The Clarinet BBoard

The Clarinet BBoard The C4 standard

New Topic | Go to Top | Go to Topic | Search | Help/Rules | Smileys/Notes | Log In

Previous Message | Next Message

RE: buying a clarinet

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 | Avail. Forums | Flat View

Newer Topic | Older Topic

Topics