What Clarinet Gear Should You Upgrade Next?
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- čas přidán 22. 07. 2017
- Michelle Anderson, founder of Clarinet Mentors (www.learnclarinetnow.com), discusses what clarinet equipment you should consider upgrading. Is it your reeds, mouthpiece, ligature, barrels, bells, or the whole clarinet? Michelle discusses each of these upgrades, as well as what order you should consider purchasing these items if you are starting with a basic beginner clarinet package.
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Hey I just picked up my clarinet after years of not playing and I just wanted to say I appreciate what you are doing and it helps so much. TY!
Thanks Andy, I hope you are enjoying your clarinet today,
Really a great video Michelle. Spot on. The rest of my post is from another video I watched, not yours, and just wanted to share my 2 cents worth....here it is.....Barrels really depend on what type clarinet you are putting them on. And of course the player, and the type of sound you are wanting to achieve. Same way with mouth pieces. You will get as many different opinions on barrels and mouth pieces as there are people that play....lol.....I've been playing for 56 years and love to play jazz. When I changed to a R-13 66mm barrel and a Vandoren 5JB mouth piece, it really opened up my sound volume and gave me that BIG FAT sound that so many jazz players are looking for. BUT, someone else could be searching for the same sound change and accomplish it with different barrel and mouth piece. If you have been playing less than 5 years, I would not even worry too much about barrels and mouth pieces. You will know when to make a change, and that change should ONLY be based on the sound you are looking for. NOT what someone else recommends. Bottom line, YOU have to try out the barrels and mouthpieces to know.
Agreed, but as someone who is learning sax, and have just bought my first ( vintage all wood) clarinet, I know that it can take quite a bit of searching before you get the right combo of mouthpiece, reed and ligature that works for you. Beginners should not have to make do with what comes with the instrument.
Ive been playing clarinet for about 8 years and i started with a bundy clarinet used (similar to a school one) i changed the ligiture, then reeds, then barrel, then mouthpiece( i experimented a lot) then into bells
i added a wood barrel and bell to my normandy plastic clarinet and wow what a difference
I've been playing on the same clarinet, mouthpiece and reeds since I started out. Now 10 years later I'm starting to notice it doesn't work anymore for me. Looking for a new mouthpiece now:)
dont know if you guys cares but if you are bored like me atm then you can watch pretty much all of the new series on InstaFlixxer. I've been watching with my gf for the last few months xD
@Jerome Chaim Definitely, I have been using instaflixxer for years myself :D
Debut mouthpieces are nice :)
I remember when I was a senior in HS, my youngest brother began playing the clarinet in elementary school. His tone and pitch wasn't good, so I had him try my mouthpiece (Vandoren B45 I think), Rover ligature, and his own reed. Measured his pitch and he was flat. Had him use one of my Vandoren V12 #4 reeds... smack right in the middle in tune! The next time he played in school, he became the best student and even qualified for the district honor band!
I just recently got a Backun barrel and a D'Addario mouthpiece and it changed everything about my clarinet for the better.
I got my first American (Boehm) clarinet, very different lol. So used to the German (Oehler) system. But thanks for great video! Cheers
Great videos. I’m currently just starting. Bought a Boosey and Hawkes Imperial 926 to learn on. Heard it was a good piece of kit, and at the same price as a new entry level piece. Hope fully I won’t have to update much except the reeds.
I am not sure if you have video on this, but can you make a video talking about which clarinet brands are good for different types of levels?
It's not that easy to recommended a particular instrument brand. it would depend on your skill level what your used to and where you might be going with it. You can get a different sound from a clarinet just by changing the mouthpiece and ligature , the shape of your mouth and or your tonguing technique. Wood is good as instruments go however they do cost more to start with. You could spend thousands on one if you chose to. Wood and water/spit not a great combination for health reasons . Think before you buy and look at all the used ones on the billboards.... You can have a nice used one rebuilt for a hundred dollars or less. Check your music shop.
I use the Paulus & Schuler Zoom barrel and I really fell in love with the sound. It really adds a certain depth to every clarinet I put it on.
Have you been playing with one Michelle?
I usually upgrade as I need it. When I got my Buffet R13, I noticed my sound was a bit thin on my Vandoren 5RV Lyre, so then I tried out and bought a Vandoren black diamond ebonite. My sound was much better, but then I was always flat so I had to get a shorter barrel (got a moennig barrel), and now my clarinet is in tune and I noticed there was a better sound. As for reeds I use Vandoren V12's, and my ligature is just a rovner dark ligature. I've never had to change my bell before though. My old clarinet that I used before my R13 is a Selmer signet resonite, and now I mainly use that for marching band and outdoor playing. It's a good sounding clarinet, but I have a better one.
