 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Mark W.
Date: 1999-07-01 03:07
I consider myself an intermediate player(i've been playing for 4 years) and I have been playing on a student clarinet since. I am ready to step up to a better clarinet and I was wondering, should I get an intermediate level or professional level clarinet? Which is a better transition?
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Author: J. Butler
Date: 1999-07-01 03:17
You might want to consider a good second hand professional instrument if money is a factor in your consideration. If money is not a factor I would consider a new professional instrument. You probablay will "outgrow" and intermediate clarinet as well in a few years. I would not consider that money well spent. I think the postives out weigh any negatives here. Make sure you get a compatible mouthpiece with your instrument. Your mouthpiece may not play the same on an upgrade instrument. By all means, don't limit yourself to a specific brand. Play as many as you can and pick what's best for you.
J. Butler
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Author: Dee
Date: 1999-07-01 12:23
Your selections should be based on your own needs (musically and financially). Intermediate instruments by the major makers are very good and I know several people in community bands who are quite pleased with them. Unless you are going to major in clarinet performance in college or some really "heavy duty" performance I don't believe that "outgrowing" the horn that likely. Remember today's intermediate horns are probably as good or better than what pros were playing 50 years ago. They should be more than adequate. So ask yourself the following questions.
1. What are my goals? Hobby playing, college major, professional performance, etc?
2. What can I afford to spend?
3. Will I be satisfied with a used horn rather than a new one? For example, a used intermediate can be purchased for the price of a new beginner model and a used pro model can be purchased for the price of a new intermediate model.
4. What do I want to do? There is nothing wrong with buying a new professional instrument just to treat yourself to quality equipment if you can afford it.
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Author: Dave Spiegelthal
Date: 1999-07-01 14:28
Before you buy another clarinet, perhaps you should take a different approach: Try some different mouthpieces. I feel that (other than the player himself) the mouthpiece is the single biggest determinant of tone and response, more so than other things like the instrument, the reed, and the ligature. With a really good mouthpiece, you can make nearly any clarinet sound at least half-decent, and you'll find that you are getting a lot more "good" reeds out of a box. So my recommendation would be: Look through the catalogs, talk to some instructors, and find a bunch of mouthpieces to try, using your current clarinet. If you find a mouthpiece you really like, you might not feel the need for a new clarinet, and you'll save yourself a bunch of money.
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Author: Dee
Date: 1999-07-01 14:37
Dave Spiegelthal wrote:
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Before you buy another clarinet, perhaps you should take a different approach: Try some different mouthpieces. I feel that (other than the player himself) the mouthpiece is the single biggest determinant of tone and response, more so than other things like the instrument, the reed, and the ligature. With a really good mouthpiece, you can make nearly any clarinet sound at least half-decent, and you'll find that you are getting a lot more "good" reeds out of a box. So my recommendation would be: Look through the catalogs, talk to some instructors, and find a bunch of mouthpieces to try, using your current clarinet. If you find a mouthpiece you really like, you might not feel the need for a new clarinet, and you'll save yourself a bunch of money.
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Dave has made a very valid point here. Even if you buy a better instrument, you will still need a good mouthpiece. The mouthpieces that come with the instruments (even professional ones) are generally mediocre.
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Author: Lelia
Date: 1999-07-01 15:35
I think the recommendations to buy a better mouthpiece first and later think about a used professional clarinet are good advice. You've been playing long enough now to be able to look at a used clarinet and see whether there's anything seriously the matter with it, such as a crack. One way to start is by inspecting your current clarinet carefully to see what a clarinet in good working order looks like. That may sound kind of silly, but I realized when I started shopping for a better clarinet that I just took my old one for granted, and hadn't really inspected it in detail in a long time. I cleaned it and took care fo it, but "looked without seeing," as Sherlock Holmes said to Dr. Watson. If I hadn't made a point of going over it one key at a time, seeing what connects with what, etc., I might have failed to notice serious problems(expensive to fix!) on some of the used instruments I looked at in flea markets and "junktiques" shops. Often the good instruments that show up in places other than music stores are in unplayable condition (sometimes you can get a bargain that way if you figure the cost of an overhaul into the "real" price of the clarinet), but even if you can see that the corks and pads are shot, do hold the clarinet in playing position without the mouthpiece and "play" a chromatic scale all the way up and down the keys, to make sure they're all there and they all work, or would work with a minor fix such as replacement of a screw.
Goo luck!
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Author: Sheryl
Date: 1999-07-09 02:06
Since the price difference is app $2000, int. is fine. I just stepped up to int. after 20 yrs.
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