 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: janlynn
Date: 2004-11-16 13:25
hey guys - - i havent made a post here in ages but i do come in an occassional read and now i have a question.
my neice recently started playing clarinet and i had an old bundy i got off of ebay and they had it repaired and she is using that. i suggested she get a vandoren model mouthpiece but i could not convince her parents that a good mouthpiece makes all the difference. however, the music store was able to convince them that the $9.99 mouthpiece they got was just as good as the vandoren kind. "and after all - if she doesnt stick with it, they will only be out 10 bucks" right? all i could say is that a good mouthpiece would make it easier for her and she would be less likely to quit - but i didnt know how to explain HOW a good mouthpiece makes it easier. what could i have said?
also - - i was with them on a shopping trip to wallmart and saw the clarinet that they sell. actually, i just saw the box and looked at the manufacturer which i believe was tiawan or china or something like that. my brother in law asked me about it - - i told him it was junk, but again i didnt know WHY - what makes it junk - compared to a plastic student bundy? is it the function of the keys? if its the tone - - what makes one have good tone and another not etc?
also ... that got me to thinking about the difference between intermediate clarinets and professional ones - - what is it you get in a pro clarinet that you wouldnt get in an intermediate one.
im not asking for models and which one is best - - i guess im looking for the differences in how clarinets are built and the words i can tell others as to WHY one is better quality than another.
thanks - janlynn
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Author: BobD
Date: 2004-11-16 14:12
jan...you might post your email address for anyone who will take the time to respond directly. Your questions have been addressed here many times so the general reaction may well be "ho hum". You might try the Search function.
Bob Draznik
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Author: William
Date: 2004-11-16 14:50
"Quality" does not matter much at the beginning level. What is more important is the condition or playability of the equipement, not its "professional" level. A reconditioned Bundy clarinet with the $9.00 mouthpiece and a medium soft reed (Ricos work just fine) will provide any beginning clarineist (who has the desire to learn) with a good beginning level setup to get started on. However, after a certain level of performance is attained (3d yr or high school) and it becomes evident that the student is serious about "sticking with it" or expresses a desire for that "better" sound and improved technique, then it is time to upgrade. But for those first few years of middle school band, all that is really needed is a mouthpiece and clarinet that is in good playing condition, cheap reeds (in beginning band, they all "break" anyhow) and a teacher to introduce the correct rudimentary techniques and musical concepts.
As for the Wall-Mart clarinet, I have been told that one of the things which makes these instruments inferior is the keywork. On most of these clarinets, the "metal" is really nickel plated plastic that will break if adjustment is needed or melt if heated. On the Selmer Bundy clarinets, the keywork is metal and can be bent and sodered as needed, but that may not be true with the "bargain basement" MegaStore models. I would avoid these clarinets and go with student models from the "Big Four"--Buffett, LeBlanc, Selmer and Yamaha--everytime (even though a bit more expensive). They are all durable in the hands of beginners, provide an adequate entry level playing experiance. And, if they are inadvertantly damaged--or if simply, "it broke"--they can be easily repaired.
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Author: janlynn
Date: 2004-11-16 15:00
hmmm - i dont think i related my question correctly - - - i do know that a student model is best for beginners ...i also know the brands that one should get - - i just dont have the words to explain to those who dont know - what makes one better (like a student bundy) better than (a wallmart special).
what i want to know more about is like what you wrote in your second paragraph about what the keys are made of ...
so now i know ...
junk keys = nickelplated "plastic"
good keys = nickel
thats is what im asking ... not about what brand is better - but how they are built - - materials products so that when i tell someone - that clarinet at wallmart is junk - i know why it is junk -
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Author: johnsonfromwisconsin
Date: 2004-11-16 15:27
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"Quality" does not matter much at the beginning level. What is more important is the condition or playability of the equipement, not its "professional" level.
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We may be speaking out of different intended meanings of "Quality", but I disagree. Quality doesn't need to encompass only the fine attention to detail and engineering of professional level instruments. Quality, to me, means reliability and functionality of a certain level regardless of what level one plays at or how much the instrument costs. A student horn should be a quality instrument: one that holds adjustment and can be played in tune and won't be the limiting factor to a beginning player.
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junk keys = nickelplated "plastic"
good keys = nickel
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I don't know that the CSOs at Sam's or walmart use plastic for keys. I assume they do use a nickel alloy like legitimate instruments, though the formation process behind their manufacture is where I'd suspect the difference. It's like a post on a small saxophone forum I frequent said: The starter of a thread was saying how impressed he felt with the heavy weight of his sub-$300 brand new cheap horn was. He seemed to think it indicated quality. I'm not a metalurgist or engineer, but amount of materials used probably means little if it wasn't treated correctly. It sounds more like a poor substitute to make up for skipped phases in manufacture to me.
just my non-expert thoughts.
-JfW
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