Vandoren reeds are a bit harder than the equivalent Rico standard/Royal (I'm assuming it's one of those).

So a Rico 3 will feel a bit softer than a Vandoren 3.

I think this may have a lot to do with why you're struggling. There may be a chance that you simply don't get on with Vandoren (assuming blue box) reeds. There are plenty of other good makes you can choose from though.

Thanks Barry. But my teacher is insistent that I should use vandoren. I got an M30 mouthpiece and I thought that might help but it hasn't helped. And I use 3.5 for the normal Rico so I figured vandoren 3 was fine but it was not. I didn't buy a box but got the individual ones which were sealed with a foil. I have to blow like mad every time I use vandoren. It's very irritating.

I'd suggest in that case maybe trying a Vandoren 2.5 .

I'd suggest that you take the advice offered to BeamishBoy the other day when he raised the same problem - I've printed it for you below

Thanks skylark. It's very good of you to print out the past advice. I'm new here and I find it pretty cool the way you can lift off quotations from other forum sites.

I think I'll have to work out with my teacher. The problem with the clarinet is that there is so much that is inside that it's difficult for someone to demonstrate how it's done. With the piano or the vioilin or the cello or most instruments, everything is outside. Sometimes I wish I could take an x-ray picture of my teacher's mouth - then I'll know how he does everything with the mouth when he's blowing. It's a long process to sound even remotely good.

Thanks again.

Hi,

Turns out my clarinet teacher made a mistake and meant B12 instead of C12 when telling me an instrument to buy. All I know about the B12 is that it's plastic and a beginner instrument?
She suggests:
Buffet B12
Selmer Omega?
Used R-13

Might be going to a clarinet festival at our university to look at some instruments, can't wait! (It's on my birthday too, haha.)

It's really easy to do, and it wasn't from another site, it was just from the previous page in this thread Have a look at the FAQ thread at the top of each forum and it tells you there how to post quotes




One of my friends has a Buffet B12 - she gets a lovely tone out of it and she's very happy with it

The B12 is one of the most popular 'starter' instruments there is, and for good reason, it's a rather good clari.

I think you'd get on very well with it.

Thanks for the information! My parents just want to also know if the B12 can carry me for a long time because they don't want to have to "upgrade" later...

There's no reason why a B12 wouldn't last you a long time. For outdoor concerts where the rain can come down (it did a lot here this summer ), having a plastic clarinet like a B12 is very useful.
However, you will probably want to upgrade at some time to a wooden clarinet for general use. I got my first wooden instrument at grade 6-7ish level - I find that is generally when my pupils wish to upgrade too.

Sounds great! I found lots of reviews on the B12 and it sounds great. Especially because I'll have do marching band soon I definitely can't have a wooden clarinet for that. Rather cheap too! My mum will be happy.

I've a friend at about G7 level with a B12, and a battered old one at that! He does just as well as I do on my wooden clari I still use mine if I'm outside, or travelling.

Funny story:

Somebody tried to sell my teacher a clarinet that had been in a FIRE before. She could smell the burnt smell, and when she tried playing it, her fingers turned black. She told them that, and they denied it.

Let's talk reeds and mouthpieces!

What ones do you prefer to use? I've tried several brands of reeds, but I've yet to find a reed that's better for me than the standard Vandoren (strength 3), which I couple with a Vandoren B45 mouthpiece. I find that's a versatile enough combination to cope in most situations.

How about the rest of you clari players out there?

I like the V56 Rue Lepic 3 1/2s. I havn't yet got around to trying mouthpieces - that'll be my summer project methinks, drag a willing victim friend down to London and try!! Once I have both a Bflat and A to try them with I've got a 5RV at the moment - it came with my clari.

hi,
I am about to buy a buffet e13, can anyone tell me what the mouthpeice is like, and what is the best reed?
I use a vandoren 2.5 at the moment.

Thanks

The clarinet I think is great. I've never been a massive fan of standard Buffet mouthpieces though, and I do think it's worth you trying some different mouthpieces out, if you can (eg Vandoren, Morgan etc.)

The best reed is the one that works best for you! This may still be a Vandoren 2.5 . Not being able to hear you play, I can't really advise in any great depth, but if a 2.5 feels a bit soft, go up to 3 and see how you go. If you're finding 2.5 hard work, go the other way.

There are also plenty of other reed manufacturers you can explore too.

My normal combinations are standard Vandoren (3) with a Weinburg custom mouthpiece for Bb and A, Vandoren (3) with a Selmer 120 mouthpiece for Eb and Vandoren (3) with another Weinburg customised mouthpiece on Bass all with Rovner ligatures.

