DS2 has a standard Buffet B12 Clarinet - with which he makes the most beautiful sound. Not just a proud parent stating this - but his examiners have all said it - as well as his teachers. He has just taken and passed G5 - and is going to be moving on to the jazz syllabus as a way of feeding his passion for jazz and to enable him to be able to settle in to be a true G5 musician - with all that it encompasses.

We have a very old and rather lovely wooden Selmer - which is mine - that he loves but finds a little tricky to play, though we are going to have a look at different mouthpieces to see if that helps. However, selfishly I'm not sure I'm ready to let it go!!!

So what do we do? What can the clari specialists advise? We will obviously speak to his teacher about this - oh yes and he is only 11. He does play in a couple of orchestras but is also starting to play solos in a jazz band he joins for the summer.

Advice much appreciated please

Hiya!

It sounds like your son has a lot of potential, and I do think he'd enjoy a visit to a clarinet emporium to try out various clarinets. There's plenty of choice out there, and I think trying them is the way to go, rather than me recommending you go for a specific make.

Have a chat to his teacher, and go from there. But it does sound like maybe an upgrade is a feasible thing.

I can't claim to be a clarinet specialist, but have been through the upgrade thing twice with my son. I agree that the plastic Buffets do make a reasonable sound, but you should find that a wooden clarinet is even better. If he's at a state school you should be able to avoid paying VAT if you buy one through the school.

Clarinet is one of the cheapest instruments, so if I were you I'd invest in a new clarinet for your boy, and keep the Selmer yourself. At age 11 it's probably fine to get an intermediate clarinet, but his teacher is the best person to advise. It's a little early to know where his main interest will lie i.e. band music, jazz or classical, and different clarinets can be better suited to one of these (though the mouthpiece does make a lot of difference), so best to wait before choosing a top of the range one.

I'm not a clarinet specialist by a long stretch, but really if he sounds okay, the normal student clarinet will be okay until grade 8.
I suppose if he's making a good sound now then if he moved onto a little more (how to say it..) 'advanced' clarinet he might sound even better?
But there isn't really any need for him to change yet if you both feel happy.
MM

MM's mum here!!! I dare say she's right, but she's had two upgrades herself, and has only recently passed Grade 6! All of her clarinets have been second hand and she began with a B12 which almost paid for itself as it was bought on ebay and then traded in when we bought clarinet no 3. We still have clarinet no 2 as a spare, but I feel reasonably sure that we would get most of what we paid for that back too, if we ever needed to sell it. As BM said, clarinets are relatively cheap so financially you may have little to lose by upgrading.

In our case, we had no particular need to upgrade I think, and nobody told us to do it. It was just a question of nice, and somewhat better, instruments coming up at good prices each time, so we took the opportunity. That said, MM does really enjoy her current clari (which I trust will last many many years!) and would be very reluctant to revert to either of its predecessors.

It's hard (and probably wrong) to form a fixed view on when people should upgrade. I have pupils in situations where they're playing on instruments that are probably more advanced than they needed to get and also those who are managing very well on the higher grades with more basic instruments. One pupil has just started looking at upgrading to a wooden clarinet. She's just passed grade 6. Up until about a year ago she was thinking about giving the clarinet up but has now got a new-found love for it so her mum is doing everything she can to encourage this! She was almost settled on a Yamaha 650 when she was introduced to a Custom Yamaha by someone in the shop. I can see where this is going as the same thing happened to me!

Anyway, back on topic; it's so personal to the individual and how they find each clarinet. It can also come down to the issue of cost. I know clarinets are relatively cheap instruments but I find in a lot of the schools I teach in that cost is the major factor. I wonder if I taught in a different area that I'd be seeing a lot more pupils upgrading.

If somebody is very promising then I'd often suggest looking at other clarinets around Grade 6 level. It sounds like your boy is doing really well and has many years of successful playing ahead of him.

On the other hand, I teach a couple of really good 15 year olds, who are happy with their student models and at least one of them doesn't plan to continue learning beyond 18. We are working on getting the best possible sound out of their current instruments.

I'd let your son choose his own new clarinet when the time comes. Good luck!

Thank you to everyone for their replies. Maybe I'll just wait until the subject is raised in the terms of - being a necessity and hide my beloved Selmer!

I don't think you actually say if your son wants to upgrade - that is to say is he asking for a new one and saying he knows he'll sound better if he had one etc. etc.

One other thing to think about - assuming that he does sound good and is happy is that the wooden Clarinets are heavier. I upgarded in May and I didn't notice it at first as I was sooo excited but I don't think I can play for quite as long as I used to and my thumb and wrist do ache a bit at the end of a long playing session which is something I didn't experience before.

I guess when you ask him what he wants for Christmas/his Birthday and a new Clarinet is top of the list you'll know the time has come!

When you are both ready I would also recommend the shopping trip - and in all likelyhood he will 'fall in love' with a new Clarinet

I have started learning again after 55 years (yes, 55 years and now aged 72) and I quickly upgraded to a Yamaha Custom SEV after short peroids with Buffet B12 and a Yamaha 650. I know shall never need to upgrade again. They are of course expensive, but I have bought it on the 'Take it Away' scheme and I absolutely love it.

Good for you! I'm currently playing on a Yamaha CL250 (after a break of around 20 years) and although I've been advised that it should see me right the way through to Grade 8, I am sorely tempted to try out some higher level instruments! I think if you are in a position to upgrade, it is worth experimentling to see just how much your sound can be improved on a higher level instrument. I haven't played on a wooden clarinet for many years and although I am reasonably happy with my student model, I do find its tone rather shrill in the altissimo register (though that could well be my fault rather than the instrument's!!) I also find the keywork a little on the heavy side and would like to see how much that can very on the more expensive models... I'm very envious!

All Yamahas from the factory setup are a little on the heavy side on the keywork. A good repairman can do some tweaks to reduce it. Personally I prefer it a little heavier than most as the keywork feels more positive to me, probably just what I'm used to.