 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Mindy
Date: 2002-01-21 19:38
Ok, I searched this but I didn't see my answer......
I am teaching a young beginning clarinetist, and I am letting her use my old plastic clarinet, but she and I want her to have a better clarinet. I am really stuck on Buffet clarinets but if there is a better one I would like to know about it. The thing is though....I am don't really want her to have a plastic clarinet..... Do you think she should have a plastic clarinet for now?......What is some good beginning clarinets that aren't plastic? Where can I get some info on clarinets?
I hope you all understand what I am trying to say
Thanks!
Mindy
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Author: Jerry McD
Date: 2002-01-21 20:12
Mindy,
This is an excellent question. The first thing I would ask is how far along is your student? If she is a true beginner she would be much better off either continuing to use your old instrument or purchasing her own student line horn. My personal favorite is the Vito (made by Leblanc). There are several reasons, first you don't really know if she is going to stick with it, and we all hope she will. Second, beginning players are notoriously hard on their instrument and the student line horns made by the big 4 manufacturers (Yamaha, Selmer/Bundy, Leblanc/Vito, and Buffet) are all well made horns designed to stand up to a little rougher handling. Probably the best upgrade she could make at this time would be to get a better mouthpiece, both Fobes and Hite make excellent step up mouthpieces without a large financial investment. A better mouthpiece will allow her to progress faster and possibly motivate her to greater heights where it will be time to look into the larger financial commitment of upgrading her clarinet. Keep up the good work and happy teaching!
Jerry McD.
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Author: Bill
Date: 2002-01-21 20:15
Personally, I think that a good plastic clarinet is the best choice for a beginner - - especially if that beginner plans to participate in outdoor activities like marching band over the coming years. Even though I bough a better wooden clarinet while in junior high, I continued to play my plastic clarinet in marching band all the way through college.
I tried several, and settled on a Buffet B-12 for my son, but I liked several Vito (Leblanc) clarinets equally well. I am told that Yamaha makes some very good plastic instruments, but I was not impressed with the ones that I tried. I'm sure that Selmer must make a competitive model, too.
Just one thing, make sure to get a reasonably good mouthpiece to go with a plastic clarinet. The manufacturers cut costs by using low quality mouthpieces. I don't think it is neccessary to go overboard here, though. I've found the Vandoren mouthpieces (5RV, B45 and points between) to be suitable choices here.
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Author: Micaela
Date: 2002-01-21 20:23
There's absolutely nothing wrong with plastic clarinets for beginners. I don't think she really needs anything other than a beginning clarinet (as long as it’s in good working condition) for now. With a good mouthpiece, a plastic Vito, B-12 or equivalent should be just fine for a few years. How long has she been playing? It's not like a nicer clarinet would hurt her, there's just a limited benefit. I would recommend that she save her money so she can get a good intermediate clarinet when she is an intermediate player rather than any small upgrade now. Even if she, or rather her parents are ready to spend the money for an E-11 or something around that level now, it wouldn't make too much of a difference. It's not the material that makes as much of a difference as the overall quality of the instrument.
But make sure she has a good mouthpiece!
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Author: Micaela
Date: 2002-01-21 20:25
Oops, there were no other replies when I started writing mine, so it's a little redundant. Sorry! I agree with the other replies.
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Author: Jim S.
Date: 2002-01-21 21:25
On the other hand...A kid with a sensitive ear can be really frustrated by even small inaccuracies in intonation after a bit, (IMHO), so that they are always struggling against something. They won't really understand why they are struggling and dissatisfied and will blame themselves. Playing can seem like work, as a result, rather than the pleasure it should be. This may not be true of all kids, but I believe it is common enough to be a consideration, especially if the child has some significant talent. Think about a used pro Leblanc. They blow easily and typically have a good scale. I saw an LX in a pawn shop a couple of months ago for $175.00. It probably needed repadding, but it still would be cheaper and much better than any plastic clarinet.
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Author: Mindy
Date: 2002-01-21 21:32
thank you.........yeah.....I was wanting her to just get a good plastic clarinet. Her mom will go with whatever I think she should have now also (which is good) her b-day is coming up so she wanted to a get her, her own clarinet. I think I'm going to tell her that she still needs a plastic clarinet. (she is using my marching clarinet so I am going to need back in the fall hehe) I really like the Buffets just because I know how their clarinets are and I've never played really any other clarinet before. So I think I'm gonna have her get the B-12. Oh! is the B-10 or the B-12 better? The company I'm loking at doesn't say much about them. Does the B-10 not have the wood-like finish? or something like that?
While I'm here....I do have another question..... She was playing for me today (yes she is a VERY much a beginner) and was finally getting the notes out (her fingers are small for the keys) and, so I was playing with her for her to get what the sound whould wound like. Well, for some reason, when she played her E I would have to play my Eb!! It was really weird. I played her clarinet and then played mine again and it sounded correct. Does anyone know or think what might be wrong?
Thanks so much!
Mindy
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Author: Joseph O'Kelly
Date: 2002-01-22 02:43
Her embouchure is too loose if her notes are half a step flat.
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Author: Rene
Date: 2002-01-22 05:59
The intonation of the B12 is close to perfect. If it is providing problems in blowing, it is ususally not well adjusted or has leaks, which can be handled by a repairsman. It has not got the best keys, which is why it is cheaper. Because of this, it is not really a robust instrument. But it does not develop cracks. You will beat its tone with the same mouthpiece only on a much more expensive instrument. If you replace its bell, maybe you won't at all, depending on you.
Just my 2 cents worth (maybe 5 cents :-)
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Author: Sherry
Date: 2002-01-22 15:14
At NAMM a couple of days ago I had a chance to play the B-12 and B-10 side by side. The new design of the B-10 has plastic rings at the joins instead of metal ones. It looks unusual because of that. It has Valentino pads. The one that I played had a nice dark sound and good intonation. It was pretty free blowing. What I liked most about it was that it is extremely light weight. This light weight would be a big advantage with a young child. I would actually like to own one of these for some situations (like when I'm juggling a clarinet and sax to play four bars on the clarinet and switch back).
The B-12 is more of a conventional plastic clarinet. I thought the tone and intonation were quite good. My guess is that it is a bit sturdier than the B-10.
My inclination would probably be to get the B-10 for a very young or very small student.
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Author: Kat
Date: 2002-01-23 04:37
About the difference in pitch: embouchure definitely plays a part. My general strategy is to have the student attempt to match a pitch I play. Sometimes, I "lip" the pitch down a little if the student has very little experience playing, so they won't have to shoot for the stars with underdeveloped lip muscles.
Additionally, I find that telling a student to use "fast air," accompanied by a demonstration can also help. The demonstration I use is thus: have the student whisper the syllable "haaaaa," as sort of a long breath on the palm of their hand. Then have them do the same with the syllable "heeee." The "heeee" should result in faster air. Tell them to think of that syllable while playing. This also helps focus the sound and make it less "blatty."
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