Author: LMullan
Date: 2012-03-24 01:14
Hello Gentlemen,
We have decided to proceed with gifting the old E&S to our daughter, not as an upgrade to her current instrument, but as a piece of history -- and a really cool, beautiful, clarinet. 
My daughter is a freshman in high school and I have been recently reminded that she has been playing for 3 1/2 years, not 2 1/2 as I previously indicated. I currently do not believe her clarinet interest is fleeting. She loves music more than anything. She practices daily and take the initiative to do so on her own. She is a straight-A student.
Considering all this, we have also decided to take the recommendations here and pursue one of the "Big 4" as an upgrade to her current clarinet. Thank you, Mr. Kissinger, for pointing out that clarinets do not improve with age. I guess I thought of them as everything else -- better with age when cared for properly (antique cars, furniture, etc., come to mind).
We've also come to the conclusion that we are probably not going to make this happen for $300-$400, but I'm sure like a lot of things in life, you get what you pay for. Our goal is really to find her something worthwhile, so we're ok adding to the bottom line if we need to, but I'd like to cap it at about $600 if its doable. But, I definitely need to be looking at wooden clarinets, correct?
Mr. Kissinger, her band instructor had mentioned upgrading her mouthpiece as well, but has said that it wouldn't make any difference unless we upgraded her clarinet. (Translation: her current clarinet is not a good instrument!) Which brings me to my next question: What's a good mouthpiece to buy? I'm asking in case we decide to purchase a lightly used clarinet that doesn't come with the original mouthpiece. I've heard that Van Doren is nice, but have the "halo effect" Steve mentioned regarding Buffets, although she does currently has a Van Doren leather ligature.
As always, thank you all for all of your input. It is so great learning from all of you and I so appreciate your comments, suggestions, and sharing your knowledge with me.
All the best to you all,
Lorie
|
|
The Clarinet BBoard
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
