Hi all-
I'm thinking about trying to learn the clarinet, but I have some questions...

1.) How close are the fingerings to other instruments? Are they close enough to mess you up when you play your other instruments?

2.) The clarinet I hope to borrow is an old wooden clarinet that has been sitting in my friend's attic. Would I need to do anything to it before playing it (considering there is no repair work)

3.) Would I need to buy a new mouthpiece, or would it be better to suck it up and use the mouthpiece my friend used to play on? I've got major cleanliness issues.

4.) How much would a good beggining mouthpiece cost?

5.) What brand reed is best? (I want cane, not synthetic, I'm a traditionalist)

6.) Is a silk swab or a fuzzy swab better to use?

7.) How important is it to have a reed case? Could I just use a cardboard box or a plastic containor?

8.) Would it be bad to combine different brand barrels and mouthpieces?

9.) Is it better to learn on wood or plastic clarinets?

10.) Will the embrochure mess up my bassoon or flute embrochures?

Thanks,
Flute_n_BAssoon

We are a manufactuer of clarinets in China ! Please contact me via email tfmusical@gmail.com

Well, I thought about playing clarinet for pep band instead of flute, but my first oboe teacher said the embouchure is pretty much opposite of the oboe embouchure, so she suggested I try saxophone or flute instead. I don't know much about bassoon embouchure though. If it is close to the oboe then it might not be good for bassoon embouchure either. I could be wrong though.

for reed cases (sorry, I don't know ANYTHING really about clarinet)-
Do you mean it is important to use EITHER the plastic reed holder that some reeds come in, or the nice reed case that has felt and wood and holds 5 reeds or something? Is one better than the other?
Also, thanks for your help, and now I have a new question. =)
What reed strength would be good for a begginer? (IF it helps, I play on a medium-soft to medium bassoon reed.)

1.) How close are the fingerings to other instruments? Are they close enough to mess you up when you play your other instruments?
>They are not exactly the same, but roughly similar. You shouldn't have a problem with this. It might be a little confusing for a little while, but nothing that you won't get the hang of quickly.

2.) The clarinet I hope to borrow is an old wooden clarinet that has been sitting in my friend's attic. Would I need to do anything to it before playing it (considering there is no repair work)
> Even though it may not appear to need work, bring the instrument to your local shop to get it checked out. There may be leaks or bent keys that you don't recognize, seeing as you don't really know your way around the instrument yet. A good tune up should do the trick.

3.) Would I need to buy a new mouthpiece, or would it be better to suck it up and use the mouthpiece my friend used to play on? I've got major cleanliness issues.
>If the mouthpiece is in good condition and you feel comfortable playing on it, go for it. If not, you can get a pretty decent mouthpiece for not too much money.

4.) How much would a good beginning mouthpiece cost?
>I would recommend the Hite Premiere mouthpiece. It is a good starting mouthpiece that should only run you around $25.

5.) What brand reed is best? (I want cane, not synthetic, I'm a traditionalist)
>Vandoren. Pretty much anyone will tell you this. A strength 2.5 should be pretty good for you to start out on since your mouth muscles are more developed than a starting 3rd grader's might be. Just stick to the traditional Blue Box.

6.) Is a silk swab or a fuzzy swab better to use?
>Silk all the way. They pull through much more easily and are just as absorbent, if not more. Also, don't be fooled into those Pad Savers (the sticks that you leave in the instrument while it's in the case). They are more detrimental to the instrument than beneficial.

7.) How important is it to have a reed case? Could I just use a cardboard box or a plastic containor?
>Taking your reed off the mouthpiece is crucial when you are finished. I personally am a big advocate of just putting the reed back in the slip case that it came in, and tossing that in a ziplock with your other reeds. This will help keep the humidity a little bit more constant. Don't get any of those plate glass ones. All they do is warp the reed.

8.) Would it be bad to combine different brand barrels and mouthpieces?
>No. Most of the time, the instrument manufacturer doesn't make mouthpieces of high enough quality to spend your time on. The stock barrel is more likely to be of high quality. Many advancing and professional musicians buy barrels to replace a stock barrel.

9.) Is it better to learn on wood or plastic clarinets?
>It doesn't matter, as long as the instrument is in working order. You're better off learning on a plastic instrument that plays well than a nice professional wood instrument that needs to be serviced. Learning on a poor quality instrument only creates bad habits, which is why it is so important to get your instrument worked on regularly. I personally get my instrument overhauled once a year.

10.) Will the embrochure mess up my bassoon or flute embrochures?
>If you keep up with playing both of them, you shouldn't have an issue. Just be sure that you still practice them as well. If you don't, you'll never be able to keep your chops up.

