Klarinet Archive - Posting 000110.txt from 1998/11

From: "Dee D. Hays" <deehays@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Starter Clarinet?
Date: Wed, 4 Nov 1998 19:34:53 -0500

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Cogswell <Michael_Cogswell@-----.com>
Date: Wednesday, November 04, 1998 2:51 PM
Subject: [kl] Starter Clarinet?

>I would like to solicit some advice on selecting a clarinet for a complete
>beginner. What clarinet / mouthpiece / reed combinations seem to be a good
>starting point for a total (adult) novice?
>
>MikeC

I pretty much agree with the other responders. The beginner horns made by
Leblanc, Buffet, Selmer, and Yamaha ought to be suitable. If you have a
high degree of confidence that you will stay with it, you might want to
consider the intermediate horns by the same companies. But you can also
sell the beginner horn later for a reasonable amount and move up to the
intermediate level later.

Again I also agree on mouthpieces, there's a lot of good ones. I like the
Vandoren B45 but the others mentioned are all good and its more a matter of
personal preference.

I disagree slightly on reed strength. Adults are much stronger than kids to
start with so my recommendation is to start on the equivalent of a Vandoren
2. Such as the Vandoren itself, or a Mitchell Lurie 2.5 or a Rico Royal
2.5. Plain regular Ricos aren't particularly pleasant to work with and of
course Flavoreeds are just a gimmick.

However, even for an accomplished player, I don't believe in too stiff a
reed. So I don't recommend going over the equivalent of a Vandoren 3.5
(that would be a couple years down the road anyway so it's not an immediate
concern).

All the suggestions have been good so it's really a matter of just going out
and trying.

Dee Hays
Canton, SD

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