpieces! Thanks for the video!

[@john.kurokawa]

Thank you Julianna! I wish the playing experience for both mouthpieces was similar. Thanks for watching!

[@ハナモゲラモグラ]

Thank you for the great video! In my opinion, Wodkowski mouthpiece sounds more colorful and crispy than BD2. BD2 gives some stability but sometimes sounds bored.

[@frankzona5459]

John, I'm looking for a step up mpc for one of my HS advancing students. She's currently playing a beginner grade Giardinelli on a #3 Vandoren Blue Box. The BD2is on my radar for her. My goal in her sound is to open it up, with more projection and focus. She's new to my studio and is good technically but opening up her sound is where I am focusing with her. Your comments would be most appreciated.

[@klarinetta]

Charles Bay mouthpieces are the best I've owned. Sadly he is not making any mouthpieces anymore and I don't know if he is alive or if his son is still making mouthpieces. My favorite one is from 2001. Brown one with MO-L facing and Vandoren V-12 3.5+ reeds. I miss the most important thing here at least in my mind: How did the mouthpiece tune ?

[@clarinetninja]

John! great stuff as always! I have missed seeing you here in the interwebs. Glad you are back. I agree with you on everything you say here. I have often wondered (just from a thought experiment standpoint), what if there was no choice and we were issued a mouthpiece from some kind of state authority (yes a dystopian future in this thought experiment)? Part of your video illustrates this in that you sound great and very much like yourself on both mouthpieces. I have many of Ramon's moutpieces and have used them with great success as well as many Vandorens. I am currently using a BD4. I doubt I actually sound much different on any mouthpiece "in the ballpark" - BUT in direct alignment with what you say - what it takes to make that happen is the crucial and game changing difference. I am always glad to hear someone say what I think but a lot better than I say it for myself :)

[@john.kurokawa]

Jay! Great to hear from you and great to be back. I have a whole backlog of your videos to catch up on, and am looking forward to it immensely! As always, I appreciate the kind words. Ramón actually has a new line of mouthpieces since 2021 that he's making out of some entirely new blanks, as well as some new more open models- I'd recommend them to anyone. Are you going to be at the convenient in Dublin this summer? Thanks, and I'll see on the intarwebs!

[@amaypant]

I found it interesting that the BD2 is advertised to be the facing of the M13 Lyre on the BD blank. I didn't find it sounds or play even close. I found that I had to use insanely hard reeds to prevent it from getting quite bright and edgy. This isn't something that I've found myself doing with the M13 Lyre; I like that with the M13L I can keep the sound together with my corners and voicing as opposed to relying on the reed strength. The BD2 might just take a long time to get used to; it's an... interesting mouthpiece. I'm not a fan of how the BD2 is a lot more dull than the M13L. The M13 Lyre doesn't necessarily play easily, but I prefer that zing of the M13 Lyre. You make the BD2 sound much nicer than I was able to though. :) Regarding your hard reeds journey, I can definitely relate to that. When I started playing too hard reeds for myself, I was biting a lot, and while I prefer to play double lip as much as possible now for the smooth legato and how it prevents biting/choking off the sound, that came from a year of trial and error, injuries and recovery, and meticulously recording myself to find which sound I actually like. It also created a habit of trying to force too much air into the clarinet, distorting the sound. I find this review quite fascinating for a couple of reasons. If I played Vandoren mouthpieces, I'd definitely play the M13 Lyre, just for the flexibility and center it gives me as a player. I never really appreciated this until my lesson with Burt Hara, who pointed out that in my setup at the time, it required me to work too hard to keep the sound centered without biting. However, I now play a medium-open Kanter mouthpiece with a V12 4, occasionally a 4½ but really a 4 is what I've found works best for me. I couldn't play those reeds on any Vandoren mouthpiece; they're simply too hard for the way Vandoren designs their mouthpieces. But with the BD2, I even put a V12 5 on, and it sounded too bright and edgy and unfocused. Bright not in the protection/lively sense, but in that unnatural, unbalanced way that is quite difficult to control for me personally. I tried lighter reeds, different cuts, and couldn't personally find a balance. I'm sure there might be some people who find this mouthpiece to work well; I think Greg Raden plays the BD2 now, or at least he was trying it, and he sounded quite nice on it. Finally, your point about the unique sound; I spoke with Michele Zukovsky about this just this weekend. She mentioned how even just 20-30 years ago, everyone had their own sounds and nobody was trying to sound like the other. Everyone just sang through their instruments in their own unique ways. But now, it seems like everyone, especially in the younger generation, but I'd say it extends to much of the clarinet world, are trying to sound quite homogenous. The BD mouthpieces may have had something to do with that, as well as the "harder, darker, bigger" ideology, as Yehuda Gilad puts it. It kind of leads everyone down the path of everyone sounding like struggling clarinetists as opposed to singers with our own voices. Brilliant video, Mr. Kurokawa. I enjoyed it very much.

[@john.kurokawa]

Thanks Amay! I 100% agree with Michele Zukovsky. Finding your own voice and what is natural and correct for your own body is key. As to 'harder, darker, bigger' I would say that a darker and bigger sound doesn't necessarily project, but a beautiful sound will project. Besides, if someone came up to me after a concert and said I was 'bigger', I'd be pretty offended. 🤣 I also agree re: homogenization. If a mouthpiece makes me sound like everyone else, then I don't want to play it. I want the equipment to enable me to find my own voice on the clarinet. I hope this younger generation will aspire to greater artistry, not just trying to sound like everyone else. The clarinet world seems to be unique in that regard. Thanks as always for watching, and have a great summer!

