hey! new to the forum. i have a vintage clarinet that i friend bought me for my birthday; and i have been trying to date it with very little luck.

it's a bundy, plastic. serial number is 143235, which i have not been able to find on any of the websites i've looked at.

thanks in advance :)

Hiya folks

Have been off the wagon for a few years, and at this point have been told by a few different folks that it'd be cheaper to replace my old Vito learner clarinet with something of a higher quality than to do the necessary repairs to allow me to *actually use its higher register*.

Any recommendations for decent Clarinets at a reasonable price range? Ideally something a little nicer than just an absolute barebones beginner, but honestly if you've had good luck with those too I'm all ears! I can't afford to spend more than a few hundred at the moment, and would love to hear the opinions of other folks who've actually had to play them rather than just sell them!

I can get G5 consistently and A5 sometimes but I can't play notes higher than that, does it have to do with how much mouth piece I have in my mouth and my embouchure? Not sure what it should be like for those higher notes, any advice is appreciated!

Im an advanced flutist and oboist and have been learning the clarinet for fun for a bit. Id say I'm at the level of a decent highschooler right now. What are some of the things I can do to improve fast?

I've been renting this clarinet for a while. I didn't try any cleaning except swabbing and dusting in fear I was going to damage the instrument, but it's honestly really desgusting and oxidized. Can anyone give me tips on how to clean this?

I have a performance for my schools Remembrance Day assemblies this week, where most of my parts are first clarinet so I have to play these notes a lot and lately I haven’t been able to play high C, with no sound coming out, or high B natural ,with it just squeaking. I have tried most things I can think of, new reed, fixing my embouchure, making sure my fingers are in the correct spot, cleaning it. I just don’t know what to do. I know it’s probably user error but any help would be amazing!

Not the whole piece, I just need help with B to about 5 before C.

I've played bass clarinet and Eb alto clarinet for 10 years and previously Bb clarinet in school. My Eb alto section mate usually plays Eefer in our Summer concert band (which does easier music, Sousa marches and patriotic pieces). She told me she is taking next Summer off and that I should audition for the Eefer slot (probably only 1 seat).

We have an unused Buffet Eb clarinet in our house that I bought for my wife as a gift, but she never got the hang of playing it in tune, although she is an excellent Bb clarinet player. So it's gathering dust. I took it out last night and found I could produce long tones up to altissimo D that weren't as bad as nails on a chalkboard.

Should I go for it? I don't mind switching from bass clarinet and Eb alto clarinet for a season, since I've played both for such a long time and can use a change of pace. I rarely play Bb clarinet unless our clarinet quartet needs a third Bb, maybe once or twice a year, compared to bass, which I play almost every day.

What are some tips about making this switch? I know my embouchure is probably way too loose for the Eefer. I have small hands but long fingers. Does Eefer music go higher than altissimo D generally? And how do you play the trill keys when they are so small and close together? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks sub!

how hard do you guys think it will be to play tenor sax with no experience (with around 4 years on clarinet and some experience on bass clarinet)? i'm supposed to play in the middle level jazz band (rather than low level for people learning new instruments). am i cooked or can i lock in?

I bought my first clarinet, sort of! I found a nice, used student Vito from a local repair shop and should be picking it up next week.

I’m trying to get everything ready so I can start learning and was wondering if anyone could answer some questions, as I have never learned an instrument before:

What all will I need? The clarinet, the case, reeds, cork grease… Reed keepers? Cleaning cloths or brushes? Music stand, sheet music?

Do I need to know how to read sheet music to learn to play the clarinet or do I learn it all at the same time?

Will assembling the clarinet with no bell help make practicing any quieter?

Will an Essential Elements book work as well for me if I’m not practicing with a band?

I feel like an absolute novice, so any details on how I might approach it-even pretending I’m a kid- is greatly appreciated!

I haven’t spoken to any instructors yet. I wasn’t sure how much I could get away with learning by myself

I use a 2.5 vandoreen reed and want to increase the thickness. The 3.0 reed is a bit hard to break in, so is there something in between that I can use?

Also- what are the differences between the original, v12, v21, and 56. I have heard that the v12 is slightly easier to break in than the 3.0s

On amazon I bought a new 50 dollar ligsture that said it was Bb but when I got the ligature it was an Eb clarinet ligature. Is it ok to use this for a Bb clarinet?

I am a Freshman studying at the Hartt School. I have seen both plastic reeds and wooden reeds. I use 3 to 3.5 wooden depending on the situation. is it something to look into getting a plastic reed or should i stay using wooden reeds?

https://youtu.be/HR1EHnugzLw?feature=shared

Specifically middle eastern style bass clarinet. I’m obsessed with the song “the astounding eyes of Rita” I would want to learn it for the move of music and because I’ve always wanted to learn an instrument but I also understand that some things it. Other just be to difficult to learn at 32. What do you guys think?

Just got the Royal Global Max Bb Clarinet today! Excited to have different types of clarinets!

On my B flat Elkhorn clarinet these notes are extremely flat. I was told by a tech that the clarinet has no leaks. I tested various reeds and mouthpieces with no improvement. Had a clarinetist try it and he had the same problem. Should I buy a shorter barrel? If so, how much shorter? Mine is 65 mm. My mouthpiece is a Vandoran B45

**I’m a clarinetist in music school and I ain’t using that

So i’m trying to decide if i should get a new clarinet. i’m currently a junior in high school and play clarinet as a secondary instrument my main is tuba. I play clarinet for some college honor bands and some solos for my schools concert band. My current clarinet is a glory clarinet that i bought from amazon 😭. I was thinking about getting a new buffet r-13 or Yamaha (idk which model). Mainly because my range on the clarinet i have right now is up to an Altissimo G but my band director said she thinks it would come out a lot better with better model. Let me know cus im thinking about asking my parents for christmas! 😊

Mainly need help with where to breathe and reaching altissimo F and F#

hey all, as my band progresses to harder pieces of music, the amount my range has to increase progresses as well. as of right now, the highest note i can play with solid consistency and low strain is altissimo E in practice, but in concert i tend to strain just to get access to it. lately, we’ve been given a march that requires me to hit altissimo F, F#, and G, sustain those notes, and tongue them lightly. While I can hit those notes, the tone gets almost duck-like, and i tend to “lose” the note and tongue much “heavier” when i begin to tongue them. does anyone have any ideas on how to improve? i do chromatic long tones up to those notes during warmups, but i’m still at a point where reaching and keeping those notes require me to strain myself.