 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Marc
Date: 2000-06-21 22:43
Hello! I have just started learning the clarinet and I would like to know what brand and thickness of reed you would recommend for a beginner. Thank you!
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Author: Nicko
Date: 2000-06-21 22:48
I guess it might depend on how old you are, and how well your muscles have developed in your mouth, and also whether you have played another instrument before. As a begginer you might be best off trying rico's. They are fairly good reeds for learning on (I think). Try the 1's and maybe the 1.5's.
You might find you even need to start on a 2.
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Author: Bob Gardner
Date: 2000-06-21 23:18
I would suggest that you start with #2Vandoren they are a little bit more then the Rico, but i found a world of differance between them. I you are careful and rotate reeds then may last a month or more. So we really arn't talking a lot of money.
Best of luck.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-06-21 23:23
The two students that I've had both started with a Hite Premier mouthpiece and Mitchell Laurie 2 1/2 reeds, going to 3s in a few months. The reed strength for a beginner is very dependent on the mouthpiece selected.
If you don't have a teacher, find one and go to a couple of lessons at least. Then you can be relatively assured of getting a reasonable balance between mouthpiece, reed, and clarinet - and making sure your equipment is in good working order. Nothing is so discouraging as is fighting bad equipment - especially when you don't <b>know</b> that the equipment is at fault.
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Author: KevinS
Date: 2000-06-22 00:59
Marc,
I'd like to recommend a Legere 2 or 2.5 for a stock beginner. For one thing, they are VERY consistent. This means you spend more time practicing and less time trying to find a worthwhile reed. For another, they are economical. You buy one reed for less than the price of one box of cane reeds, and it will last indefinitely if you take care not to damage the tip.
Legere is a sponsor of this BB. That's how I found out about them. I bought 2 of different strengths, and I'm very pleased.
Good Luck!
Kevin
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Author: bill
Date: 2000-06-22 01:36
Well, it all depends on the mouthpiece. Like Mark said, get a private teacher and have him/her help you with finding the right equipment. For right now, try some different kinds of reeds and different thicknesses. I'd recommend a Vandoren 2.5, a Rico 2 or 2.5 (or Rico Royale), or Mitchell Lurie 2.5 or 3. As you get more comfortable with your clarinet, you should probably get a student mouthpiece (as opposed to a $200 mouthpiece). I'd recommend the Premeire by Hite. I played on one once, and I thought it was a good mouthpiece for a student. good luck ~bill
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2000-06-22 02:32
I agree to Mark and KevinS. Suggestions in summary:
1.Find a good clarinet teacher(not a general teacher)
1'Find a good repair person to check your clarinet condition.(I would like to add this.)
2.Buy at first Legere#2 and a Lavose reed guard to avoid its warping during storing.You can learn how to select mouthpieces,cane reeds,ligatures and how to treat reeds in due course.
p.s.Do not sand Legere reeds, you will destroy their fibre.
To tell you the truth, I did.
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Author: Willie
Date: 2000-06-22 03:24
Since your new at the clarinet, maybe I can clarify some of this. The recomendation of a better grade student mouthpiece is because the mouthpieces supplied with most all clarinets are not very good. In fact, I have seen a couple that even an experienced play couldn't get a sound out of much less a good tone. Most custom student mouthpieces are designed for reeds of #2-#3 strength with some variations depending on the maker. Many young beginners have dropped out of band because they were having difficulty when in a lot of cases, a good mouthpiece and reed was all that was needed.
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Author: paul
Date: 2000-06-22 19:35
Mitchell Lurie reeds are typically 1/2 strength softer than Vandoren regular reeds, and the quality is pretty good. Plus, you can buy a 5 count box of Mitchell Lurie reeds, so you aren't out as much cash as a 10 count box. I personally started out with Mitchell Lurie 2.0 reeds and then quickly moved up to the 2.5 strength before I transitioned to Vandoren regular cut and V-12 reeds. I have Legere reeds in 2.0. 2.5, 2.75 (no longer manufactured), and 3.0 strength. I believe that they make reeds in 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, etc. up to 4.0 strengths for soprano clarinets. If you are a beginner, try the 2.0. It's a bit pricey, but the other posters are correct, you don't have to worry about tailoring the reed and there is no warm-up procedure like there is for natural cane reeds. Just clamp it to the mouthpiece and start playing your horn. They are also right in saying that the reeds last a very long time. I've found that Legere's customer service for warranty claims has been superb when I needed it.
I found that the Mitchell Lurie reeds were very good for a raw beginner on a good third party (not clarinet maker's brand) mouthpiece, such as a Vandoren 5RVLyre on a good intermediate grade clarinet. If you get a store bought mouthpiece off the shelf, have a good woodwind tech check the mouthpiece out and possibly plane it down for you. This will make it perfectly flat and allow for an airtight seal for the reed around where the ligature clamps down. This makes your effort much easier in the short and long term. I don't personally know about the Hite Premiere, but it's usually 1/2 best e-tailer price of the Vandoren mouthpieces, so if you're a raw beginner, it's at least worth considering.
Though a box or two of reeds won't break the bank, other things may. I don't believe that a pro grade mouthpiece (worth about $200 or possibly more) is a good bargain for you at this time. Give it some practice time and some private lessons first, then make a more informed decision at that time.
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