 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: SVClarinet09
Date: 2006-02-04 23:22
Ok, I just got back today from a District Band Clinic. I was the only kid there on a resonite clarinet(Selmer 1400) Everyone around me had Buffet R13s, E11s, E12s, or the Yamaha wood model clarinets. I made 12th chair but mainly due to the fact that I did horrible on sightreading. I was wondering if wooden clarinets really do make that big of a difference.<--I know its sort of a naive question, but I really wanna know. I want to make state next year.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2006-02-05 00:42
GBK may want to refer you to what may be a plethora of other threads but I would say it boils down to how well made a clarinet is. For instance, some of those R13s you heard may have been "Green Lines," which are basically made of wood shavings and glue....they are phenomenal horns (and pricey). There are many very good playing plastic bass clarinets. In addition, there is a lot of good "press" on the Forte clarinets but I have no direct experience with them....yet.
The flip side is that there are plenty of wooden clarinets made to such an inferior degree even I wouldn't play on one.
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: wwinds
Date: 2006-02-05 00:58
Whether it is wood or plastic is not as important as the design and workmanship that went into the instrument.
Repairing brass and woodwind instruments
www.whisperingwindsrepair.netfirms.com
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Author: Ryan Young
Date: 2006-02-05 02:54
Hey, a few years ago in 8th grade i made first chair at all-district with a plastic $100 dollar ebay clarinet. so if your clarinet is in good working order you can still achieve...however after that, i did buy a E12.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-02-05 21:44
If you get the chance to try out several makes and models of wooden clarinets, try a student wooden model against a pro model - eg. a Buffet E11 against an R13 or a Leblanc Sonata against a Concerto and you'll notice the tonal difference is very significant.
I can't fully describe how different they are, you will have to try them to see for yourself, but it is a surprising difference, and one that could spoil you and dent your parents bank balance.
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Author: SVClarinet09
Date: 2006-02-05 23:26
see, the thing is everyone this year EXPECTED me to get first. people were actually surprised by the chair I recieved. I had the best scale scores and the best solo scores, I just can't sightread. And I know a wooden clarinet makes a WAY better sound. is a Leblanc Rapsodie or Sonata a good model for a Freshman? I'm planning on getting a Selmer Paris model once I get a job. I might also buy my directors Selmer Omega. Is that a good clarinet?
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2006-02-06 00:18
SVClarinet09 wrote:
> I made 12th chair but mainly due to the fact that I did horrible on
> sightreading. I was wondering if wooden clarinets really do make
> that big of a difference.
Not in sightreading ...
Fix that first - it doesn't cost money, just time. Then see where things stand.
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Author: ginny
Date: 2006-02-06 00:24
I personally find that good equipment helps. It's not just about chair placement, it's about not having to practice around the flaws in an instrument. Plastic works, if it's well made, but they usually aren't. When my son made the good band in Jr. High and second chair after playing for only one year we got him a used R-13. He's taken good care of it and now plays it in college, majoring in music. He marched with the plastic clarinet in HS.
If you can afford it, good equipment is wonderful.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2006-02-06 08:45
I'm primarily a flute player. while playing in over 150 shows, three times I have been awe-struck by the sound made by the clarinet beside me. One was a plastic Yamaha, and another was a B#H Regent. Both plastic, but played VERY well.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-02-06 14:50
I use a plastic Yamaha for adverse conditions where I wouldn't dare play my Selmers, but I reckon I can make just as good a sound on a plastic clarinet as I can on a wooden one, though obviously not the same sound.
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Author: J B Lansing
Date: 2006-02-06 15:44
I don't know about the Leblanc Rapsodie, but I play a Sonata and am quiet pleased with it. It is billed as an eentry lever professional instrument by Leblanc. I believe the major diffierence between it and the higher level Leblancs is the keywork which is of a differeent design. Otheres here can probably give you more specifics.
J B
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2006-02-06 16:23
I agree with Mark C. that you need to work on your sight reading more than anything else at this point. However, I do believe that in concert settings a wood clarinet is a good investment. So, save your pennies--or rather, your dollars.
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2006-02-06 20:09
I'll repeat a story.
