 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Lori
Date: 2001-02-06 19:13
My daughter just started playing this past September. She is enjoying the clarinet so much we would like to buy her one. We are renting a Selmer 1400 presently but when I started investigating a little I discovered this may not be the best choice. I have talked to so many music stores and they all have their own prefrences. I thought the best thing to do now is ask people who seriously play maybe what they started on? Can anyone help??
Thanks,
Lori
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bill
Date: 2001-02-06 19:37
I am very pleased with the Yamaha YCL-20. Unlike some other student clarinets, the 4C mouthpiece is decent. I rented one for 3 months, and liked it enough to purchase a new one.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: drew
Date: 2001-02-06 19:48
Let's see, your daughter started 4 or 5 months ago and is still motivated? That's a great sign! Is your daughter taking lessons? Usually instructors have a preference.
Many students start off with a non-wood instrument. This has a number of advantages, the instruments are rugged and not high priced, and they are perfectly good student instruments. They also are excellent "marching" instruments, wood instruments are often thought to be too fragile to be regularly exposed to the elements (although I used my French made wood clarinet through 8 years of high school and university marching, never hurt it one bit). Marching ususally doesn't start until high school, at which point you can consider to purchase a better instrument for concert work, assuming your daughter is still interested. At that point she will have developed enough as a musician to appreciate and use a better wood instument.
My top pick for a non-wood instrument would be a Buffet B-10. They are a great value for the money, and will hold their value better than a Leblanc Vito or Selmer (USA) instument. Secong choice would be the Yamaha YCL-20.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: ew4atwaert
Date: 2001-02-06 20:04
what about armstrong student clarinets? Have any of you ever tried one?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Dee
Date: 2001-02-06 20:05
There really is no one "best" choice. However instruments by Buffet, Leblanc, Selmer, and Yamaha are all of good quality. Each maker produces student, intermediate, and professional lines of instruments.
Each teacher, school, music store, etc will have a preference but these preferences are personal. So long as you stick with one of the four major makers listed above, the instrument should be suitable.
For beginning students and marching use, plastic is preferred due to it's rugged durability. If she really gets into playing, an intermediate or better horn may be appropriate a few years down the road. With very few exceptions, these are wood so one would want to keep the plastic for outdoor use.
Now having said all this, my personal pick for a student horn is the Leblanc Vito. I use it for outdoor concerts when the weather may be questionable or turn questionable so that I don't have to put my good one at risk. But this is a personal preference. The Vito is in the same class as the competing horns from the other makers.
Stay away from no-name instruments and those imported from the Asian mainland.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Yusuf Zaid
Date: 2001-02-06 21:02
I agree with Dee. Stick to one of the major four. Personally I have a Buffet B12 which suits me fine. The best thing to do is go and try out a few and see what suits best. Don't buy before you try!
Take care
Yusuf
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Eb
Date: 2001-02-06 21:06
I had the same delima with my daughter about 4 or 5 years ago. I rented, to make sure she would stick with it, and the next year, or half year, I purchased a new Buffet B12 for her. So far, it has gone through all of middle school, and through marching season for ninth grade, and now her concert season, which I got her a new clarinet (wooden). The B12 has suited her fine, and I would highly recommend it, even though sometimes they are a tad more expensive then some, they are deffinantly worth it! Hope I helped
~Eb~
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Willie
Date: 2001-02-07 04:27
I agree with going with a plastic clarinet after seeing what they go through during marching season. A good plastic one can sound very good if equiped with a good mouth piece and ligature combo. Very few clarinets come with a good mouth piece so I recommend getting one for her. talk to an instructor and try to find a store that will let her try different ones. they all vary and its different for all players because of the variations between instruments, reeds, mouth pieces, ligatures, and the players own chops. What works for me doesn't work for my daughter or the gal that sits next to me in band. We are all different, try to test some on the new horn. Try different clarinets also, even if its the same brand as you will find some that play better.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Anji
Date: 2001-02-07 13:19
Congratulations Lori!
You are to be commended for supporting your daughter in this, beginning players "Share the joy" with the whole family (and neighbor's cats, too).
Just as Willie indicated above, the most important apparatus is the mouthpiece/reed/ligature combination.
If the school has a recommendation, go with it (this promotes consistency for the band director, to troubleshoot problems), otherwise there are some very good inexpensive choices. The Hite Premier is actually quite good, and easy for beginners to play.
I recommend the Legere Synthetic reed (probably a number 2 1/4) rather than cane reeds for kids, they last longer and have fewer handling problems. The Legere is not indestructible, but it is more predictable than cane.
The Gigliotti plastic ligature is good, and inexpensive. Most metal ligs will do.
A properly padded, adjusted Vito Resonite horn is a great start. No reason to buy one new if you can find a used one under $200.00.
DO NOT buy any Chinese made horn! (Monique/Parrot/Blessing/Heimer) they're sloppily made and have mechanical problems.
If your daughter makes it through 3 years and wants to carry on, then make the leap into more expensive horns.
To summarize; Get a comfortable mouthpiece, Shop second-hand Plastic horns, Praise the kid, Check out the Legere, consider a couple private lessons. Pat yourself on the back, you deserve it!
anji
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Marie
Date: 2001-02-09 16:44
I am so glad I found this thread! I had the same question, and I really appreciate the advice. Would the Buffett B-10 or B-12 be considered a beginner instrument, or are they suitable for a 3rd year student?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ginny
Date: 2001-02-09 17:09
My son started on a Vito, about a year and a half ago. It served him well and I would recommend it as a good starter instrument, or for careless types. For him, it is no longer a suitable instrument. He took to the clarinet, as if born to it, althought his consistent practicing and the excellent teachers are no doubt big contributers. Its likely that the Vito will end up in marching band, so I don't feel as if I should have started him on something more pricey.
We are hoping to get a used R13.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Dee
Date: 2001-02-09 21:52
Marie wrote:
>
> I am so glad I found this thread! I had the same
> question, and I really appreciate the advice. Would the
> Buffett B-10 or B-12 be considered a beginner instrument, or
> are they suitable for a 3rd year student?
Unless the student is unusually serious about music, these instruments, although beginner instruments, should be suitable throughout high school so long as they are upgraded with a good quality mouthpiece and the student uses good quality reeds.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mark Pinner
Date: 2001-02-10 10:12
I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the Artley. It is very similar to the Armstrong and made nearby but is a slightly heavier horn but not that different in price.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-02-10 12:22
In my sigbnificant experience as a repairer the three 'A's, Accord, Armstrong and Artley are extremely shoddy in their mechanical design and manufacture, e.g. key corks which are of a low-quality, synthetic, self-adhesive material which steadily slides off the keys. Tenon corks also fall off. Completely recorking a clarinet is not a cheap operation.
Another example is wobbly key posts which have been (poorly) moulded in instead of being, as in Yamaha, screwed in. I could give you a very long list! Shame on the manufacturer!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Dee
Date: 2001-02-10 12:28
Mark Pinner wrote:
>
> I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the Artley. It is
> very similar to the Armstrong and made nearby but is a slightly
> heavier horn but not that different in price.
This instrument is strictly second rate. Artley, Armstrong, Jupiter and a whole slew of others simply can't hold a candle to the big four of Leblanc, Buffet, Selmer, and Yamaha.
If it were a sports team, here's how they would stack up.
Buffet, Leblanc, Selmer, Yamaha - 1st string
Artley and so on - 2nd string
Chinese and other Asian imports - cull from the team.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
