Mouthpiece

 

THE new CRAVEN mouthpiece is here!!

NEW MODEL Leslie Craven hand finished* £190 or £150 if ordered with a Ridenour clarinet
(available whilst stocks last – prices may go up soon due to low £ against the $) * tip openings facings can be tailored to the player’s preference depending on reed strength desired.

These mouthpieces are available to buy – please contact leslie direct at lesclarinet1@gmail.com to discuss preferences and to pay using card or other means. They are not available as a click and buy from this site.

If you would like to reserve a mouthpiece for trial or come to Leslie’s studio please contact him..

After a very successful Clarinet Convention at which David Campbell was the guest artist) David Campbell tried and selected two Leslie Craven mouthpieces and was delighted with them.


David said: “Leslie’s mouthpieces really suit my English style of playing, allowing the legato and flexibility I like in a sound combined with all the other characteristics such as easy staccato, focus and projection. High altissimmo is reached with ease and I thoroughly recommend these mouthpieces to both professionals and students alike.


Leslie has been working with the world’s leading custom mouthpiece manufacturers for many years and finally, he has developed the ideal facing, rail width, curve and table combined with the optimum tone chamber for most kinds of playing. 30 plus years of Leslie’s work on mouthpieces combined with a considerable investment in time money and energy have culminated in this, the most user-friendly mouthpiece on the market in Leslie’s opinion

CUSTOMISE THE MOUTHPIECE TO YOUR PREFERENCES

All the mouthpieces are almost identical in characteristics but small timbre changes between the various mouthpieces offer different colours according to the player’s personal preference. Some players prefer more harmonics in a sound and others want a smooth round sound – both these characteristics are available and can be custom tweaked to suit ones personal preference.
Contact Leslie and arrange for a trial of the mouthpieces.

Les will also create the tip opening of your choice so that if you prefer to play softer reeds with a wider tip you will be able to achieve that easily. The standard tip opening is around 1.04 – 1.08

To try the Craven mouthpieces  either email for further details or arrange a consultation with Leslie to select the best one for your style of playing from a selection of mouthpieces. Now Leslie offers a custom tip opening to match the strength of reed players prefer to use.

Ideally, Leslie prefers not to send  mouthpieces by post (although this can be arranged) but prefers to assist the player select a mouthpiece and this is done in his studio at home. A consultation will take about half an hour and is part of the service, incurring no extra cost.

Projection of the sound is achieved with ease but the mouthpiece is versatile and can also be used for chamber playing as well as in symphonic and operatic music.

Leslie uses the his design mouthpiece on all his recordings – his CDs are available from the store.

Terms and conditions for purchase

Payment will be required in advance if ordering by post. Leslie accepts most major credit cards over the phone. Mouthpieces will be sent on a trial basis for one week and provided they are returned unblemished within 7 working days, the total amount (minus a £10 handling and P&P charge) will be refunded.

Damaged mouthpieces will not be accepted by return and will be shipped back to the customer.
Cheques / Postal orders should be made payable to Leslie Craven. The price is £190.00 plus postage within UK £7 50 and £15 00 for overseas customers. If bought with a clarinet the price would be reduced to £150.

Customers from outside the UK will need to contact Leslie with regard to shipping costs before purchase

Les – Thank you for your time and sharing your expertise and thoughts on clarinet playing. I love the mouthpiece! The sound, intonation, ease of staccato and flexibility is just what I’ve been searching for for years!! It will get its first paid outing in a couple of weeks for a Brahms German Requiem gig. October 2019 Neil Hickling freelance clarinettist London area.

Lynsey Marsh played Craven mouthpieces during her tenure as Principal Clarinet Halle Orchestra – she bought 8 of them over the years

Top freelance player and formerly Principal Clarinet Gothenburg Opera Orchestra
Kate McDermott plays Craven mouthpieces

Jane Calderbank plays with the Royal Philharmonic and most major London orchestras using a Craven mouthpiece

Top Freelance orchestral and West End Theatre player Jennie Porton plays Leslie’s mouthpieces and gained the highest mark ever recorded for her joint masters recital at the RWCMD whilst a student playing Leslie’s design mouthpiece

Winner of the Glasgow Music Festival in all Categories has played numerous concertos and recitals using
a Craven mouthpiece

Rebecca owen – another successful player who transformed her playing by changing to Craven mouthpiece

Busy freelancer Sam Corkin plays the Craven mouthpiece

Virtuoso Tom Jackson plays a Craven

Top maltese player Lino Pirotta plays Craven mouthpieces

Leslie with virtuoso professional players Hannah Morgan left Jennie Porton right – pictured in rehearsal with Welsh National Opera both play Craven mouthpieces

Daniel Rye Former bass and 2nd clarinet Welsh National Opera plays Craven mouthpieces

David Campbell was so impressed he bought two Craven mouthpieces after trying them