Although i've played clarinet for many years, i've never been 100% happy with my staccato. There seems to be a slight delay in the notes sounding, and it just doesn't sound "crisp", especially when i'm playing staccato quavers. I recently took up Saxophone and was advised by a friend to get a different mouthpiece from the one that came with the instrument. I did, and found it made a huge difference in getting the two lowest notes to sound and just generally improved the tone. It made me wonder if i should perhaps try a new mouthpiece for my clarinet, as i've always used the one that came with it (I play a Buffet E11). So, would a different mouthpiece improve my staccato? If so, how on earth do i know which one to buy as i've looked online and there's so many different ones! I've tried different makes/strengths of reeds from my usual Vandoren 3, but my staccato is still "soggy" and sounds "wooly". Any advice would be much appreciated thanks.

First thing to be said is that staccato notes are hard to do well on clarinet. My son's teacher plays with some of the top UK orchestras but will still tell you that she is far from satisfied with this aspect of her playing. To play crisply is difficult, because you need to get your tongue off and back onto the reed very quickly to achieve a short enough note. There shouldn't be any more delay in sound than for a legato note, as the breathing and tonguing is exactly the same - the only difference is in how long the tongue stays off the reed.

Others know far more than I do about mouthpieces, but my understanding is that a change of mouthpiece can help a lot with tone and intonation, but perhaps less with staccato per se. Buffet mouthpieces are not great. The best way to choose a mouthpiece is to go to a good stockist and try several.

Hi Hammer Action

as a predominantly woodwind player, I can help a little. Mouthpieces help overall tone, similarly with reeds, but staccato is all about the tonguing. Single reeds tend to have a slightly wooly staccato due to the mechanics of the instrument. When I learnt to play flute, it improved my overall tonguing, but it wasn't until learning to play bassoon, that I learnt a really good staccato. I don't think you need to learn bassoon, but double reeds are easier to do staccato. Its all about stopping the airflow at the start and end of each note which is easier on a double-reed instrument.
My advice, is to practice various tonguing exercises which will improve your staccato no end, before investing in a new mouthpiece. The caveat to this is, if you want to improve the overall sound you make, then changing a mouthpiece is a good start!
Hope this helps.

Have you had a teacher look at what you are doing?
Delay in the note sounding sounds like you may be unintentionally stopping the air as well as using your tongue.
Is your tongue close to the reed at all times?
I'm finding it tricky making my brain accept that it's about ending the note, not about starting it.

As for mouthpieces, the best way is to get somewhere with a decent selection if at all possible. And if you can take someone with you to listen from the other end of the clarinet.
Allow plenty of time it can easily take 2 hours (or more).

Buffet mouthpieces aren't great : a new mouthpiece may help. If at all possible, don't buy mouthpieces online, as sbhoa's said above, the best way is to try some.

Having said that, I have a feeling that you may have technique issues, and what I'd do first and foremost is to ensure you have a good standard tonguing technique (ideally with the aid of someone who knows) before attempting staccato.

Sorry in advance... I'm about to do a small thread hyjack but it might be useful for op.

Emsoboe has been told today she is playing staccato worngly on sax (I'm guessing clari may be similar). She has been advised to do it from the diaphragm similar to vib (best I can explain it). Is this standard? Her normal way would be by using her tongue.

I certainly use the diaphragm for accented notes, but generally otherwise not for articulation purposes - I use different nuances of tongue for most articulation.

Vibrato : now there's a can of worms!!!!

I agree - not an expert, but I don't see how you could possibly do a controlled and fast staccato using the diaphragm (or more accurately, the abdominal muscles). These simply aren't as responsive as the tongue; plus, you'd effectively be needing to put on and remove breath support for each note, which seems wrong - I'd always understood that one should be maintaining the breath support (ie 'column of air') but momentarily preventing that air from causing the reed to vibrate, which is most effectively achieved via the tongue.

I'll have a nose in my copy of Larry Teal this evening and see what he says. (I'm fairly sure he also says that vibrato is best done using jaw movement rather than from the diaphragm, though, so maybe it's one of those things where there are differing points of view, and Emsoboe's teacher is just in a different "camp" from mine, or from Larry Teal ).