 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: sian
Date: 2006-05-04 17:36
Hi everyone - I'm new here! Been playing clarinet now for about 4 months (it was a new year's resolution).
At the moment I'm playing on a plastic ABS resin clarinet which only cost about £60 new. It's fine at the moment and my teacher is pretty impressed with the quality, given the price and that it's an unknown brand. I've heard however that when it comes time for it to be serviced, it would probably be better just to upgrade rather than pay the price of the clarinet again for a service.
This is a long way off anyway, but I was wondering if it's necessary to buy a new clarinet, or is it possible to upgrade in 'bits', i.e. buy a new mouthpiece and barrel, and then maybe buy a new bell and keep the original upper and lower joints? Or is it more econmical just to buy a whole new clarinet?
What do people think?
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Author: spiderbelle
Date: 2006-05-04 18:05
I was in a similar situation when I was in high school band -- I inherited a clarinet from my mom (and her parents bought it at a pawn shop when she began 5th grade band -- luckily for me, at least it was wood). I got to a point where my equipment was really starting to hold me back. I wasn't able to convince my parents to buy me a 'real' clarinet until the end of my junior year, but I was able to get a new mouthpiece, ligature, and a different brand of reeds, which made a huge difference.
In terms of the body of the clarinet, that's something you buy as a whole. You can buy barrels, but you don't find people selling just the top joint or just the bell.
I would start with a new mouthpiece, a new ligature, and a higher quality reed. A very good and affordable mouthpiece is the Vandoren B45. I assume you are using the stock ligature, which chokes reeds -- the plain metal kind with two screws directly on the reed. This inhibits reed vibration. A cheap but good ligature to try is Luyben. It's soft plastic (reminds me of the kind found in milk jugs) and it works pretty well. You will definitely notice a difference. They are really cheap too, so it wouldn't be a major investment.
What reeds do you use? I personally think that it's best to start playing on a quality reed as soon as possible. Regular blue box Vandorens are good -- if you want something a little cheaper, try Mitchell Luries.
Don't wait until your clarinet falls apart to get these things. I would advise getting them now, if you can afford it, because you would notice a tremendous difference in your sound even though you're still playing a plastic clarinet. Playing better sooner cuts out a lot of frustration caused by poor sound quality, squeaks, poor intonation, etc. that are often directly related to just your mouthpiece setup.
When my little sister started band, she inherited the clarinet that I inherited from my mom -- but I got her a good student mouthpiece, good reeds, and a good ligature from the first day of band. She progressed much faster than her peers -- believe me, this was not because she had a music major clarinetist for a sister, because she never wanted lessons from me -- rather, her improvement was undeniably linked to having a good foundation from the beginning regarding reeds, mouthpiece, and ligature. These are the essentials.
Hope this was some help. My two cents, for what it's worth.
(Disclaimer: the music major clarinetist sister switched majors to English, got her BA, spent the past few years barely playing at all, and is now starting grad school in political science at age 26 -- and she is insanely excited to start playing again.) 
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-05-04 18:22
spiderbelle wrote:
> but you don't find people
> selling just the top joint or just the bell.
The selling of aftermarket bells (and barrels) is a VERY big business ...GBK
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-05-04 18:28
spiderbelle wrote:
> I assume you are using the stock ligature, which
> chokes reeds -- the plain metal kind with two screws
> directly on the reed.
Stanley Drucker has been using the same stock ligature that you describe for over 50 years ...GBK
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2006-05-04 18:40
As GBK says, people do sell aftermarket bells.
But (as GBK well knows) this is a little irrelevant to Sian's question. Aftermarket bells are intended to make very good clarinets better still. You wouldn't buy one to improve a cheap clarinet.
If your clarinet cost £60 new then either it was new a very long time ago, or it will be of the sort that isn't worth maintaining. The only improvement that it's likely to be worth making now is a better mouthpiece. Vandoren is indeed a good and readily-available make, though many people will advise you that the particular model that spiderbelle mentions, the B45, doesn't suit most beginners. There are several cheaper mouthpieces that are frequently recommended on this board; you may not find them very readily in UK shops.
Your teacher should be able to give you personalised advice on all these issues.
-----------
If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
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Author: Don Poulsen
Date: 2006-05-04 18:51
Whoever has been telling you that it would be better to upgrade than repair has been preaching false economics and just providing a rationalization for getting a new instrument. Economically speaking, when it comes time to repair or adjust your instrument, which presumably is a fair way off, it would be more economical to repair your instrument than to buy a fancier one, even if the repair cost equals the original cost. It is cheaper to pay £60 to get a playable instrument than to pay whatever a fancy new one costs. But if the repair cost exceeds the original cost, buying an identical replacement would be more economical. (Similarly, it's more economical and sensible to spend £1000 repairing a car worth £500 than to replace it with a new £10,000 car. You save £9,000 and still have a good working car in the end.)
Not knowing your age or maturity level, I'd say not to get a new instrument until (1) you're certain that you want to continue to play for a long time and (2) you've saved enough pence to get the instrument you really want. If you're young and in school, you might wait until you're a bit older and less likely to have an accident with an instrument. (Teens can go through a clumsy stage.) You'll shed fewer tears over an irreparable £60 clarinet than you would over an irreparable expensive instrument.
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Author: sian
Date: 2006-05-04 19:38
Wow, you all answer really quickly!
Ok - first of all, thanks for the mouthpiece advice - that is something that I'll ask my teacher about - the mouthpiece I've got is pretty poor (it's alreday wearing down on the top and I know I'm not biting it!).
