 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: alaskaneric
Date: 2013-08-02 00:41
My daughter will be playing a "mic'd" solo in marching band on a Bflat clarinet. Suddenly, sound quality in a marching band friendly instrument is important. The school's instruments are completely out of the question due to poor sound. Greenline seems the obvious choice, but was hoping to avoid that level of cost. She has two R13, A and Bflat, for concert use, but can't risk using them in the heat and humidity. Can anyone recommend a resin instrument that would have decent intonation and sound quality, other than the Greenline? budget?... figure a few hundred. Also, would a hard rubber mouthpiece be best?
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2013-08-02 02:04
Firstly, just use whatever mouthpiece your are used to using. I hate the notion that you should use a different mouthpiece for each different situation. That is the easiest way to throw your embouchure into a tail-spin.
As for clarinets, I don't think you'll find any decent horn for "a few hundred dollars (is that $200?). The cheapest, bare minimum horn would be a used, plastic Vito for about $300. But there are several professionally acceptable horns for around a thousand such as Ridenour's Lyrique or the new Backun hard rubber clarinet (supposedly the best of its kind).
................Paul Aviles
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Author: alaskaneric
Date: 2013-08-02 06:39
... few hundred, meaning under $1000. For marching, a used clarinet with marks, scratches, etc is tolerable. It may be wishful thinking, but I was indeed looking for suggestions for reasonably good sound from a non-wood clarinet that is not of the $2000 to $4000 range for a used Greenline. Thanks for the suggestions.
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2013-08-02 10:32
You might look for a hard rubber Boosey and Hawkes Edgware, Emperor or Imperial. These were the backbone of military bands throughout the world for many years and have a proven track history. They are available for $200-400 on EBay and I have bought several excellent examples from that source.
Tony F.
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Author: Steven Ocone
Date: 2013-08-02 14:20
It seems that a typical outdoor PA system would defeat any attempt at creating a beautiful sound.
Steve Ocone
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Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2013-08-02 18:06
I think Steven is right in his comments about a typical outdoor PA system.
Paul mentioned a Vito, and I think this is a great choice. A hard rubber mouthpiece might be best, but she could also try a Fobes Debut, an amazing mouthpiece for the price. Instruments and (and sometimes mouthpieces) take a lot of abuse on a marching field (I speak from personal experience), and I wouldn't go outdoors with anything too expensive.
Clarinets never sound their best outdoors under extreme weather conditions (and a stadium PA system), and I think very few people sitting in the stands will notice the tone difference between an R-13 and a Vito.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2013-08-03 02:05
For about 400 pounds you can get a "greenline"-like Hanson with silverplated keys, undercut tone holes, the whole enchilada. Bought one for outdoors, now use it for indoors and even competitions....
--
Ben
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2013-08-03 03:31
The further a part of the clarinet is from your mouth, the less it matters. A plastic Vito, or even a Bundy, will sound great with the mouthpiece and barrel your daughter uses on her R13.
If you bought the R13 locally, the music store will be delighted to loan her a Vito for a single outdoor performance. If not, have her borrow a plastic clarinet from her teacher, or even rent one for a week.
She should have her own outdoor clarinet, anyway. You can pick up something perfectly good on eBay or Goodwill for under $50.
Almost all mouthpieces are hard rubber. If she needs something new, get a Fobes Debut, which is plastic but high quality.
Ken Shaw
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Author: ddavani
Date: 2013-08-03 04:21
Seriously consider a Backun Alpha clarinet. It isn't actually made out of rubber, but a new blend of synthetic polymers, which make it sound nearly identical to a professional wooden instrument. The material doesn't change and can be played the exact same way from -60° F to 120° F. The keys are also made with stainless steel and have a special lubricant that can work in any condition. The clarinet can even be played in a swimming pool! Now the price. I believe the base model is 750 USD. I just tried it for the first time and I would proudly play it in an orchestra setting.
By the way, I am not a salesperson for Backun, nor am I affiliated as a distributor. I just enthusiastically sell the idea of a product that I find to be fantastic. Hope this helps!
-Dave Davani
http://allclarinet.blogspot.com/
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2013-08-08 15:02
Plastic Yamaha with a decent mouthpiece. If it is adjusted well, and played by a good player, then 99.99% of the audience will never know it wasn't wood.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2013-08-09 06:24
>> Bought one for outdoors, now use it for indoors and even competitions.... <<
What do you use for odd competitions...?
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2013-08-10 20:57
Before you go nuts on what marching clarinet would produce the best sound, what's the mic and speaker setup? If it's not going to be a good mic and sound system getting it piped through, don't worry about. I firmly believe 90% of tone is mouthpiece and barrel. Unless it's a good sound system, don't worry about that last little bit.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: pplateau
Date: 2013-08-10 21:48
Plastic Yamaha, (eg YCL250), good mp and a Muncy Winds diamond barrel
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