Anyone play the clarinet?

I need some advice regarding an instrument for my daughter. I’m not a musician, so I’m lost here.

I doubt this would be of any interest to anyone else, so please PM me if anyone out there is relatively knowledgeable and is willing to offer me some advice about what to look for, prices, brands, etc.

Thanks,

Mark

 

ime, yamaha makes some very reasonably priced entry level instruments. my first saxophone was a yamaha that was/is a fine instrument at a good price. no problems with it at all, etc. etc.

fwiw,
doody.

 

As a former sax player, I can't really comment specifically on clarinets, but a hearty two thumbs up for getting your kids involved in music! (unsolicited advice: if your kid gets serious, get the best private teacher you can find for the instrument. If your kid is super serious, like music school serious, get him to learn the piano on the side.)

I second Doody's advice re: Yamaha.

There's lots of "no-name" instruments out there, and having a bad instrument can really hamper your kid's progress. I even saw instruments for sale at Costco.. (Yikes! and it wasn't dirt cheap either.)

Yamaha makes great instruments, and should be a safe bet (I played one of their pro models saxophones through out H.S. and college). I think Selmer/Bundy is another safe bet.

I think real good clarinets are made of wood, but a plastic one should be fine for your first instrument.

One thing really critical for wind/reed players I think, is having a really good yet appropriate mouthpiece and a reed that works well with it. (they come in diff. sizes and shapes) Most instruments come with a mouthpiece, but they are usually pretty junky. If you get a used instrument, make sure the mouthpiece that comes with the instrument isn't something too weird/idiosyncratic.

A music teacher for your school or whatever should be able to suggest good ones to begin on. There should be a mouthpiece/reed combo that would be good to learn on. Also, try to find a good/friendly/knowledgeable music store in your area. More corporate the store (guitar center et. al), worse the advice IME.

Oh yeah, buying reeds is an art in itself. Reeds tend to be lot cheaper through mailorder specialty shops, IIRC.

 

Im a string player myself, but I would love to try and help. Let me know if you have any questions! Otherwise, I second everything artn said.

 

Thanks everyone.

This isn't her first instrument. She's 14 and has been playing for about three years, so we're probably looking for a bit of an upgrade. I don't know/can't remember what her current instrument is, but she's been advised that she would be able to improve/play better with a better instrument than the current beginning model she's using. We do have a music store near us and of course we'll talk with them too, but I wanted to hear what you guys had to say. I looked on ebay was just a bit shell shocked to see one particular model (Buffet R-13) with an entry bid of $1400. I guess I'm just a bit naiive about these things.

I'll check out Yamaha clarinets in the meantime.

Mark

 

Buffet makes a range of models, from beginner on up.

IIRC, My son's first was around $500.00, and the next level as you say should be around $1200.00.

My gf's son is still on woodwinds. I'd buy local and test drive it as opposed to eBay, unless it's a brand new piece as maintenance on these things becomes important.

Well worth the investment, I'd say............

 

A professional grade instrument will run about $4 - $5K, if that makes the $1,400 unit seem less painful!!!!!

An antique, master grade instrument would be even higher.

 

Wow, this post has really woken up the band geek in me!

Just to get them out, more things to pile on your plate:

- Lots of students pick up and quit playing instruments (esp. as part of school bands, etc.) So I get you'd turn up lots of clarinets looking for a good home if you asked around. Then again, nothing wrong with getting a new instrument either, and is usually the safest bet.

- Ask/look around for hubs of "youth music activity" In my area, that was my Jr. High Jazz band (one of the best ones in the area) and a local youth orchestra directed by one of the nicest and most passionaite people around. These people are the one's that will know all of the BEST people in the area for lessons and stuff. If you cold call these people, I think you'd be pleasantly surprised with thier willingness to help you.

- If you find a great local teacher for your instrument, seriously consider taking lessons. Yes they are not cheap. But if your kid really loves music, it can make a HUGE difference.

- Also, here's a touchy one: Is your kid dead set on playing clarinet? If so, support your kid 100%. However, if your kid is not 100% sure, keep your kid's options open. Certain instruments are really popluar (saxophones and violins). Playing a slightly obsure or something slightly harder to learn can really open doors. Kinda like in baseball: outfielders a dime a dozen, but good left handed pitchers aren't. In my area, great oboe/basson/french horn/trombone players/Double Bass players were less common.

If your child's band teacher announces that he's looking for somebody to learn bass clarniet (the larger, less popular/glamorus cousin of the clarinet), it might be a good opportunity. (I your kid thinks bass clarinet is lame, tell him two words: Eric Dolphy) Most good players stick with the more "prestigious" clarinet, as they get the more difficult/"better" parts in music. If a good player moved into playing a "lesser" instrument, you can sometimes gain a competitive advantage (thought it can simply leave you with small but formidable group of players to compete for seats)

In my personal expereince, I also played the tuba in H.S./college. Making it into the college symphony was a breeze compared to the violin players, who had to really battle. The real deciding factor was finding a great private teacher, which really gave me an unfair advantage, as most tuba players are the marching band variety, and not super serious about music.