Currently using Rico reeds - I know most people don't like them but I've found them quite reliable, wheareas when I've tried Vandorens they can be a bit squeaky.. will keep experimenting though!
I'm using a leather-style ligature (with the screw on the top)
My instrument was almost new when I got it, so it really is pretty cheap! I have an inking that it may not be worth maintaining, but as Don said, it all depends on what I'm willing to spend on a new one as to whether I upgrade instead! It might be better to get a better student instrument sooner rather than later and then I'll have something better to trade in for an intermediate one (if I ever get that far)
(BTW, I'm 25, so pretty much past the clumsy stage - well supposed to be anyway!).
Thanks!
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Author: stevensfo
Date: 2006-05-04 19:49
Absolutely agree with the previous posters.
Start looking around and learning about how the reeds, mouthpieces, barrels and ligatures work.
If the clarinet is okay, then fine. Simply invest in really good MPs, barrels etc and keep them. ie If you sell the clarinet, sell it with the MP it came with.
The effect of a good reed, MP and barrel on a mediocre clarinet is amazing.
As a beginner, perhaps you'd be better off with a Vandoren 5RV than a B45.
Ebay is great for all these things.
By the way, where on earth did you find a clarinet for 60 quid - and is there any logo written on it?
Steve
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Author: sian
Date: 2006-05-04 20:13
Ok, I'll prepare myself for the cries of horror, but it was from ebay - a seller called quayinstruments.
I bought it from someone at work who had bought it and then changed their mind and wanted to sell on rather than lose money paying to post it back to the shop. I checked out the seller - they are UK based, 100% positive feedback and the clarinets are made in Japan rather than China or India, so I thought I'd give it a go. Think it was nearer £69 now I think about it, but I paid a little less.
The clarinet is a 'Miyashima' - googled and nothing came up aside from the ebay ones.
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Author: stevensfo
Date: 2006-05-04 20:30
-- "Ok, I'll prepare myself for the cries of horror, but it was from ebay - a seller called quayinstruments. " --
Why cries of horror? All my clarinets, except one, are from Ebay and every single one was a bargain.
Clarinets from Japan? That's a new one! I wonder if it's a chinese clarinet with a japanese name stamped on it. After all, most chinese clarinets have very English logos.
Perhaps they're trying some lateral thinking to improve sales? ;-)
Steve
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Author: sian
Date: 2006-05-04 20:39
Well, I don't cry in horror at ebay, it's just that many people I've spoken to have a very low opinion of it! I'm certainly not complaining!
It's definately got 'Japan' written on the bell, and was advertised as a Japanese clarinet. My teacher also said that he's come across a few Japanese ones in the last couple of years (aside from Yamaha). He thinks that other Japanese companies seem to have caught on to Yamaha's success, now that they've paved the way.
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Author: stevensfo
Date: 2006-05-04 21:37
-- "Well, I don't cry in horror at ebay, it's just that many people I've spoken to have a very low opinion of it!" --
Well, I don't mind. It means that we have a better pick of the bargains! ;-)
The reason people have a low opinion of it is because it's like working in a busy market. Terrifying at first and people know you're a newbie so you get lots of scam emails. But you just ignore them and they stop.
-- "He thinks that other Japanese companies seem to have caught on to Yamaha's success, now that they've paved the way." --
Now that will be interesting!
Steve
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Author: bcl1dso
Date: 2006-05-04 22:04
Not to knock GBK or anything but Stanley Drucker doesn't have the most appealing sound on earth. ; ) However, to the author, Mouthpiece Ligature and reeds can make a world of difference
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-05-04 22:39
bcl1dso wrote:
> Not to knock GBK or anything but Stanley Drucker doesn't have
> the most appealing sound on earth. ; )
- and some people don't like chocolate ice cream....
But, MANY do ...GBK
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Author: claritoot26
Date: 2006-05-05 13:36
I agree with Peacham. Bells and barrels are usually made for professional quality instruments, and I wouldn't recommend buying them for a beginner's plastic clarinet. (They're quite expensive, for one thing.) Do upgrade the mouthpiece, reeds, perhaps ligature. When you're sure you want to keep playing for years, and you have money to get a good one, upgrade the clarinet. Then, when you get really good and you have a really good teacher to help you, start experimenting with barrels and bells. Yeah.
Lori
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2006-05-05 14:03
I wonder what Yamaha does with their 'seconds', before they stamp the Yamaha name on? Hmm.
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Author: sian
Date: 2006-05-05 17:09
You mean maybe they stamp 'miyashima' instead and ship them to ebay? maybe you're onto something there.................
I think I'll start saving for a new mouthpiece anyway. What are the differences between the different models - I'm pretty small and don't have a very big mouth - does this make a difference? I also have slightly longer front teeth so that makes it a little harder to close my lips around the mouthpiece. I'd really like to get a mouthpiece that I'm going to be happy with for a long time.
Any suggestions?
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Author: mtague
Date: 2006-05-05 18:58
I have a small mouth (i'm pretty small in general) and larger front teeth. I don't have an issue with any mouthpiece I've used. I only have 3 though. A rico royal, a 2RV and an HS*. As for the wearing it down with the top front teeth, I buy these sticky pads from the music shop. They are made to prevent that and cushion the teeth. The pad is about 1-2 mm thick of some kind of black foam with a sticky side. You just put it where you like it.
I've bought 2 clarinets on ebay. But you can use your plastic for quite a while. I used my bundy for 5 years. I was very pleased by the improvement in sound that I got from a better mouthpiece. My teacher had recommended the HS* for me. Ask your teacher what he/she would recommend for you. Maybe you can go to a music store and see if they have any demo mouthpieces to try.
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