Mouth Call Troubleshooting Guide

There are many factors that determine the sound of the call. Listed below are the main factors and solutions on how to manipulate the sound.

Variables That Affect Your Calls Sound

  • Side Stretch

    A tighter stretch makes for a higher pitch and can be harder to blow.

    A loose stretch makes for a raspy call but easier to blow.

    Keep in mind that the latex loosens over time. It is not a bad idea to slightly over stretch your calls because of this.

  • Back Tension

    A tighter stretch makes for a higher pitch.

    A looser stretch makes for a raspy call.

    It's customary to pull the back tension until the reeds produce a slight smile but the amount of back tension can be experimented with.

  • Latex Thickness

    Thin latex such as .0025” or prophylactic make for extremely high pitched sounds.

    Thick latex such as .004” produces raspy calls and takes more air to blow.

  • Cut Profile

    A cut that leaves a lot of loose flaps will be more raspy.

    A cut that leaves less loose flaps will not vibrate as much.

  • Number of Reeds

    A double reed is easier to blow and is preferred by beginners because of this.

    A triple reed takes more air to blow but can produce versatile results.

    More than 3 reeds does not produce any advantages in the sound.

  • While all of these variables may be intimidating, once you find a call recipe that fits your style, you can use it as a benchmark and make small changes to the formula to see how each change affects the sound. Most of the calls that I create are very similar with slight variations from each other.