Clarinet Catato n
Clark Fobes Nova mouthpiece is professional quality at intermediate price - excellent
Thank you so much for making these videos and making them free! I simply do not have the money to pay for the courses (though I would love to). I learnt to play when I way 40 and due to life stuff I could only play for 3 years but did play in a Swing music band. Now 20 years later I have taken it up again, I joined my local Silver band (not my type of music but I know it is good for me to play with other people). Music lessons are expensive but by judicious household budgeting I can afford one a month and have started doing my grades again. I have a Yamaha that I upgraded with a Vandoren mouthpiece (second hand) this really helped, my next upgrade will be a ligature. Then I found a lovely 90 year old Selma on Ebay! It was only 20 British pounds and it cost me a further 40 to make it playable, it is a joy. Some of our band gigs are in churches and my lovely old boy simply loves it and sounds wonderful. This note was really just to say how grateful I am to your Videos that I play a different one each day as part of my practice.
It sounds like you are having a great time with your music. I hope you continue to enjoy it!
Hi Michelle, thank you so much for all your fantastic videos, they have been a great help to me. I'm doing my grade 1 Jazz studies at the moment, do you have any tips for me playing the jazz clarinet? Many thanks, Joe (London, England).
Hi, Michelle. I've seen Michael Lowenstern's videos about bass clarinet equipment - I'm particularly interested in upgrades to the neck and bell. Have you experimented with these kinds of upgrades? If so, could you let me know your thoughts?
I upgraded my ligature from the metal to a fabric/leather one mainly as there is less of a chance to ruin a reed if you happen to slide the ligature over the mouthpiece in-correctly.
Yeah I agree, I've done that while not paying attention too many times.
Hi Michelle and clarinet community! Can you recommend an app for my phone to use for tuning my clarinet. I don't mind if it costs as long as it is free of ads and really works well. Thanks for all of your great tutorials. They are the best.
I use and love my vandoren b40 13 mouthpiece with Legere signature. I’ve tried so many different mouthpieces and always go back to the b40. I wanted to know if you’ve tried the playeasy by Nick kuckmeier. Supposedly it’s a lot like the b40 but specially adapted to legere synthetic reeds.
I have a Buffet R13 with Vandoren M13 L mouthpiece & a leather ligature. I like the Vandoren V12 & V21 reeds 2 1/2 - 3.. I still am not happy with ease playing. So after watching this video I'm contemplating doing a different barrel. Any specific suggestions for my particular set up? I am a returning adult musician meaning a few years back I started playing after not playing since high school.
Great Video! Right now I play on a Buffet E12F and already upgraded my mouthpiece to a BD5 by vandoren. Im considering upgrading my barrel next knowing now thanks to this video what impact it can make as im not ready for a fully professional clarinet
check out Paulus & Schuler zoom barrel. It sounds great and also you won't need couple of different barrels with different lengths. This company doesn't advertise them much, but all great clarinetists like Sabine Mayer, Karl Leister, Anthony McGill and others use them
MadMau6e yea I heard about them, I might have to look more into them, thanks
MadMau6e Were you able to get your hands on one? I've looked everywhere but it's always sold out.
The clarinet or the mouthpiece? I got the mouthpiece online for about $110 and the clarinet at a local music store. This is the website I purchased the mouthpiece from www.wwbw.com/?source=TWWR5J1BA&gclid=CjwKCAjww9_MBRAWEiwAlaMJZpeewlL6W4nd1uU6ISVn2x62uU7dw_qIlLTSz0Cr-u7hd0xdNHuANhoCDd4QAvD_BwE
Game Addiction I bought mine zoom barrel from my friend and have no idea where to buy a new one.
What about clarinet stands? I want one that will only hold my Bb and my A. Don't currently have an Eb. I Can't seem to find anything that is strictly for those two instruments. I'm currently using a Hercules stand for flutes and clarinet. It isn't stable enough though and got pushed over at orchestra a few weeks ago. My heart stopped for a moment.
what happen if we use long barrel for clarinet?
i play on a backun alpha with vandoren v12 reeds, m30 mouthpiece and rovner mk III and moba barrel and bell in cocobolo. what do you play on?
Have you ever tried a pomarico mouthpiece? If yes, what do you think?
