The HW Facing Model:
In 1996 I had the opportunity of playing and closely examining and measuring one of the late and great Harold Wright's favorite Chedeville mouthpieces. Mr. Wright was by far my favorite clarinetist and the one who defined what it was to make music with refined elegance and beauty, approaching clarinet phrasing with the nuance and control of a fine violinist. I was careful to take the facing measurements in detail, note the style of the baffel (which was not nearly as radical in concavity as the Zinner models and others which some claim to be like the Chedeville. I have, in fact, seen many Chedevilles of the period of the 40s and 50s, and they varied quite a bit in dimensions. The facing was one which I was well familiar having studied mouthpiece making with Everet Matson, who had done the work on that particular mouthpiece. I was also most careful to note total length and take the bore dimensions for pitch and stability considerations.
Subsequently, I had a reamer made to replicate the bore dimensions and taper, worked on developing a chamber that is very much like the one I measured in shape and depth (apparently not all Mr. Wright's Chedevilles were of the same style) with the intention of ultimately developing a model very similar to it. I was told by the person who let me examine the mouthpiece, a very close friend of Wright's, that Mr. Wright had told him that mouthpiece was the only one he played with adequate resistance. I understood by that he meant the mouthpiece held the sound together, preventing it from opening up and losing quality while phrasing expressively, especially in the high register. My HW facing model was created not just to measure and have similar dimensions to that mouthpiece, but to possess the characteristic "hold" that seemed to be its most appealing feature. Those who try it will be the judge as to how well I succeeded.

THE RIDENOUR EROICA MOUTHPIECE

The Eroica has everything an orchestral clarinetist or a clarinetist who desires excellent tonal presence at higher dynamic levels needs. The chamber of the Erioca combine with other unique design features to make it easy to maintain fine tonal color and shape even when playing at the fullest dynamic levels. The chamber also helps maintain pitch stability in both extremely soft and loud playing.
The facing of the Eroica is specially designed to take lots of air without causing the tone to sound strident or forced. Next, the Eroica is very efficient and agile, playing a "tight" scale that facilitates ease in legato playing and rapid response in highly technical passages that cover the full range of the clarinet. Finally, the fact that the Eroica holds the sound so well enables the clarinetist to maintain a well-centered tone even when the embouchure is relatively relaxed. This feature gives the clarinetist greater endurance than mouthpieces which perhaps color well but do not hold the sound center as well or as efficiently.

Model RA Mouthpieces

The Model RA mouthpiece has a double-concave baffle similar to the RZ, but a narrower chamber width. This chamber creates virtually effortless focus and precise definition of the tone, allowing great freedom of embouchure and voicing without loss of tonal quality.  The bore, also hand reamed, combines with the chamber interior to produce tuning that is somewhat higher than the model RZ, but still low pitched.  The outstanding features of the RA are its dark, compact tone, phenomenally efficient and secure response and its excellent focusing qualities. All these combine to make it the preferred model for the orchestra or band clarinetist who must produce large amounts of tonal volume without loss of center or quality in the tone.

Model RZ Mouthpiece

The design of the RZ is characterized by a deep scoop, double-concave baffle and a chamber of medium-narrow width.  The model RZ bore is hand reamed to dimensions commonly associated with old Chedeville style mouthpieces played by many of the great artists from the past as well as the present. Because of its rather large interior the model Z plays relatively low in pitch, producing excellent tuning ratios at 440-441 Hz.  The Z's overall acoustical recipe produces a deep, resonant, tone of velvet-like beauty without loss of tonal carrying power or concentration.

Facing Styles
The Model Z and A come in two facing styles:

General Facing Characteristics

Ridenour mouthpiece facings share certain common features. They are characterized by a perfect symmetry and are voiced by means of a seamless blending of the mouthpiece curve that creates the ideal relationship between response and the "cushioned feel" highly prized by serious clarinetists. Ridenour facings are super reed friendly and most players find many more reeds play well for them and that reed adjustment is simplified with Ridenour mouthpieces.

MT-36 Facing:  The MT-36 facing has a medium close tip opening with a long curve and works best for most players with higher strength, well-balanced reeds.  The MT-36 facing is our most popular facing and the one most suitable for the widest range of playing situations.

T-40 Facing: Characterized by a very close tip opening with long curve, the T-40 facing requires a very well-balanced reed that has lots of wood in it.  The
T-40 style facing has an excellent combination of resistance and responsiveness, enables the clarinetist to play with great sensitivity and control in the upper register and produces a very deep, covered, yet clear tone, requiring very little embouchure pressure to focus and control.
Model RZ & RA, MT-36.............Retail Price $165.00
Model RZ & RA, T-40.................Retail Price $175.00
Model HW.................Retail Price $185.00