Finally, I have taken delivery of my lovely new Buffet B12 and, I've even managed to put it together without breaking it. I was delighted to find it over the Internet at a cost of only £274 - including postage, packing and insurance! I can highly recommend this method of purchase. Thanks to Neil, Barry, Deborah etc. for all their helpful advice.

Unfortunately my mouth is now really sore from trying to get a sound out of it. I've played about with the position of the reed (as well as the position of my mouth) and I think I'm getting some sort of respectable sound - definitely not a squeak! I underestimated just how far into your mouth you have to put the mouthpiece. I'm going it alone for the first couple of weeks so I don't just stand there blowing hopelessly into the clarinet as I did on my previous and only lessson. Terribly embarrassing.

So for now, does anyone have any advice on how on earth do I sustain a sound and stop my lips from getting sore? I'm desperate to progress but my lips are aching!

Glad to hear you're happy with it. I just bought a viola recently to start learning on and I'm very pleased with that too. Hopefully you will have many happy years of blowing into (and successfully producing a noise from) your new clarinet. I definitely think that a background in piano helps when picking up any new instrument too so I would have thought you'll progress quite quickly.

Good on you, Randall! Glad you like it.

Don't expect miracles immediately. When I first started learning, my jaw would really ache after not many minutes, so take things slowly, and if you do start aching, stop for a while. Make sure your embouchure is correct - you may want to have a few lessons, as I'm sure your teacher would prefer you to make strange sounds for a while than to have to spend weeks correcting your embouchure.

As for sustaining the sound, it's all down to making sure you've got the breath well supported.

Don't forget your reed! Assuming you have a box of 10, do try at least half. The reason is that whereas an advanced player may get a sound out of a 'duff' reed, a beginner will find it extremely difficult and may assume the problem is with him/her, rather than the reed. A beginner really does require a perfect reed!

Some people claim that less than 50% of reeds from a box are playable straight away. I've had boxes like that!

So experiment a lot and yes, many make the mistake of not taking enough MP into the mouth.

Also, try holding the clarinet almost vertical and think of the MP as 'behind' the top teeth, not 'under'. This helped me a lot at the beginning.

Great fun isn't it!

Steve

Hello Randall, very pleased that you like your new clarinet!

Patience is very much a virtue when starting out playing the clarinet. Here's a few tips (endeavouring not to repeat what Deborah and Steve have already said!)

Check the positioning of your reed. Make sure it's not too high or too low. You should be able to see a (very) thin line of mouthpiece just above the reed. And make sure the reed is moist (lick it once on both sides). A dry reed is extremely hard to play on. Not sure what strength reed you're using Randall, but I'd recommend a 1 1/2 or a 2. If you're currently using a 2, and you're finding it generally hard to get a decent sound, then step down to a 1 1/2. It won't do you any good trying to play on a reed that's too hard for you. In time, your embouchure will strengthen, then you'll need to use stiffer reeds.

Rest your top lip/teeth on the mouthpiece. The important word here is 'rest'. Don't bite. At any time. Ever! When you've placed your top lip on the mouthpiece, that's where it stays. Try not to lift your top lip up when you take a breath, you'll become a squeak risk otherwise.

Then there's breathing. Deborah's advice here is very sound. Your breath needs to be supported (using your diaphragm). You might find it easier to think of breathing down your clarinet, rather than blowing. It's a tough concept to describe, but an easy one to demonstrate! The air that goes down your clarinet is not dissimilar to the process of steaming up a mirror with your breath, but the clarinet doesn't need air that's as quite as warm as that (told you it was tough to describe!!!!).

And I'll repeat - patience is a virtue (that and a good clarinet teacher!)

Any further problems, ask your teacher, or leave a message here in forums.

Enjoy your clarinetting!

Barry (clari)

Barry, Steve, Deborah et all

Sincere thanks for all your wonderful tips. I really appreciate your help. I'm having trouble finding a teacher at the moment - the guy I went to for my first and only lesson was too old and absent minded so it's back to square one. I'll try and build up the stamina in my mouth muscles and get a bit of knowledge myself in the meantime.