Hi Michelle, thanks for the very great info! I've not been playing clarinet for almost 8 years and I'm trying to play it back..I've heard that we should oil the bore of wooden clarinet like once or twice a year. Do you have any idea about it? Would appreciate if you can share with us.. :)
Jim
This is one of the great questions of the clarinet world on which nobody seems to agree (along with, can you use alcohol to clean reeds). One of the techs I use oils the instrument; one advises against it. If you ask the Internet you will get a variety of opinions, and there appears to have been little, if any, rigorous work done to try to determine the answer. Nobody seems to really know. The one reasonably convincing paper I saw on it said that intensive oiling can restore severely aged and dried wood in very old instruments, but it's not clear there is an advantage on normal timescales. If you do want to oil your bore (I do like to myself), you do need to make sure you get a quality oil - a lot of the cheap stuff in music shops is mineral oil, and that's not great. You need to get an organic oil that won't go rancid, I think linseed oil was recommend, but there is good info on this at least with an internet search.
Elle Jimmy Tan be careful if using linseed oil, I'm not sure how it works on the wood compared to other oils, but if used incorrectly it can be very dangerous, and can spontaneously burst into flame
Hello Michelle!
I have been playing for a year and a half. I have had experience with music before picking up this instrument. When would you advise beginning to upgrade? I have a Selmer cl300.
i'll get a decent mouthpiece to start you off.
What brands send mouthpieces to try upon request?
Backun vocalise
I have a plastic clarinet student model.. I notice plastic shavings from drilling the finger holes collected around the inside of the tube. would this affect the sound quality? Should i try and shave it out of there? I have made a few wooden flutes and i know shavings collect from drilling the finger holes affect the sound of them. please answer soon, i'm getting tools ready to go up in and clean the plastic away from the hole.
Don't use thicker big major trolls just like a small brush or something. But be very careful. Taking it to a music store is the best decision. If it's a new clarinet that is very common.
can you please tell me what the notes for the chromatic scale are for the bass clarinet?
The fingering is the same as your regular clarinet. There are many good online fingering charts,
(Not related to video) I do not have padding for a thumbrest but I play my clarinet so much I have started to get a callus on my thumb. My music store in my area does not sell thumb rests. Do you have any temporary fixes for this?
If you have an office supply store, you can adapt the silicone sleeves that you can buy to fit around the bottom of pens or pencils. You can also mail order a thumb rest pretty easily. I like the one by Duo Music.
Michelle, I have a old France Clarinet brand Romain Braude. I just bought one Evette Shaeffer master model by buffet crampon, He is in a technical person to change pads and all regulations. I have one Vandoren B40 13 and I just bought one B45 and one 5RV to tests. I have one ligature BG STANDART. I really hope that I do a big growing in my Clarinet's life... Thanks, if is possible, please, tell me what you think about my new set up. Thank you very much.
Hi Saulo, you have invested in some good gear. I am glad that you are testing out different options. I do believe that everyone likes a slightly different setup. I try to recommend products that I know are good, and then advise people to try them and choose what they like best. I think you are off to a good start. I hope you are enjoying your clarinet.
Thanks Michelle, I love clarinet and I study since 1994, but, in 2006 I bought a bassoon and my clarinet was in my wardrobe. But now I decided return to clarinet and I am so glad, because I love them. Thank you very much.
Hello Michelle Anderson. In your opinion, how long does a wood clarinet last? What is its durability?
Lifelong
I have a clear mouth piece and a plastic reed
Hi Michelle, I appreciate this is an older video so not sure if you will see this. I have a Buffet B12 with Vandoren 5RV mouthpiece and Rovner Dark Ligature with Vandoren V12 #3.5 reeds which I love. I can not justify upgrading my Clarinet so am thinking of a Backun Fatboy Grenadilla Barrel as an upgrade.
Sounds like a good plan. I happened to buy a Backun MoBa for my Yamaha YCL-255 today. Sound much better. I am using a Vandoren M13 Lyre. Also got to try out the 3 new Vocalize mouth pieces. Almost bought the G one. But it made my sound way sharp. Had to pull out 1/2 inch on the 65 mm barrel to get it in tune.
@@MrRmeadows Thank for your reply Richard. From what I have read online I am not sure the fatboy will fit my B12 so am now thinking about the Backun Protege Barrel instead?
@@SarahSkilton Oh, I had no idea they might not fit. Would think the MoBa and Fatboy are both the same size. Best to try before buying or get one from company that will be willing to take it back. Another idea I have would be to borrow a Yamaha barrel just see how it fits on your B12.
@@MrRmeadows I have found a shop in London who stock a wide range of Barrels and allow a trial of upto 4 and they have agreed with you that all Backun barrels should fit my B12.
@@SarahSkilton Good news. Um I forgot to ask. Is issue with length of barrel on the B12? Might bring a tuner with you. I know Backun sells them in 4 different lengths. 64 mm - 67 mm.
I have a white clarinet; I'm not sure that I'll be able to update much on my clarinet...
pretty much you'll need to update to a wooden clarinet after you get better
When is it a good time to upgrade?
Holly Baggett if your asking this to yourself then its probably not time yet. It might not be the case though
Can Vandoren traditional reeds work?
