byw if you have any really good info if you could email it to me, or send some links... i'd apreciate it somuch

fortunately and unfortunately the ideas of the french and german schools(not literally, but styles taught in schools) is slowly starting to fade as they blend together. if you want to study in the true marcel mule french school you would probably look at schools where his studenets teach; northwestern and minnesota. the german school, look more for a rascherite; south mississippi and i believe the manhattan school. but really, any of the good professors can train you in different styles. i am striving for a different style that what mt prof generally plays in, a much darker, less buzzy tone. theres kind of a new wave coming about with the absolute pure tone, listen to guys like otis murphy. hardwaree has a big effect on your tone. i play on a series II with a vandoren optimum AL3, bg lig, and vandoren 3 1/4 blue box reeds. this is working for me getting a very dark pure tone. an o0lder horn like a mark vi will give you a buzzier, more vibrant tone, not bad by any means, but different. a an s-80 mouthpiece will generally have more edge, is easier to project on and can play brighter. nothing wrong with either one, just what you like. equipment, however, is not everything. listen to kenneth tse and otis murphy. mourphys tone is absolutely pure, tses has more life to it, both are fantastic. im pretty sure they play on almost the same setup. so it also has a lot in how you play. not all equipment plays the same for all people. if your looking for the german, rascher sound, you'll probably need to go with an old buescher horn and a similarly aged mouthpiece. personally i dont dig this style of playing. one factor that comes into it simply how you shape your reeds if you do at all. i shave and work my reeds in my own way and it is just working towards the tone i want and i feel it makes it more compatible with my horn, oral cavity, and how i like to set my embochure.