 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: tkillian
Date: 2017-08-22 22:16
My student has been playing on a nice yamaha advantage Bb since the end of 5th grade. She is now a freshman and playing level 5 and 6 (new York state) music, was 1st/1st in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade all county, and 1st/1st at band camp(which was a 9-12th grade level wind ensemble )
At this point she wants to continue auditioning for all county and eventually all state.
She is not going to be a music major so?
Any thoughts?
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Author: tkillian
Date: 2017-08-22 22:18
Oh, I did "upgrade" her mouthpiece to Rico Reserve and she uses V12 #3s
Post Edited (2017-08-22 22:21)
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Author: Doug Leach
Date: 2017-08-22 23:12
Buffet E12F or Yamaha YCL-650? Both about the same price point. Definite nice upgrade up from what she has, and appropriate for high school student at her playing level.
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Author: gwie
Date: 2017-08-22 23:29
There are lots of great options nowadays, and no requirement to spend $3500-$4000 on an instrument.
Buffet E12F
Yamaha YCL-650
Backun Protege
Selmer Seles Prologue
Uebel Classic
Leblanc Serenade
This is kind of out there: one of my students recently purchased a Backun Alpha, which is synthetic, but a MoBa barrel and bell to go with it. She uses the regular barrel and bell for marching, then switches over to the wood barrel/bell for concert ensembles. The clarinet was ~$700, and the barrel and bell we found used for under $500 together. So for roughly $1200, she has an instrument that serves dual purposes and plays absolutely *wonderfully*. I was definitely surprised at how well the Alpha played and tuned with the MoBa barrel/bell combination!
Post Edited (2017-08-22 23:29)
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Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2017-08-23 00:29
Tom,
I'm curious about the quality of tone of the Yamaha Advantage clarinet as well as its intonation accuracy.
Why did you upgrade her mouthpiece? What was she playing before?
Are you the person who feels she needs to upgrade and, if so, why?
Thanks in advance for your comments.
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Author: tkillian
Date: 2017-08-23 02:57
The quality of tone is....hmmm, "tinny"?, no depth/warmth compared to my E-11 which she borrowed for awhile....
Actually I was wrong about the mouthpiece. .my other student bought my rico reserve XO and it was a nice improvement.
I think the mouthpiece is the single most important upgrade you can make. It's where the sound is initiated, I gave had 3 excellent college clarinet professors tell me the same thing. Seems to be a consensus that a "better" mouthpiece is ....better?
Post Edited (2017-08-23 03:01)
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Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2017-08-23 16:20
I like Gene's suggestions. Does anyone know if the Leblanc Serenade is replacing the Bliss?
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Author: TomS
Date: 2017-08-23 21:33
The Reserve X0 is, at present, my favorite MP with Pilgerstorfer Dolce reeds #3.5 ... I sometimes use a VD M13-lyre for some occasions ... Rico and VD reeds seem to me to be less responsive, less consistent and "thuddy" compared to the Pilgerstorfer ...
I'd probably check out the Yamaha CSVR for an upgrade and be done with it. Why take another intermediate step? Get a pro clarinet today and enjoy it for many years ...
Tom
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Author: kdk
Date: 2017-08-23 22:08
I wouldn't completely ignore the possibility of finding a good but well-used older top line clarinet, which, if it's old enough, would almost certainly be some model of Buffet, Selmer or Leblanc. I don't really know the price ranges for comparison of all the new instruments everyone is suggesting. In my area (Philadelphia) you can find older R13s and 10Gs that still play very well for around $1,000, give or take $100 or so (price is often negotiable within limits). Best if there's a reputable shop in your area where the owner repairs and sells older instruments on consignment for players who have moved on to something newer. I wouldn't myself recommend grabbing the $200 R13 on EBay unless you have a very good repairer available to fix it up (at added cost).
Karl
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Author: Cappuccino
Date: 2017-08-23 22:34
If she wants to continue playing music into college, then I would skip buying an intermediate level instrument and just go ahead and tell her to get a professional level instrument.
If she wants to stay as an amateur musician, then go to an intermediate model of her choice.
I can recommend many, but it is most important to find an instrument that suits the player's body the best.