My stand mate in the community orchestra played a Vito, and played it well. He showed up one night and started making much, much, much better sounds. He had traded his Vito for a Buffet R13; and the difference was spectacular.
When it comes time to upgrade, find a true love.
Bob Phillips
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2006-02-06 20:15
Compare it to playing golf...
The sticks in the bag are no help to you without time on the driving range.
No substitute for practice, unfortunately.
If you're flush with cash, why not by a nice horn?
If you're not, practice (as MC noted) will cost only your time.
******
Best wooden clarinet I played was handmade by Stephen Fox.
It cost more than my first THREE cars, altogether.
My favorite clarinet is a Ridenour TR-147, commonly on eBay for $250 or less.
My favorite player, Kenny Davern, plays a hard rubber Conn POS that ROCKS!
(He figures that no one will steal it, and cost him a gig...)
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Author: Iacuras
Date: 2006-02-06 21:18
It has long been said that the importance of things on the clarinet goes from top to bottom. The most important is a good player. Next a good mouthpiece. A good mpc with a not so good horn is IMHO better than a good horn with a not so good mpc.
Steve
"If a pretty poster and a cute saying are all it takes to motivate you, you probably have a very easy job. The kind robots will be doing soon."
"If you can't learn to do something well, learn to enjoy doing it poorly."
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2006-02-06 23:58
In my experience, sight reading comes a lot easier with a better horn as well. Less thinking about technical deficiencies and more thinking about playing the music.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2006-02-07 15:12
There's some truth to the comment about a better instrument helping with the sight reading because it elevates your level of confidence. So, set your sights on a good wooden clarinet (such as the Buffet R-13 mentioned above) and practice, practice, practice.
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Author: corks&pads
Date: 2006-02-08 17:50
The main reason why I became interested in clarinet repair is because my wife and oldest son (so far) play them. My wife, who's too shy to play for anyone but the family, but has studied for years and is quite talented, picked up my first overhaul-an $8 resin Bundy-and made it sound like it should have had a $2,000 price tag on it. She makes a high-end wooden clarinet sound priceless (ok...I'm unashamedly biased).
My son started with a plastic Vito until he'd shown that he wasn't going to get bored with it or abuse it. Then I got him a Buffet E-11 that he has done a pretty good job of caring for (but he's a boy, he's 11, and things are going to happen that are beyond his control). I saw the investment in a wooden clarinet to be an endorsement of his continued efforts and a way of showing him that I felt what he was doing was of importance. He has responded to that by demonstrating his feeling of responsibility for good-quality instruments. It's not a toy to him. From the time he opens the case until the time that he finishes cleaning it, he adopts an attitude of care and respect for the instrument.
Since then, he's seen the number of hours that it takes to recondition a nice wooden clarinet, and he's seen the importance that I attach to doing it. He now has his choice of a few higher-end instruments that he's not allowed to take to school regularly, but which he can use when he goes to Disrtrict Band, or when his school's concert or jazz band gives a performance.
Does he sound noticeably better on a wooden instrument than a plastic one? Maybe not all that much, but I believe that he sounds far better on either one because of what a good wooden instrument represents to him. The respect that he has for it shows through in his desire to practice and his love for music.
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Author: amys
Date: 2006-02-08 19:38
I'm interested in learning clarinet repair also. Where did you learn?
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2006-02-08 19:48
Perhaps the topic could be addressed this way:
GOOD clarinets really make a big difference.
In my experience there have been good clarinets made out of materials other than wood (specifically hard rubber and metal, and some from plastics); at the same time there have been many bad clarinets made of wood.
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Author: Sean.Perrin
Date: 2006-02-10 03:59
After buygin my R13 Festival, I never played my plastic instrument anymore, even though it was in fairly good shape. Right before I sold it though, I decided to experiment on it a bit. When using my Greg smith mouthpiece, and Buffet barrel the instrument was INCREDIBLLY different than i had remembered. Obviously this was mostly due to the fact i'd improved a lot in the 3 years since i'd last played it, and the other equipment assisting, but I would have been very confident performing a show on that horn.
If i'd replaced a few pads and stuff it would have worked great as a second horn for sure, but I sold it to help save up for an A clarient this fall.
Founder and host of the Clarineat Podcast: http://www.clarineat.com
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