[@amaypant]

@@john.kurokawa very well said! I definitely agree about the projection too; I think a "bigger" sound really just refers to the fundamental, not the overtones, which I think are the part that project the most. I could be wrong though; I've definitely not played in as many halls as you or other professionals. Curious to know your thoughts about that!

[@john.kurokawa]

Being able to play a good vintage Chedeville mouthpiece, and mouthpieces inspired by it, I would completely agree that the overtones are what aid the most in projection. Unfortunately, I've fallen into the trap sometimes of picking a setup for it's 'up close' quality, only to find that in an orchestra or even with piano, that type of mouthpiece lacks the 'legs' or momentum to carry the sound out into the hall. I think a healthy balance of fundamental AND overtones are what makes a sound beautiful. The degree to which that balance is achieved is unique based on each person's concept and the design of their mouthpiece. Although I didn't care for the sound of the BD2 at all when I was sitting behind it, I was very startled when I listened to the recording. It still wasn't much to my liking, but I was surprised how much I pushed my concept onto that mouthpiece. It was still way too dull and thuddy for me, but it had more highs than what I felt sitting behind it.

[@amaypant]

@@john.kurokawa this is a fantastic point! When I listen behind my own setup, it sounds quite gentle, but also a little darker than I might like at times, but when I listen to my recordings, I realize it's actually quite balanced, and that I don't have to work so far to bring the "ping" into the sound as I thought when I only listened behind it. Also quite interesting how when trying equipment, we will always strive to make our sound concept, or our voice, come through. Much better than to try to succumb to the "sound of the mouthpiece". Re balance of fundamental and overtones: that makes sense; it's what allows the sound to be alive yet covered when necessary I think.

[@pablodevadderclarinete]

@@amaypant Greg doesn't use BD2. He's a Montanaro guy

[@marcello1985]

Wodkowski is much better!! Bravo!

[@andydai6539]

Gorgeous tone Could you possibly make a video on the clarinet excerpts in Daphnis and Chloe second suite?

[@john.kurokawa]

That one will take a while lol. I’ll add it to the list. Thanks for watching!

[@eichlerphoto]

Did you try the BD2 with a somewhat softer reed? In general, the more resistance in the mouthpiece and/or instrument, the softer the reed to balance with this. Of course the facing of some mouthpieces might have a limit to how soft a reed you can use.

[@john.kurokawa]

Yes. The problem was that a softer reed improved the response somewhat, but then the mouthpiece had no hold whatsoever and the reed would collapse against the facing in the altissimo. I experimented with 3’s all the way to 4.5. Additionally, I found it difficult to balance a reed on this type of mouthpiece design- going any lighter didn’t seem to help. 😕 Thanks for watching!

[@vicente1049]

Gracias por compartir ❤

[@joachimakerlind4453]

Nice sound! On both- but I can understand how you mean about the BD. Did you try the BD5 and 4? I have those, and like them at the moment. BD4 has the biggest opening. It works with strength 2,5-3. Harder is impossible for my style and emboushyre

[@john.kurokawa]

Yes I did… those mouthpieces are quite a bit too open to suit me as I prefer closer mouthpieces. Thanks for watching!

[@yvessaint-pierre7797]

Thanks! I learned a lot about the different aspects one can test for. There is just one that I don’t understand. What am I listening for in flexibility?

[@john.kurokawa]

When I test a mouthpiece, reed, or clarinet for flexibility, I'm looking to see if I can easily play a wide range of dynamics and a wide palette of colors. Some mouthpieces can play very loud or soft, but are very 'one color.' I hope this helps. Thanks for watching!

[@claribaixos]

Great playing and great video review! Thank you for sharing!👏👏👏👌🎶

[@john.kurokawa]

Thanks for the kind words- thanks for watching!

[@MikeOria]

Thanks for this video. I've been curious about the BD2. Do you or anyone in here have any thoughts how it compares to the M15? Or the Fobes Nova? Those are my current mpcs, and I doubt I would be able to find a BD2 locally to try against mine. Thx

[@john.kurokawa]

Personally, I much prefer the M15 to the BD2 as it is much better suited to my style of playing. The new interior design of the BD2 completely changes the playing experience. I have tried any of Clark’s Bb pieces in a while so I can’t comment on that, sorry. Thanks for watching!

[@pablodevadderclarinete]

M13 (and lyre model) facing is without doubt one of the best facings out there. Donald Montanaro participated in the development of it, and plus the M14 and M15, based on one of their Chedeville. But the purpose of this model? Nobody knows. It has the worst of the HD series. It does not have good centering and the sound is dull. But it has none of the good things about the M series (colour, eveness, clear sound, inmediate articulation). It would be good for Vandoren to get back together with great clarinetists and develop something of quality...

[@pablodevadderclarinete]

The big sound concept you mention is very interesting. Students should be made to listen to Harold Wright's recordings. Close facing mouthpiece, double lip, beautiful sound and legato without transferring effort to the performance. Every time he played his luminous sound went through the orchestra and filled the room.

[@john.kurokawa]

I agree. However, it seems this is the direction Vandoren wants to go with their mouthpieces. Thanks for watching!

[@johnfrazier5548]

Perhaps reed a bit heavy on the BD2? Ramon’s mouthpiece sounds better, has more’ping’

[@john.kurokawa]

I agree with the sound. The problem I encountered with the BD2 is that when I put on a lighter reed for response, the mouthpiece didn’t have any hold at all and got rather bright and screamy. I suppose that might have been one way to do the review, but I wanted to try and represent the mouthpiece in the best light. This is a real problem and a difficult decision anyone who plays this mouthpiece has to make- do you choose response or hold? I’d rather have both! I agree that Ramón’s mouthpiece has more ping, and that’s probably why it projects so much better- the center and focus is built in. Thanks for watching!