 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: YLW
Date: 2007-01-14 02:08
I ａｍ ａ ｃｏｌｌｅｇｅ ｓｔｕｄｅｎｔ ａｎｄ ｍｙ ｃｌａｒｉｎｅｔ’ｓ ｂｅｅｎ ｗｉｔｈ ｍｅ ｆｏｒ １２ ｙｅａｒｓ． Ｔｈｒｏｕｇｈｏｕｔ ｔｈｅ ｙｅａｒｓ， ｉ’ｖｅ ｂｅｅｎ ｐｌａｙｉｎｇ ｏｎ ａｎｄ ｏｆｆ ａｎｄ ｉ’ｖｅ ｈａｄ ｐｒｉｖａｔｅ ｌｅｓｓｏｎｓ ｆｏｒ ｃｏｕｐｌｅ ｙｒｓ ｔｏｏ． Ｎｏｗ， ｐｌａｙｉｎｇ ｔｈｅ ｃｌａｒｉｎｅｔ’ｓ ｂｅｃｏｍｅ ｍｙ important ｌｅｉｓｕｒｅ ａｃｔｉｖｉｔｙ． Ｉ was wondering if you guys can give me some recommendation for a clarinet model? I know nothing about clarinet selection, my first and only clarinet is a Yamaha, wood, i don't even know the model.
Thanks!!
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2007-01-14 15:18
There's loads of threads on this site about this topic. Try and find out what model yours is - it'll probably be stamped on it somewhere, though the 'gold' leaf might have rubbed off. If not, a picture will help the real experts here identify it at a glance ;-D.
What's wrong with it?
It's a personal choice - find a good shop and try some! Personally, I traded my first wooden clarinet in for a Selmer Paris Prologue II, which has served me well and (even better!) was the right side of £1000. (I have no corporate affiliations.)
And before you make the jump, make sure you've found a good mouthpiece.
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Author: William
Date: 2007-01-14 17:31
LOL--as they say, "Welcome to the Jungle". Selecting a new clarinet can be mind boggling, especially if you are "new" to the process. So here are a some suggestions:
1) Go to a music store and try as many clarinets as you can. Generally, if you stick to Buffet, LeBlanc, Yamaha or Selmer, you will be ok.
2) Decide how much you can afford and then try models within those price ranges. For "intermediant" clarinets, I would personally recommend the Buffet E11 or LeBlanc Sonata models. But also rememeber, your "wood" Yamaha may already be a quality instrument and just need some minor repair. Ask the service dept what they think. Professional level instruments?? I play Buffet R13s and LeBlanc Concertos and think they are "the best".
3) Listen for tone quality, use a tuner to check intonation and decide if the clarinet articulates easily for you in all registers. If possible, have a professional clarinetist (not a guitar playing deskclerk) help you with these issues.
There is lots of other information available on this website--maybe "too much" so as to be confusing. I hope my suggestions may help you sort out what is important for you. Don't hesitate to come back with more questions, even if to many of us "regulars" they may seem like, "Same old, Same old......" This website is for the newbies as well as us oldies--welcome to the "jungle". And, good luck.
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Author: YLW
Date: 2007-01-14 22:08
Attachment: CIMG0185.JPG (683k)
My clarinet is falling apart, literally(i was a kid when i got it and i didn't know how to care for it), the metal ring on the second segment is falling off and i can't play some of the keys. Otherwise, it's still in a pretty good shape. And i didn't know there are so much details into how to choose a good clarinet, i've tried reading the posts but they are LONG!!! and most of the time i don't know what you guys are talking about, like the mouthpieces, i have no idea how to choose that either. I didn't even know there're "prefered" reed to go along with certain mouthpieces.
I actually like the sound of my clarinet but I just want something nicer to play with or if you guys think my old one is good enough and i should just get it repaired?
I've attached a picture of my clarinet.
Thx a bunch!!
Post Edited (2007-01-14 22:11)
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2007-01-14 22:22
> I actually like the sound of my clarinet but I just want something nicer to
> play with or if you guys think my old one is good enough and i should just
> get it repaired?
By all means, get it repaired. Yamahas are good instruments, and repadding and fixing a metal ring isn't all that expensive.
If nonetheless you want a new one, you can sell a ready-to-play instrument for a far better price than one in need of an overhaul.
--
Ben
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Author: William
Date: 2007-01-14 22:34
"the metal ring on the second segment is falling off and i can't play some of the keys"
No probem. The ring can be easily resized to stay in place at any instrument repair shop. The keys can be oiled, bent back into shape or repaded as needed. Mouthpiece--use the one you have already unless it is chipped and unplayable. If you feel you need a replacement, try some Selmer HS*s or M13 Lyres. But try more than one as no two mpcs play exactly the same. A VanDoren traditional #3 or #3.5 should work for you.
We can't tell you if your clarinet is "good" from the pic. It looks OK, but if you've ever gone to a user car dealership, you know that looks can be very deceiving. The only way is to play it against other instruments and decide--for yourself--if a change is needed. Again, a professional second opinion would be great, but not via the internet. If your college has a music department, maybe you could get some student or faculty second opinions there.
Post Edited (2007-01-14 22:41)
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Author: pewd
Date: 2007-01-14 23:10
i cant read the model number - a bit fuzzy in your picture - its usually stamped on the top joint on yamahas
it is far cheaper to overhaul a horn than buy a new one
if its been years without maintenance, you'd be shocked at the difference in how it plays after a full overhaul.
yamaha's are good horns - i'd overhaul it if it was mine
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: D
Date: 2007-01-15 07:14
regarding mouthpieces and reed combos. Although it will depend to a certain extent on the shape of your mouth, don't disregard the manufacturers recommendations. Have a look on the manufacturers websites and see which reeds they recommend with particular mouthpieces. Vandoren obviously would be mentioning vandoren reeds, but it gives you an idea about the strength and the shape required for that mouthpiece.
