 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: katie
Date: 1999-09-10 02:38
I don't know anything about clarinets. My 9 year old daughter has been playing for about one year. I just bought a Barrington BWCL-501J for $380 from Costco. Is this a good clarinet for a good price? It's made in the USA. That's all I know.
Thanks for any help.
Katie
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mark Charette
Date: 1999-09-10 02:47
katie wrote:
-------------------------------
I don't know anything about clarinets. My 9 year old daughter has been playing for about one year. I just bought a Barrington BWCL-501J for $380 from Costco. Is this a good clarinet for a good price? It's made in the USA.
-----
Katie,
I've not heard of a Barrington. Name brand beginner clarinets (Buffet, Vito, Selmer, Yamaha) generally go for around $310.00 - $360.00 USD via mailorder, slightly more (about 10%) from a reasonable local dealer.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mark Charette
Date: 1999-09-10 02:52
I just did a little research. Barrington is a division of L.A. Sax, so at least parts should be available should something break.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: paul
Date: 1999-09-10 13:49
From Mark's comments, the Barrington brand and model clarinet you purchased seems to be a student grade horn. The student grade horns are specifically made for young beginners and they are relatively rugged in overall construction. Don't expect fantastic tone or tuning from the horn, but it should be great for the young student. This grade of horn can take a real beating from a young player and still keep playing. I used a very low-end plastic student grade horn during my middle and high school years. I marched with it in bad weather, dropped it a few times, kids banged it into the heavy music stands more time than I could count, it was out in the cold and heat, and then I stored it in the attic for 20 years. Even after all of the neglect and abuse, it still played. It sounded pretty bad, but it played.
Consider investing a few (about $35) dollars in a decent mouthpiece and perhaps a few dollars more in a box of good natural cane reeds. I believe (Mark, check me on this one...) that the Hite Premier and Vandoren regular cut 2.0 or 2.5 strength reeds would make a great complement to the new horn.
However, even with a good mp and reed setup, the best investment would be in a couple month's worth of private lessons for your young student. The lessons will help accelerate learning and will definitely help boost confidence in the young player.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Thomas Mudd Jr
Date: 1999-09-14 18:10
The best investment for a young player is in a good mouthpiece, reeds, and an instructor. For the mouthpiece I would reccommend the Vandorean, along with 1 1/2 Vandorean reeds. Keep the old instrument when you buy a better one for marching band and other harsh weather situations.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
