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Ridenour Clarinet

Author: SantiandCo
Date: 2010-04-24 21:49

About a week or two ago I posted a question asking the overall quality, tone and sound of the a Lyrique Professional Clarinet compared to an E-11 and Leblanc Bliss. I finally decided to get the Ridenour clarinet. I just couldn't find any good arguement against buying it. The only downside I'd hear of it was of its keywork which wasn't really valid because only 1 or two people actually had a problem with it, and one of them just argued because it wasn't silver-plated, which for me is irrelevant. I ordered it two weeks ago and it came last Thursday (remember the upside of a small company is that they personally start making the instrument the moment you order it). Yesterday my private teacher came to analyze my Lyrique clarinet. He had confessed to me after all the analyzing was done that he was utterly skeptical about the Lyrique (simply because it was of an unheard of company, the material was made out of rubber, and because it was shaped in China). But once he was done he was left dumfounded and suprised. The point of this was to compare my clarinet with his Yamaha YCL-450 or YCL-650 (I'm not sure which is it he said it cost in between $1000-$1200, but this was about half a decade ago so it could've been cheaper back then). I tried his and I have to admit that it was easy to play in and very enjoyable. But the Lyrique is so much more comfortable. All the notes came out perfectly without me having to apply so much pressure on my reed or my stomach, including the 3rd octave C and any note above that. The tone is beautiful and Mr. Ridenour being the nice person he is, always throws in two different barrels, each desgined to accomodate your tuning, whether you tend to be sharp or flat. And although this might be irrelevant the clarinet itself looks gorgeous and the rubber adds a unique and "cool" look. The case also suits the clarinet. It is of a balck hard shell component but covered with a leathery suit, which makes it look all the more elegant. I also ordered the custom made professional Ridenour mouthpiece. I let my private teacher try it and he said it was the easiest mouthpiece he's ever played on. The only downside, which is a big deal, is that due to the simplicity to play on it doesn't provide much resistance. Actually it limits your dyanmic range which means you can't play too soft or too loud or else your tone will go really bad. In reality its the best type of mouthpiece when your learning and practicing a type of scale or uniform excercise. But its defenitely not the type of mouthpiece for a musical piece with a long range of dyanmics. That's why I prefer to use my Vandoren B45 which provides a great tone which can be maintained with any type of dynamic changes. To accomodate my mouthpiece I use Size 3 V12s with a Rovner Ligature. In the end of this long journey my private teacher jokingly said he wants one himself. In reality he did admit that the Lyrique clarinet was truly easier to play in than his, which has it downsides and upsides. It limits your dyanamic range, which isn't a really big deal unless your playing the loudest piece or softest piece on Earth, but its nothing that can't be fixed with the right mouthpiece and bell. The keywork for the alternate fingerings for C# and Bb were a little loose so they clanked against keys below them but its nothing serious(I have to stress that it's nothing serious because then people will find this as an opportunity to crticize it). You can easily take it to your local music store and they can bend the keys a little in less than 5 minutes. The clarinet itself is also very light which is really useful if you're in a marching band, even though I don't plan to use my Lyrique. I'd rather repad and get all the keywork of my old Selmer Soloist clarinet fixed so that I can use that one. The Lyrique truly does have perfect twelves and you'll never had to deal with "pulling" your barrel out ever again. With the right embochure and throat adjustment it will play perfectly in tune (and when I mean adjustment I mean loosening up your throat or tightening your embochure). Tounging and staccatos are also made easier. If you have your doubts about this clarinet I can only hope that they can be changed and erased. If you want a fantastic clarinet perfectly in tune and that makes playing the clarinet pleasant then you should definetely buy the Lyrique 576-BC Ridenour clarinet.

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Ridenour Clarinet

SantiandCo

2010-04-24 21:49