Klarinet Archive - Posting 000945.txt from 2000/08

From: "Benjamin Maas" <benmaas@-----.com>
Subj: RE: [kl] Which one? (Uh-oh...newby alert!)
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 18:10:46 -0400

> -----Original Message-----
>
> Greetings!
>

<Snip!...Which One?!>

>
> Selmer CL200.................$510.00
> Buffet E-11......................$599.00
> LeBlanc Normandy-4......$539.00
> Yamaha YCL-34............$569.00
>

I teach a lot of young students and I wouldn't recommend any of these horn
for an absolute beginner... As for your district's recommendations: Who is
getting the kickback from the Music Store? These "requirements" are
absolutely ridiculous.

I would never start a kid with anything other than a plastic beginners
instrument. For my money, the Buffet B-12 is far and away the best student
horn out there. They are easy to play and the intonnation and quality
control from horn to horn are excellent. No other instrument manufacturer
comes close.

The plastic Yamaha is decent as well, if you can't get the Buffet, however
I'd still go Buffet if I could.

When starting a student on a new instrument, the most important thing is
ease of playing. If it is really difficult to even get a sound out of the
horn, they are going to get frustrated and want to quit. For this reason,
make sure you get a good after market mouthpiece. I have my students play
Vandorens (usually a M13-Lyre or a B40). They are good mouthpieces and not
too expensive. The Mitchell Luries are also great, but they cost a good bit
more. I don't have personal experience with the Fobes line, but I've heard
good things about them.

Cost is an important factor with beginners, too because you don't always
know how long they will stick with it. To spend $1000 and have the kid
decide they don't like a couple years later tends to hurt. The resale on
most instruments isn't very high anyways. Also, if the kid joins Marching
Band later in life, they are not going to want to play on a wood instrument.
Wood can crack if exposed to extremes in environment (weather) or isn't
taken care of carefully. I've never seen a beginner that does a good enough
job at taking care of equipment.

> Any other practical advice for someone in my postion (i.e. "Is a
> carry-all case preferable to a standard hard case for a sixth-grader?)
> would also be welcome!
>
> Thanks in advance for any guidance!
>
> Mike Selvey
> Nacogdoches, TX

Make sure you have a good sturdy case (the Buffet and Yamaha both come with
good hard plastic cases) and a real swab. Those little chamois cloth things
don't do any good. Spend a couple bucks on a fabric swab. The instrument
will thank you later with decreased maintainance costs. If you get a used
horn (always an option, too) that needs a new case, check out the cases by
ProTec. They are inexpensive and pretty decent quality... I have my sax in
one and my brother's oboe is in another... I recommend them.

Good luck dealing with the idiots in your daughter's district.

--Ben

Benjamin Maas
Freelance Clarinetist and Recording Engineer
Los Angeles, CA
benmaas@-----.com
http://www.fifthcircle.com

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