 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: 16McLeK
Date: 2015-01-02 05:56
If anyone has any advice or comments, please share
I am wanting to know a good clarinet to update to for marching band. I'm no pro because I'm only in the 11th grade in High School, but I'm no beginner either. So I don't need a beginner clarinet Any Suggestions? It can't be wood since it will be outside.
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2015-01-02 06:08
I might have suggested these guys simply because they make clarinets of great value.
But the fact that you're going to be outdoors....their hard rubber instruments make it a slam dunk
http://www.ridenourclarinetproducts.com/
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2015-01-02 06:13
Another 11th grader here.
My high school doesn't have a marching band, but if I were in one, I'd just buy a cheaper plastic clarinet (beginner or step-up model) for use on the field, and save up for a nice wooden instrument for use in concert band and orchestra. I really doubt that the difference in sound between a beginner plastic clarinet and a nicer instrument would be very audible from the field.
A friend of mine posted a picture of her marching section's instruments a while back and a bunch of them were using wooden instruments - one person even had a rosewood clarinet. Cringeworthy...
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Author: MSK
Date: 2015-01-02 06:24
There is no reason to put much money into a marching band clarinet. (Clarinets are basically afterthoughts in the marching band). Unless you are a soloist playing into a microphone you won't be heard well enough for it to matter. Furthermore, the risk of damage due to cold weather, careless neighbors in the bleachers etc is pretty high. Most people just use their starter plastic clarinet for marching. If you want to upgrade, put your money into a better clarinet for concert season, and keep the good instrument inside.
If something has happened to your original starter clarinet and you have nothing to march with, then any of the usual recommended student instruments would work: Bundy, Vito, Yamaha 20 or 250, Buffet B12. Don't get utter junk, but no need to spend a lot either.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-01-02 06:40
It makes me cringe when people march with pro level Buffets, Leblancs, Selmers and Yamahas in all weather - some even march with B&H 1010s and Peter Eatons if they haven't got a back-up clarinet.
Never march with a Buffet Greenline unless you're prepared to have the expense of a middle tenon graft when they break in half.
Stick with a decent plastic or ebonite instrument and if you're made to march outdoors when it's freezing cold, have your repairer put extra slack between the keys and pillars relative to their lengths (more end play on longer key barrels compared to shorter length key barrels) so they don't bind up solid when the plastic shrinks with the cold.
The LH F/C lever is usually the first one to suffer as it's the longest, followed by the E/B key, the F#/C# key, the RH rings, the LH rings, the RH3 sliver key, the F/C key, the thumb ring, the Ab/Eb key, the C#/G# key and then all the others as the temperature drops.
Find an affordable but decent quality plastic mouthpiece similar to your good one, or if it's a different tip opening, use a harder or softer reed relative to the closer or wider tip opening to compensate for the difference.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Unkn0wnClarinet
Date: 2015-01-02 08:34
Stick with a trusty vito or bundy and maybe spend money on a synthetic reed. They really help when you're outside in the heat, where cane reeds dry out fast. IMO clarinets only really matter if your band is of high caliber, having a director who balances the whole band out. Also try treating your clarinet to some new pads if they are worn because they can make a big difference to the ease of playing. Finding a mouthpiece that plays like your concert one would really help transitioning from marching to concert band.
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Author: 16McLeK
Date: 2015-01-02 18:37
Thanks for all the advice guys! Ive had a trusty Selmer since 6th grade that just can't be relied on anymore. Its to the point where my keys fall off if I don't pay enough attention to the screws. So yeah I will just get an inexpensive Bundy or maybe B12. It's true no one will hear me anyway lol
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2015-01-02 19:27
It's not very trusty if it can't be trusted...
....but for screws that keep coming out just use a dot of clear nail polish and save the $$$ for something else!
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: TomS
Date: 2015-01-02 19:30
The Lyrique RCP-576BC will tolerate the cold quite well and you can use it during concert season, which will probably be an upgrade over what you are using currently. Many believe this is a professional clarinet.
No brainer buying the Lyrique clarinets. And, you can finance with no interest.
Other than that ... maybe the Backun Alpha.
Tom
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2015-01-02 19:52
I have an RCP-576BC and there's no way I'd ever march with it. The key work on my example is not as resistant to bending as that found on Vito and Yamaha synthetic-bodied instruments.
The Vito V-40 is tough as nails, yet also can perform at a high level when set up carefully. One of these could serve you very well as your marching instrument AND your backup performance clarinet in the event that your wooden clarinet is out of service.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2015-01-02 19:58
16McLeK wrote:
> Thanks for all the advice guys! Ive had a trusty Selmer since
> 6th grade that just can't be relied on anymore. Its to the
> point where my keys fall off if I don't pay enough attention to
> the screws.