The most important thing is to get yours working properly again, you won't believe the difference a decent tech can make. One of my clarinets just had a trip to the hospital and a repad after playing it for twelve months. It had lots of teeny tiny leaks and one dodgy pad. The difference is quite amazing. After twelve years! Goodness knows what might be living in there! After you get it fixed the next most important thing is good practicing. All the servicing and expensive kit in the world is no substitute for hard graft.
Have fun!
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2007-01-15 14:53
I vote for getting an overhaul and keeping the instrument. It looks like a Yamaha YCL34 to me, but as mentioned above, it's hard to tell because the gold is worn off a bit on the logo. Anyway, if you've had it a long time your parents probably bought what the music store recommended for beginners and the Yamaha34 was one of the most popular models around the year 1999, 2000 and on. It is now the YCL450N and is an excellent choice for beginners-intermediate players.
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Author: marshall
Date: 2007-01-16 03:09
My personal experience in a nutshell: choosing an instrument should take a couple days at the very least.
The first thing you want to do is determine your pricerange and find the models of each major company that fit your pricerange (those companies being Buffet, Leblanc, Yamaha, and Selmer). Next you want narrow it down to brand and model...I spent the best of five hours in a large practice room playing a few models of R13's, Concerto II's, Opus II's, YCL's, and Signatures in one day when I started shopping for a new instrument. Play two or three of each model, as no one instrument will play the same (especially when you start getting into the intermediate and professional level instruments). Determine which model you like the most (on average). This should be a preference in feel of the instruments keys, how free-blowing or resistant it is, and the kind of tone you can get out of every instrument. Play in different parts of the room to get an idea of how it sounds in different situations.
After you determine which model you want, test as many different instruments of that particular model as possible. I went down to Woodwind Brasswind and ordered as many instruments as I could from two private vendors that my teacher recommended to me. All in all, I ended up playing twenty three different R13's and got my choice of all of them. Again, take time to get the feel of each instrument and get the tone in your ear. Keep in mind that Silver and Nickel keys will make a difference, however subtle the difference may be (Silver will be slightly brighter than Nickel). Also, check the intonation of each instrument to make sure it is as close to in tune as possible. You probably want outside opinions as well. When I got my instrument and couldn't make a decision between three of them, I got opinions from my mom and sisters, along with a professional who happened to be looking for a new A the same day. It never hurts to have other peoples ears when shopping for a clarinet.
Same general idea applies for mouthpieces, though it wont be as long or in depth of a process. First determine if you want a longer or shorter facing, more open or closed tip, and possibly material. Then try a few of each mouthpiece within that area. I recommend Vandoren...you can get a mouthpiece of the same quality as one that costs twice as much with them. I personally like the M15's and M13's because of their combination of a long facing and close tip. It allows you to use stronger reeds more easily and because of the close facing it will be less tolerant to biting (which I had a huge problem with until recently) which will help develop and strenthen your upper lip.
Good luck and happy shopping!!
ps. sorry about the long post, I know you said something about not reading much because things were so long and I intended to wrap it up in a nutshell, but I guess its something that needs time describing and reading.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2007-01-16 03:18
marshall wrote:
> ps. sorry about the long post, I know you said something about
> not reading much because things were so long and I intended to
> wrap it up in a nutshell, but I guess its something that needs
> time describing and reading.
No need to apologize. If someone wants the easy way out by not researching and reading then they deserve what they get. In this case I think YLW wasn't shirking his/her duties, but being a comple novice at choosing, has no real idea where to begin and the posts talking about mouthpieces, ligatures, barrels, and clarinets can be overwhelming at best.
Personally, I think letting a good teacher choose that first set is a wise idea - they'll have a better idea of where the student is and where they want to go. For most students in the first few years (and some with many years under their belt) the idea of where they've been and what or whether equipment will help them get where they want to go is still foreign concept. I've seen too many cases where the equipment isn't helping ...
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Author: YLW
Date: 2007-01-16 04:12
Hum, i found out my clarinet indeed is a YCL43.
And responding to Mark's comment:
I did go through several posts and found myself totally lost, that's why i thought signing up an account and starting a new topic would help me directly. I've had private lessons throughout elementary and high school and now i just want something nice to play, i have enough skill to enjoy just purely playing the music pieces that i like, i don't want anymore private lessons nor do i wish to become pro. It's something i play occationally to relief stress from school.
Thanks to EVERYONE who replied to me.
Right now, i am trying to find out how much it is to fix my clarinet completely, if it's alot of money then i think i might want to just put in some money and buy another one and my old one can be my antique clarinet.
And i was wondering, do they actually let you test all the clarinet out?? or do you have to buy it, try it, and refund it if you don't like it.
Regarding mouthpiece, i was just checking out my new box of Vandoren reed the other day, it had a chart of which reed is suitable for what type of mouthpiece. I was wondering, if a closed or opened tip make a difference in sound? I see that Marshall mentioned that closed tip is easier to play with stronger reed. So what's the difference between using a stronger reed and a less stronger reed?
Thank you everyone for your patience for i am totally new at this and i never knew how deep this can go into but better late than never!! Please continue with your replies and suggestions.
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