I usually keep a few other reeds around for Bb (mostly Rue Lepic 3) and have a couple of spare mouthpieces (my B45 comes out for use with my plastic regent outside at Christmas).

One of my favourite topics of conversation!

I'm using Rico/Rico Royal 2.0 at the moment which I find quite easy but probably too easy. I'm about to get some 2.5s but I'm going to stick with RR cos I can't get on with Vandoren at all. I know they're supposed to be the best and I'm not sure whether it's me or the mouthpiece that they don't suit, but either way I find them very difficult.

I've never changed my mouthpiece, I wouldn't know what to change it to, or what the differences are, or what makes a good one.... But I probably won't be using this clari for too much longer anyway, not after having tried sbhoa's last week


edit: I've just ordered my reeds and I've ordered some Mitchell Lurie Premium as well as the Rico Royal. Hopefully they'll come on Tuesday and I'll let you know how I get on with them

oo Have fun Skylark!!

I use the blue box Vandoren 3s with the mouthpiece that came with the clari (B12) but then I'm a very novice player!

I've been trying them out and so far I'm quite impressed with the Mitchell Lurie Premium. Compared with the Rico Royal, the tone is warmer, the dynamics are smoother, the high notes are pleasanter and I've even been able to get to G in the altissimo register

I'm not sure what the relative strengths are though.... The Rico strength chart puts both the MLP and the RR 2.5 as being the same strength. But the Dawkes reed chart shows the MLP 2.5 as only being as strong as the RR 2.0. I must admit I find the RR 2.5 quite hard to play, and I don't find the MLP 2.5 as hard, which would maybe indicate that Dawkes are right, but on the other hand, seeing as Rico manufacture both reeds, you'd expect them to be right

Another point on the Mitchell Lurie Premium is that the reeds seem to be more consistent - they come in boxes of 5, and every one played pretty much the same. I haven't played all the Rico Royal reeds yet, but previously a box of 10 have all been different.

Anyway, I need to play them in so time will tell if I'm still impressed with the MLP in due course....

I play with a vandoren M13 profile 88 mouthpiece with either 2.5s or 3s depending on the make along with a rovner dark ligature and my lovely new Moennig Barrel!

Oh that's great news!

I'll look forward to hearing more about how you get on with the MLP reeds.

It's very interesting to read about everyone's preferences, I don't think amongst those of us who've posted that any of us have posted the same MP/reed combination!

Some of you on the forum will have read that I'm intending to post my opinions, grade by grade, on the new AB clarinet compilation books. Grade 1 will go up tomorrow.

I've got an E13 too but depending on your standard I recommend changing the mouthpiece as it is a standard injection mold model that comes with any buffet instrument.

Try to go into a music shop like Howarths where they would have a really good range (once you are used to your new clarinet) and spend a while trying out some new ones. You want one that responds well and produces the tone that you want, again going into a music shop like Howarths will ensure that you get some expert advice to help you through this minefield.

As for reeds there is nothing wrong with what you are using but you may find this changes with your new mouthpiece. I use a windcraft mouthpiece with a 3.5 Vandoren 56 and LOVE it but this is a really personal choice and everyone is different

Here's another clarinet discussion for you all!

Do you use a thumbrest cushion or not? I've never used one (to me they just don't feel right!), one of my pupils also recently got a clarinet which had a cushion, which she immediately got rid of, for the same reason. At the other extreme, I know people who find it very uncomfortable without a thumbrest cushion.

Post away!

Current instrument have them very firmly attached (welded on, methinks!), previous instruments haven't. In all honesty, I didn't really notice the difference when switching, although perhaps I would if I switched back.

One pupil has one and he's forever fiddling with it It's fallen off a number of times, and I've sometimes caught it and confiscated it for the rest of the lesson. Surprisingly, the fiddling stops for a few weeks after that! Next time it lands under the Clavinova, it stay there

I took mine off - it bothered me, for some reason more than having a dent in my thumb does...

For a child or young adult, they can make their own mind up, because their tendons and muscles are strong and flexible enough to easily cope with the weight.

But be careful. I'm on the wrong side of being a 'young adult' and had a very painful period lasting about 3 months where I couldn't play the clarinet because of severe pain at the base of my thumb whenever I held the clarinet.