Alexander May
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFZta2RG4iM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh8O5DC4Tqs
"Looking at art, you're looking at the result of a philosophy." - John Emmett
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Author: GeorgeL ★2017
Date: 2017-08-24 04:39
An important factor might be her budget. If money is no object, she should get a good pro model. If she keeps playing, she can play it for the rest of her life. If she quits playing, it will have good resale value.
If money is an issue, she should keep playing what she has, as she seems to be doing quite well with it.
George
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Author: tkillian
Date: 2017-08-26 22:29
Thanks George. I think money is an issue so...I've been researching the various options of an upgrade in mouthpiece.
I did an exhaustive search on this forum, sax fouum and google reviews about her 4C mouthpiece which comes with the horn. Not much luck. .just tid bits.
I would love to hear people's thoughts on this.
Personally I love the new rico reserve XO or x05.
Not being a pro clarinet player I'm learning a lot.
I'm trying to get as much information as I can to help her and her parents realize a pro mouthpiece could be an option.
What are some reasons you might tell a parent a pro mouthpiece is a good option if finances don't allow a upgrade in instrument?
Thanks
Post Edited (2017-08-26 22:51)
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Author: kdk
Date: 2017-08-27 00:41
tkillian wrote:
> I'm trying to get as much information as I can to help her and
> her parents realize a pro mouthpiece could be an option.
>
You're probably on even shakier ground talking about a "pro mouthpiece" than you are with "pro clarinet." FWIW, my advice, if you're going to upgrade the mouthpiece, which I think is a good idea, is to go with a tried-and-true good quality mass-produced mouthpiece like one of the Vandorens or a D'Addario (since you like it personally). Either would be a great improvement, IMO, over a stock 4C
> What are some reasons you might tell a parent a pro mouthpiece
> is a good option if finances don't allow a upgrade in
> instrument?
>
After the reed and the player herself, the mouthpiece is the part that most strongly influences the tone and response of the instrument. And replacing it is a lot less expensive than replacing the clarinet. But the best selling point would be to have the daughter try a couple of Vandorens or d'Addarios and hear and feel the difference.
Karl
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Author: tkillian
Date: 2017-08-27 02:09
Karl. Thanks. I know that piece and gave already communicated that to both mom and student. Probably that's all I need to do. Maybe I'm just looking for more technical jargon? For example why is a hard rubber mouthpiece better than plastic?
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Author: tkillian
Date: 2017-08-27 02:12
Ooh just found this
https://www.tcnj.edu/~mckinney/mouthpiece.htm
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Author: kdk
Date: 2017-08-27 04:03
tkillian wrote:
> Maybe I'm just looking for more technical jargon? For
> example why is a hard rubber mouthpiece better than plastic?
Is it? Necessarily?
Anyway, technical jargon more often puts people off than wins them over.
Karl
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Author: kdk
Date: 2017-08-27 04:28
There may be information here that's of interest to you, but it won't tell your student's mom anything useful. There's so much to argue with in this material! But even if you agree with every word, it doesn't quantify or really describe anything. Neither you nor the parent will know from this article what a short, medium or long facing is, what is a good chamber or a bad one, or what a Henri Chedeville or Kaspar mouthpiece was or who they were. There's only one place where he gives actual measurements - for Clark Fobes's mouthpieces. Is 16 mm short or medium? What about 17 mm? And, BTW, McKinney doesn't mention tip opening.
I don't know when Roger wrote that piece, but he doesn't even mention molded hard rubber - it's only recently that rod rubber has come back into vogue because that's what Chedeville used. The only rod rubber mouthpieces your student will find are in the $250 plus range. Behn's are well above that.
Go for a good quality production mouthpiece that you know something about and can recommend. She can worry about rod rubber and crystal vs. acrylic when she's all grown up and spending her own money.
Karl
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Author: tkillian
Date: 2017-08-28 17:03
Yes. Yes and yes. I have rico reserve XO and XO5 AND X10.
I suppose some of this inquiry is for my own personal benefit..i.e. I can't find definitive Internet explanation why rubber is better than plastic. Frankly just an interesting topic to me...scientifically /acoustically. I hear and feel the difference experientially.
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Author: SarahC
Date: 2017-08-31 08:59
I can't recommend the ridenour mouthpieces enough.
Every single clarinet I play with his Erica mouth piece sounds amazing and intonation is great...
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