Hello,
I have played clarinet for a very long time and I am now 15. I recently won the concerto competition at my music school and I will be performing the Mozart Clarinet Concerto some time in the summer and I am the second in the state at the instrument. I play on a plastic Leblanc Vito clarinet from the late 1970's and I currently have a Vandoren B45 (which needs to be replaced) and a rovner ligature (new). Unfortuneatley, I cannot but a new instrument for financial reasons, but I was hoping to make it better. What mouthpiece do you reccommend? Also, I have heard of cocobolo or grenadilla bells and necks by Backun, what do those help with? Please help me, I want to sound good for my concerto.
Thanks,
Avery

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Does anyone know how a Backun barrel/Bell affect my tone?
They are pretty pricey, but I have heard they are worth. Here they are:
http://www.backunmusical.com/barrels/index.html

Try the Vandoren 5RV. This is much like the old V360 I first used in the '70s. Nice free dark sound. I use Vandoren 2 1/2 reeds, but most pros use a thicker reed.

Thanks! do you know anything about Backun barrels/bells?

I'm a fan of Roger Garrett's mouthpieces. My judge at solo-ensemble last week really liked the sound of mine, (she asked what mouthpiece I was using ). They aren't expensive, either- he says "My original goal was to keep prices low enough for students to be able to afford a high quality, custom, hand-tested mouthpiece. In this case, I don’t want the price to be reflective of the quality; rather, I wanted the mouthpiece to become known as a good mouthpiece that is priced lower than it should be."
My teacher recommended it to me- he uses them, also.

What kind of reeds are you using? The quality of your reed can effect your sound.

I use Vandoren 2.5-3

I agree with symhpony9, Vandoren 5RV Lyre (It actually has a picture of a lyre on it. Sometimes referred to as Vandoren 5RV L.

I upgraded to this mouthpiece about 6 months ago and absolutely love it. It is free and easy blowing, and improved my tone and range greatly. It helped me work up to playing in the painfully high altissimo range.

also, about the different barrels and bells, i believe that a barrel might be beneficial, but not a bell. Bells really just project the sound- and don't really affect tone quality or production.

a new barrel / bell on a Vito Plastic? clarinet?
The barrel might be worth the investment but truthfully the cost of the Backun barrel might make it worth it for you to find an alternative (newer) clarinet.

Mouthpieces will make a difference too
I'm a fan of the Vandoren M series though for Vandoren) also the Smith mpcs.

go here for a description of some of the Vandoren mpcs
http://www.clarinetperfection.com/clmpcVandoren.htm

and here how you have to change your embouchure to the various specific qualities of a specific mouthpiece
http://www.clarinetperfection.com/clmpcTypes.htm

Great idea!

The funny thing is, Backun barrels and bells really only sound good with Vito clarinets. If I were you I would get at least three barrels and maybe two bells to have a different variety of sound for each movement.

If your sound doesn't improve, at least you will have the sexiest looking clarinet on the planet!

the grenadilla wood bells and barrels would probably just help make the tone better. i would suggest a pyne poly crystal mouthpiece, its about $50 but it has a great tone.

here it is: http://www.wwbw.com/Pyne-Poly-Crystal-Bb-Clarinet-Mouthpiece-i72095.music

as for reeds, i would suggest a mitchell lurie 3 1/2

its what i use and it help get the high notes above the staff

good luck!

I use a cocobolla (sp?) Backuun barrel myself, they are lovely, they bring out nice warm tones, I highly recommend those barrels. I like the Vandoren M-15 myself, it requires a half decent embouchure.
A good maintenance check on it at your local music store might also give the clarinet a pep up it needs.

i own a 1940 professional r malerne clarinet from my great grandfather, and it sings beautifully. Try looking around at antique stores for a nice vintage horn, you never know what you may find.
Goodluck
Beetlejuice
also, if you find a vintage, you may have to get it tuned up and repadded

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oh, i disagree with tmheimer, for pros use all strengths of reeds, and in fact, most use a less strength reed, you know your good if you can handle altissimo notes on a lower strength reed, now that takes skill!
good luck, and if you are second in state, you should really look into scholarship programs that can get you a pro model clarinet