I'm not sure why. Perhaps related to a sort of repetitive strain injury? I was also playing a longer and heavier clarinet - the one with the extra low Eb key and without a thumb pad - but it wasn't for long periods. Normally, I played a standard clarinet with a foam thumb pad.

A thumbrest doesn't make the instrument lighter, but does lessen the strain on the thumb by absorbing the shocks from the up and down movement.

Please don't forget that this sort of problem tends to strike without any warning at all.

Steve

I've never tried playing with a thumbrest, and I've never felt the need/urge to try one

I'm sure you meant 'thumbrest cushion'.

May get a bit painful otherwise...

I wondered where I'd been going wrong

haha
yeah this was a long time ago
but someone talking about playing a bass clarinet with a bottom Eb


...my music service has one that goes down to a bottom C.
it's lovely.
I keep making up excuses to borrow it =P

x

I can play a chromatic scale up to G (4 ledger lines above staff) using...

this fingering for F natural (top joint):
o
•
•

this for F#:
o
•
o

and this for G:
o
•
o
+ banana key


Which all works fine and the fingerings seem to slot easily into place, but it falls apart if I want to play F natural to G. I was wondering what fingerings other people use for these notes...?

Using you system, I use

F natural
0
*
* + G#/C# key

F#
0
*
0

G
0
*
0
__
*
*
0


Theres a whole list of alternatives on this site

Alternative fingerings : another hot topic amongst clarinettists!

I use the same fingering as Rosemary for F (adding right hand Eb key), a selection of different fingerings for F#, but generally I'll use either the same fingering as Rosemary (again with the Eb key), or the 'overblown' Bb fingering (the same fingering as clarion Bb). G again I use several different fingerings depending on the situation - generally though I'll use a combination of the top two fingerings on the (excellent) link Rosemary's left in the post above. There are fingerings there for some very, very high notes...

Forgot about the Eb key!! I do use that as well, on all those notes. If I overblow the Bb (usually long) then it comes out as a G - it depends on what clarinet and the player, as to which fingerings work best.

Funnily enough, I love that site and the rest of the neighbourhood hate and despise it.... Can't think why!

I like that site too!

Some of those notes are very high indeed, are they not? Wonder where you'd use them in a recital???

You probably wouldn't, unless the audience was particulary rude...

Thanks for the link Rosemary and for your comments Barry I love the high notes but I think I'll need a harder reed first. I can get G in the altissimo with my 2.5 Mitchell Lurie, but I can't get it with my 2.0 Rico Royal. And I don't think I can go much beyond G with my 2.5.

Talking of reeds, I've just bought some J Michael reeds which I haven't seen before. I gather J Michael is part of a Japanese company and they sell cheap clarinets (£99). I think the reeds are well below the strength they're supposed to be (2.5 plays like a 2.0) and I think they'll soon go soft. I'll persevere for a while though. Has anyone else used them?

I haven't skylark, but I suspect your prediction of them going soft quickly may be an accurate one.

Think this is probably the best place to put this, but for those of you looking forward to the other threads on the AB clarinet books, I'll try to start putting grade 4 up in the coming week, grade 5 I'll try to have done by the end of November, grade 6 by the end of the year, grade 7 in early 2008, and a selection of grade 8 pieces (three from each list) after that. All these reviews will have a bit more detail than the first three grades (I'll home in on various different bars in the pieces).

Looking forward to those...
I went to the London Clarinet Seminar on the new pieces last week. I really enjoyed it. Paul Harris is a really clear speaker that is easy to follow.

It'll be interesting to see those Barry, especially the higher grades

Anyone clarinetty about?

I'm play one of Gordon Jacob's unaccompanied pieces, Homage to J.S.B. , but I'm having trouble with the first 2 bars Not actually playing the notes, but making it sound interesting. Any ideas?

I'm full of questions tonight

I've convinced my friend to do a duet with me at the local Young Musician competition. We're both about G7 standard, and have 8 minutes to play in Any ideas? It says one piece, but I'm not sure if we'll be allowed to include multiple movements from the same work.

Two things immediately come to mind Rosemary - have a look at the advanced Voxman duet book, and a piece I think is wonderful is 'Views of the Blues' by Gordon Lewin, published by Boosey and Hawkes. This has three movements.

Sounds good Barri! I'm guessing the second one is in a bluesy style?

Immediate thought is the Alan Frank Duet - I did it for GCSE ensemble (I was G8 at the time) and a concert and it went down reasonably well. Both parts are about the same standard.

I'll have a look at the Jacob later.....I need to rush off yo catch a train now!

Bluesy/jazzy style, yes.