 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Christine
Date: 2002-10-07 19:15
I've played Eb clarinet for the last 10 years on a Noblet Artist owned by the band I play in. The top F# & G are awful (very flat - and that's when they sound properly), although the middle and lower registers sound lovely. I'm looking for a replacement but don't know what to buy. Today I tried a Yamaha YCL681 II, and a Buffet Crampon R13 (there were no others available to try). The Yamaha sounded a little thin but the Buffet was slightly better and seemed to play in tune at the top end. Incidentally, my mouthpiece was too small for the Buffet which made me wonder if it was a different bore size.
I guess I have several questions:
1) Is the Buffet R13 a wider bore Eb (than standard)?
2) Has anyone here played on a Buffet Prestige or R13 Eb clarinet (and what did you think of it) or got an Eb which you would recommend?
3) Are Vandoren reeds really the best reeds available for the Eb Clarinet?!
Any advice welcomed!
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Author: Dee
Date: 2002-10-07 21:00
As far as I can tell, Eb clarinets in general tend to be naturally flat at notes that high. It takes excellent embouchure control, proper breath support, proper selection of mouthpiece, proper matching of instrument/mouthpiece/reed, and alternate fingerings to get these notes properly in-tune.
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Author: Susan
Date: 2002-10-07 23:09
My Eb is a Patricola, which is quite a bit less expensive than a Buffet, though still a very nice instrument. Had I a bigger budget, I would have gotten a Buffet RC. I agree with Dee regarding the importance of a good mouthpiece. A replacement barrel may also be necessary. My Patricola came with two barrels in different lengths, but I usually play on a Chadash barrel I bought with my Greg Smith mouthpiece. I use Vandoren Eb reeds at the moment, but many people just cut their regular Bb reeds off shorter.
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Author: Alphie
Date: 2002-10-08 08:56
Totally agree with Dee. I started up on a Noblet Artist many years ago. The high register was flat but improved very much when I started to use Vandoren White Master. I also used a string ligature to reduce some of the ugly overtones. Bb reeds in general gives more body and power to the high register. Funny that they still produce "Eb-reeds" that IMHO don't live up to the expectations.
Alphie
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Author: Alphie
Date: 2002-10-08 08:59
Just to include my e-mail address. I'm not at home at the moment and forgot to include it.
Alphie
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Author: nzdonald
Date: 2002-10-08 09:11
do a search for "e flat clarinet" as there are heaps of threads already with various comments etc....
if you have the money try- Leblanc Opus E flat or Buffet RC. i reckon these are the best.
i use a Zinner A frame mouthpiece with a German string ligature and B flat reeds chopped off at the base.
the Yamaha model you tried, by the way, is (i think) an old model that they made a while back- i think the models that have a roman numeral "II" are from the mid 1980s..... you may be able to use this info to haggle for a discount.
donald
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Author: jez
Date: 2002-10-08 09:54
I use a Selmer Recital Eb which I think is hard to beat. The keywork is particularly well laid out for people with large hands and the intonation at the top easier than the Buffet.
I use Vandoren regular myself, but my partner (yes, 2 Eb players living together!) favours White Masters cut to size.
jez
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