Yes traditionals are great!
Teacher, I have a Evette Shaeffer Master Model, 50´s Buffet Crampone, I use reeds Vandoren 56 number 3 or 3 and a half, my monthpiece is Vandores B40 13, I would like to play with BD5, but nowadays I´m glad with my monthpiece. I´m thinking and I would like to buy a FatBoy barrel and tradicional Bell off Backun, because the MoBa isn´t to use in a before 90´s clarinets, What do you tell me about this upgrade, my sound will be better with thins barrel and bell or you recomend other equipamento in my case? Please help me. Thank you very much.
I use the Super Revalation BG ligature ...
I just bought my fatboy barrel in grenadilla and loved him... I am waiting my backun bell in cocobola that I bought in eBay, I am so excited, thanks....
What clarinet upgrades are you considering? This video has my recommendations on mouthpieces, reeds, ligatures, barrels, bells, and the whole clarinet. I also discuss what order I would upgrade things in if I were starting from the beginning.
Clarinet Mentors (Michelle Anderson) thank you for the video and next video could you help us about marching band because this is my first year
what do you mean by 10 thousand dollars clarinet? Even totally custom Schwenk und Seggelke Bb/A clarinets are from 7500. 10 thousand dollars are only Wurlitzer (they are also custom), but in Germany Wurlitzer is like Stradivari among clarinet makers and you can buy used ones in good condition for 4500-5000. If you're okay with serial clarinets like Buffet Tosca or Selmer Recital, it would cost only 5-6(if you're okay with buying used clarinets, then only 3000-4000). I know that Backun clarinets are pricy, but they just ask way too much money for them, because for the same amount of money you can have master-made totally handcrafted clarinet, which would be much better.
That would be a great video topic! I really like the BAM cases, but they are on the higher end of pricing. If you are carrying a whole bunch of clarinets, the Wiseman cases are another premium case. A good case at a reasonable price level and easy to carry are the various ones made by ProTec. I hope that gives you some things to look at. I'll try and make a video about these at some point.
Chaela Grey in Canada we don’t do marching band so she probably doesn’t
Clarinet Mentors (Michelle Anderson) yeah Michelle I would love to see a video on cases/ compact ways to take multiple clarinets
Hey Michelle,
I was wondering, is there a difference between European Clarinets and American Clarinets, because you speak of European cut reeds...
Ow PS I'm playing on a Buffet Crampon Prestige...
European clarinets usually have a different bore design, such as the prestige, which is very popular in Europe. Don't confuse them with German/Ohler system clarinets though; they have a different fingering system altogether.
Buffet prestige is a French (and french bore) clarinet. When talking about the different clarinets you typically come across french, German, and occasionally European (or English). European clarinets typically have a much larger bore and play very differently than a French counterpart. You actually cannot use a French mouthpiece (ex vandoren) on a true English/European clarinet because it will be completely wrong for it. (Tuning and response will be all over the place).
On the other hand the Légère European reed is a little misleading. It came from the Légère soprano sax signature reed and redesigned for clarinet. And is intended to be used on a regular (french) mouthpiece.
Great video Michelle... It has alway been the question why an expensive clarinet is better than an inexpensive one. Dealing with the parts helps to fill some of this questions.
I do think that when choosing a clarinet that we would be remiss not to mention the products that Ridenour puts out. These instruments are hand finished and made of hard rubber. I was so taken by these instruments that I sold my wooden clarinet and now own 3 of his A, Bb, C
I find that the tone is as good if not better than that of wooden ones and his mouthpieces are 2nd to none. I have owned many brands and these sound best to my ear. The bonus of hard rubber is that they will not crack, you can play them outside and not have to worry, and they play in tune all the time and do not have to be warmed up. Therefore I think that I definitely get a greater bang for your buck with his products. Check it out:
www.ridenourclarinetproducts.com
Is there a way I can get a barrel that is 100 mm
Did you stop making videos?
Hello Michelle, I am registered to your email list with two email address and am subscribed here to your CZcams channel. Thank you for the great content! I requested information about the "Clarinet Cruise" through your webpage but never received anything. Then again last week I used your feedback form to let your team know that I was still waiting for information but never got a response. I am not sure what the appropriate followup is but as this is a new video I know you are still alive :-) Please let.me know if this is still happening.
Is that an eight-thousand dollar clarinet? O_O
I’m looking at doing this .freedom from masks. get out and do music again. Got the Yamaha plastic . Did not think of reeds Rico 2 Vandoren. Thanks .
I never liked wood reeds. I just went to plastic and for me, like them much better.
nr3rful can you name some benefits? I feel like plastic might be harder to play than wooden reeds but I’m not sure. Might do some research into this haha