 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: sab15
Date: 2008-06-25 04:00
Hi,
I just bought a new wooden clarinet - Selmer CL201. I think I will eventually take lessons, but for now I'm trying to teach myself. I used to play like 25 years ago, and I also played the sax in high school. My mouth apparently remembers how to play. Anyway, It's brand new and I've just tried it out a couple of times with a size 2 reed the seller gave me. I've been able to get sound out of it, but it's very crackly. Especially in the higher notes (not with the register key; haven't tried those yet) that are played in the top piece of the instrument.
Can someone tell me if this is normal for a new instrument? The crackling sound that is. Or, does the clarinet just need to be broken in over a few weeks? Or, is it just me because I'm a newbie? Or, could it be that the reed is bad?
Thanks for any feedback on this.
Steven
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Author: Alfred
Date: 2008-06-25 05:19
It could be a variety of things.
A size two reed is extremely thin, even for some beginners, and so it might not be thick enough for you to get a decent sound out of it. What type is it? It if says "Rico," you have your answer.
Also, it may be that the clarinet needs to break it. It is new. And wooden. In conjunction, that means that it has to be broken in.
Also, it could be that, even though your mouth remembers how to play, it may not know how to do it correctly, or as well as you used to be able to do.
Post Edited (2008-06-25 05:20)
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Author: sab15
Date: 2008-06-25 05:22
Thanks a lot Alfred. And, yes it is a Rico. It says Rico Royal on the back. Are you saying that this is a poor quality reed?
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Author: Alfred
Date: 2008-06-25 05:46
Rico Royal is among the lowest quality reeds. Actually, that's not fair. Rico Royal is good for beginners, I even started on them, but I started on 2.5. The problem is that, since they're designed for beginners, they're very thin, even their thicker reeds, and so they don't offer much resistance. This makes for a very crackly, unfocused sound.
Rico does however make other reeds, like the Grand Concert Select reeds, which are very good, as are other brands, but if you want a reed that's good for you, the best thing is to try other brands and sizes. Try size 3, maybe even 3.5 on other brands.
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Author: NorbertTheParrot
Date: 2008-06-25 07:15
So much misinformation in Alfred's two posts above it's hard to know where to start.
But just to pick up on the major points:
1. A new clarinet should sound fine from day one. It needs breaking in to reduce the danger of cracks developing in the wood, but the sound will not change radically, if at all.
2. The difference between a strength #2 reed and a strength #3 reed of a particular brand is not its thickness, but the hardness of the cane. Referring to "size #2" is also misleading - they are all the same size. "Strength" is the correct term.
3. There is no reason why you should not get an acceptable sound out of practically any brand of reed. Though there is always the occasional rogue reed that really will not play.
4. It is absurd to recommend that you try a #3 or a #3.5 without knowing what mouthpiece you are using.
If you're not happy with the sound the instrument makes, go back to the store and ask them.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2008-06-25 12:52
Good points Norbert made, but I would add one more thing:
Get yourself and your new clarinet to a competent teacher, who will be able to make sensible recommendations about what brand and strength of reeds to use with your particular mouthpiece. As to size, I would think you should be using one designed for a Bb clarinet. Alto or bass clarinet reeds would be too large, and Eb soprano reeds are too small. ![[rotate]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smiley25.gif)
Jeff
“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010
"A drummer is a musician's best friend."
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