There's no such thing as a clarinet (or pretty much any other machine) that can go indefinitely without maintenance. Sounds like your Selmer needs some skilled maintenance by someone who knows what he or she is doing. You don't need state-of-the-art pads to play in marching band, but you do need pads that cover the holes and don't leak air. Your screws are working out of their receivers because for some reason they no longer fit correctly. The problems you've described as well as any other problem you may be having with the Selmer can be fixed by a competent repair tech. The cost of having the instrument brought into good playing condition is almost certainly going to be lower than that of a new clarinet, possibly excepting the really cheap (and not very good) imports. For marching band I'd also second the suggestion to find a synthetic reed that you can play comfortably - Legere, Forestone, Bari, Fibercell , it probably wouldn't matter much so long as you find the right strength so that you can play easily on it outdoors.
Marching band in most cases is all about drums and brass and visual effect. My vote would be for you to keep your Selmer, spend a little on proper maintenance, and if you want to buy a newer/better clarinet for concert use, save your money toward that.
Karl
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Author: TomS
Date: 2015-01-02 22:36
I am surprised that the RCP-576BC has soft keys that might bend during marching ... I have two of Tom's instruments and the keys are very hard to bend when trying to make small adjustments ...
It might be that older production used a softer alloy ... ? I've heard that a few months ago, the 576s had a factory upgrade on the keywork cosmetics ... don't know about strength.
I've had a couple of Vito's and they were quite decent ... I don't remember which models, but the last one I sold in 1997.
Tom
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Author: 16McLeK
Date: 2015-01-03 01:48
Well I have an E11 for concert that suits me just fine and wasn't a big investment as it was on sale. So I have no need to upgrade that clarinet unless I'm in some huge college or professional marching band. As for my Selmer, I'm sure it could be completely repaired, but I have actually spent a lot of money in repairs and am afraid it will continue to be costly. I love it, but I need something in better condition
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2015-01-03 02:40
Kenna:
Maybe we need to clarify better what you want.
Some posters have made compelling arguments, against your original desire for one decent clarinet, which is marching compatible.
If that's still your desire, Ridenour's hard rubber clarinets should be on your short list to consider as I suggested above. They'll serve you well in any playing environment.
But if you are compelled by the argument of having a non-wood cheap clarinet for marching--certainly a good argument--then put your budget towards two clarinets, recognizing that the "good" clarinet may not be as good if some of your monies need to be allocated to the marching band clarinet, as might be the case in the one good indoor/outdoor clarinet scenario.
Only you are in the position to weigh your budget and tradeoffs.
I couldn't tell you what I would do until I knew your budget.
One idea though. Have you ever seen those long and skinny plastic bags designed to accept a wet umbrella? Well cut a hole in the sealed end, and two slits down its length for your left and right hands. It serves as a good defense for the instrument against the elements. Your sound might be a bit muffled, but it's not as if the brass players won't out power your sound even with the plastic sheath off the clarinet.
Good luck.
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Author: Steven Ocone
Date: 2015-01-03 03:05
Get your Selmer repaired. It will make a great marching band instrument.
Steve Ocone
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Author: kdk
Date: 2015-01-03 03:30
Steven Ocone wrote:
> Get your Selmer repaired. It will make a great marching band
> instrument.
>
16McLeK wrote:
> As for my Selmer, I'm sure it could
> be completely repaired, but I have actually spent a lot of
> money in repairs and am afraid it will continue to be costly. I
> love it, but I need something in better condition
But if you go this route, you need to consider whether you've been using the right repair shop, if you've spent all that money and it has remained in poor condition. If you got it back from the shop in good condition and it consistently deteriorates, then it may have something perhaps unavoidable to do with how you're using it and the conditions it's being used under. If that's the case, any clarinet, even a brand new one, may develop the same problems if used in the same way under the same conditions. I don't think, whatever Selmer model you're talking about, that there's anything unique to Selmer that would make it more likely than anything else to continually break down. If you replace it, you may not get the improvement you're hoping for, at least not for long.
But more specifically, the only problem you've mentioned is screws that come out regularly. That's completely fixable, but only by a repair person who knows how to do it. What else is wrong with the Selmer's condition?
Karl
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Author: Ursa
Date: 2015-01-03 20:06
For the record, my Lyrique RCP-576BC was built in 2010. The key work is not soft, and I didn't mean to imply that it was--it just isn't as resistant to bending as the mechanism on a Vito or Yamaha.
Out on a march, bending a key on, say, a Vito will merely result in an inconvenient trip to the repair shop. I just about cried, however, when an on-stage accident bent a key on my Lyrique. The most impeccably regulated clarinet I've ever laid my hands on sat there, unplayable, and I worried that it would never again be as good as it was when Tom set it up. That's why I'd never tempt fate by taking a Lyrique out on a march. While it certainly could be done, I think it shouldn't be done. That's what the proverbial Bundy is for.
Regards,
Greg
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Author: davyd
Date: 2015-01-03 21:53
Another idea: don't play clarinet in marching band. Wave a flag, or twirl a baton, or be the drum major, or manage the equipment, or be a percussionist. Or get a beginner-level saxophone and play that instead; doubling is always a good skill to acquire.
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