 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: SecondTry
Date: 2026-08-27 18:41
Of the top brands (Selmer, Buffet, Yamaha, Backun, etc.) which make and model do you feel is the easiest, without too much compromise of other attributes, is easiest to play/blow?
Sure, mouthpieces, reeds, people, specific instruments, etc., they all vary, but speaking in generalities....
(snide comment deleted. Last time. Mark C.)
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Author: ruben
Date: 2026-08-28 12:32
I've been playing the same Selmer Recital for 40 years. I love it, but it certainly isn't the easiest to play: heavy, thick, resisting quite a bit, not great key-work. Buffets -thought they are not my favorite-are the easiest to play. You don't need to fight them.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2026-08-28 16:52
I would categorize pitch (internal, note to note; octave to octave) as the attribute that one would say makes one instrument more playable over another. I’d say with that in mind that the best Yamahas are the most constant from clarinet to clarinet.
Using the pitch standard, the Buffet B12 is the hardest to play. One might say impossible to play.
……….Paul Aviles
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Author: m1964
Date: 2026-08-28 21:18
Ruben wrote:
"I've been playing the same Selmer Recital for 40 years. I love it, but it certainly isn't the easiest to play: heavy, thick, resisting quite a bit, not great key-work. Buffets -thought they are not my favorite-are the easiest to play. You don't need to fight them."
Interesting that I had almost opposite experience with an older Recital in A - it responded very easily and had very low resistance. The tone was less bright than a Buffet R13 in A.
In fact, once at a rehearsal, the other clarinet player complained that her R13 A was "too difficult to blow", so I offered her to switch clarinets so I could try hers.
She commented very positively on the response from Recital.
I did like very much the free - blowing feel of that particular instrument.
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Author: Erez Katz
Date: 2026-08-28 23:26
I have 3 R13s, each from a different period, and they are different. A friend of mine has a very resistant R13 (fantastic instrument), much more than my main instrument that is on the free blowing side (i like mine better).
My A R13 is middle of the road. In my section there is one player with a stuffy R13 A and another player has a Selmer A that is not resistant at all.
The new selmer keywork is very ergonomic, in the past I would say that Buffett had a clear advantage ergonomic-wise but the other brands caught up.
All this to say, on a whole one can argue if one brand is more free blowing or resistant, but samples can and do vary.
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Author: Tom H
Date: 2026-08-29 01:30
I always liked the Yamaha student model for easy to blow.
The Most Advanced Clarinet Book -- Songburd Music (paper and digital)
Search title. Amazon.com (search Tom Heimer).
Boreal Ballad solo -- Songburd Music item -- search title.
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