 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: George L Smyth
Date: 2002-07-08 19:42
Having laid down my clarinet for 30 years, I decided to see if the interest was still there. I purchased an old Artly for around $100. Even without experience, I knew that the mouthpiece was trash, so I purchased another one and started practicing.
A year later, I came to the conclusion that my interest was indeed there, so I decided to purchase a good horn. Having lurked and learned here (with an occasional post), I decided that the best horn for my money would be a Buffett E-11, and I was able to purchase a new one at a good price.
What a difference! Some of the notes that I had been compensating my breathing to play now play with no real adjustment. The feel of the instrument is so much nicer, and as soon as I get used to the slightly different positioning of a few things, I'll be very comfortable with it.
When I initially tried playing the horn, I had a real problem, as there was considerable wind going through before a sound could be had. I noticed that the opening on the mouthpiece that I had been using was noticeably larger than the one supplied, so I switched and the sound came on just fine.
As the horn had come with a 2 1/2 Rico reed, I tried that with the smaller mouthpiece and got much better results than with the Mozart 3 1/2 reeds I had been using.
The sound of the smaller mouthpiece is quieter and more muted than the "big" sound of the larger mouthpiece. I am wondering if anyone else has had experience with this (actually, I'd be surprised if this was not the case). Do you prefer the smaller sound or the bigger one? The latter works better for me, though I can imagine times when I might want the softer, quieter sound.
One other quick question. As it is a new clarinet, I have been applying a light coat of cork grease before each use. How long should I do this (should I be doing this each time?)?
Thanks!
george
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Author: Eileen
Date: 2002-07-08 19:52
I found that I used a lot of cork grease with my new E-11. After a while (approximately one tube), the cork seemed to not need as much.
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Author: A.C.
Date: 2002-07-08 20:57
I had the same thing happen with my new R-13(common problem). The corkgrease that it was supplied with didn't last very long on the cork. So I started using the selmer cork grease (in the bottle) again. It lasts alot longer than the buffet chapstick style corkgrease, though it takes alittle longer to apply. I never tried the mouthpiece that came with the r-13 so I can't comment on that(I started using my Hite right away). ~A.C.~
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Author: Bob
Date: 2002-07-09 15:14
George,your experiences are much like mine,except I never owned an Artley. I am an E11 admirer and actually feel more comfortable with both mine than with my R13...don't know why. What I do with new tenon corks is to rub them with a paraffin block(type used for sealing jelly jars)and work it in well with my fingers. After that use cork "lubricant" as needed i.e. almost to the point when new cork is required. The paraffin was a suggestion of someone else on this board earlier. Doctors Products ,a sponsor, sells an excellent cork lubricant.
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Author: Charlie Halter
Date: 2002-07-09 16:36
George, my experience is somewhat similar to yours. Left the clarinet in 1960 and two years ago I got the urge once again so I bought a Evette $200 from Ebay. I played around with it for a year then decided that I really needed help. I trained under a Professional teacher for a year. Made a big difference. I practiced about 2-4 hours everyday - EVERYDAY for a year. Still have a ways to go but at least I feel that I am much better now than when I was in high school. I bought a number of clarinet music books that have cds with them - so I can play along. I tried umpteen types of reeds and found that the Mitchell Lurie 3.5 works best for me. Also bought a Vandoren 45 mouth piece that seems to work well too. But now I believe I am ready to get a better clarinet. I see where some of you like the E-11 and some the R-13. Any suggestions for a quality clarinet that won't cost me an arm and a leg? I guess what I am asking is the best price for a quality clarnet.
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Author: Fred
Date: 2002-07-09 17:25
Charlie, you've asked a huge question on clarinet upgrades that I'm not going to try to answer yet. You really need to determine how much money you want to spend first. $500? $1000? or maybe $1250? The advice you need depends on your budget.
By the way, your $200 Evette may (or may not) be a pretty good player if properly set up.
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Author: Jim
Date: 2002-07-09 23:43
"Any suggestions for a quality clarinet that won't cost me an arm and a leg? I guess what I am asking is the best price for a quality clarnet."
George,
I had BW-WW sent me an Buffet E-11 ($589), and an E-13 ($1099) to try out. I took both of them to my teacher today to evaluate. She tried them both, and said that they were both good instruments, and which ever I chose to keep would be a good choice.
Being a real novice, my only problem on making a decision, is one costs more that the other. I am leaning toward the E13 as I think it sounds better to me, but I am also from the old school, and was taught that bigger is always better. And my Wife, says that the E-11 sounds good to her.We'll see who wins. Have two weeks to make up my mind. But either one of them sounds a whole lot better than the old Vito I have been using.
Jim
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