I hope this helps you. I tried to answer every question as directly as I could.

thanks so much for all the answers! It is sooo helpful.

If it is close to the oboe then it might not be good for bassoon embouchure either. I could be wrong though.

Nah. Unless you're just plain stupid and not paying attention, one embouchure will not mess up the next. If anything learning embouchures for new instruments will expand your embouchurical palette. You'll learn things about one instrument that will inadvertantly apply to your others. Same thing with fingerings. One quick answer - don't worry about it. The ability to recognise what instrument you are actually holding in your hand at any given time is usually enough to prevent you from mixing up flute and clarinet or any others.

About the reeds - you play bassoon so you pretty much know the deal. A nice almost wallet-like reed case will suit you fine for storing the reeds you commonly use. Just make sure it vents the air and the flat side of the reeds actually rest flat. I'd recommend against doing something like storing them in a Ziplock baggie, keeping the moisture in the reed actually shortens its life - why do you think the more you play a reed the shorter it lives? Store them so that they dry quickly and naturally and they will likely last a bit longer. Just like with bassoon, you'll want to rotate reeds daily. This works on a similar principle as keeping them dry. They'll seem to last longer when you rotate.

Reed brands - do yourself a favour and do NOT get Vandoren. Vandoren brand reeds are horrible and great at the same time. Great because they CAN have a good sounds, horrible because they USUALLY don't. I've never played out of a box of reeds that was more inconsistent. That's why I play Ricos on all my other single reeds instrument, alto and bass clarinet, sax, etc. Start out with Rico Royale. Try 2. And grab a few 2 1/2. Anywhere from 3 to 9 months later you might find yourself moving up a step in reed size/hardness. Unlike with bassoon where you're pretty much trained to get the best out of every single reed you have (because they're so expensive!), you'll likely just want to toss clarinet reeds that do nothing for you. At least, until you learn how to modify them properly. Even though you'll come across random hopeless ones in a box.

Mouthpiece - just stick it in a sink full of warm water. Not hot... but just pretty warm. Take a brush (not wire!) to it with some anti-bacterial of your choice and you're good to go.

Clarinet itself - do yourself and the clarinet a favour and take it to the shop. It might even need a repad for all you know. (Pesky B natural!) If it's been sitting in an attic of all places, it's been in crack-growing conditions. Get yourself a wood clarinet care kit. This should include bore oil. Have your local shop do it for you if you don't trust yourself. It'd be nice if they could do it in front of you and you could do it thereafter yourself. You might want to apply it a little more frequently if the clarinet's been sitting for a while (once every 3 - 6 months depending on your climate and how dry the instrument is/if it's been oiled by it's previous owner). You'll probably be getting your own clarinet before you have to oil it a second time anyways. But most importantly, you just don't want it try. There's an article about bore oil and mouthpiece hygiene on this site, check it out: http://www.shwoodwind.co.uk/HandyHints/HandyHints.htm

<Added>

"... you don't want it dry." Typo. :)

for reed cases...i've been playing clarinet for a few years and none of my band directors have suggested a reed case. if it was at all important to have one they would have told me. all i use is the crappy plastic single case that the vandoren reeds come in (if you're just starting clarinet use a lower numbered reed maybe a 2 or 2 1/2 also keep in mind that different brands have different strengths, vandorens are harder than ricos but vandoren is better quality, i've never used any other brands)

Also the mouthpiece affects the choice of reed strength as well - a wider opening &/or longer lay requires a softer reed. It depends on the player & instrument as well.

As to the reed case issue, the bag doesn't actually keep the reeds moist. It regulates the humidity of the air that the reed is exposed to so your reeds play more consistently for longer periods of time.

<Added>

Oh, and Enigmus. If you did research before bashing a brand of reeds, you'd know that Vandoren's have inconsistencies purposely built into a box of reeds for MANY reasons. And that is why they are more widely popular. A reed does not play the same in every area. Vandoren does there best to package reeds so that as many as possible will work well in any number of areas. It's a woe of the clarinet that can be EASILY fixed by learning to do basic adjustments. They are not of worse quality because less work well right of the box. In every box of 3.5's, there will be, say, 3 softer 3.5s, 4 that are right on the money strength wise, and 3 that are slightly harder. It allows each player to really truly get a reed that they want. It's not smart to call a box of reeds "finished". It's best to call them "near finished" and expect to have to do slight adjustments, which if the person plays bassoon, should have little trouble with.

Oh, I'm not particularly bashing Vandorens if you want to put it that way, sorry if it came off like that. I prefer Vandorens (so far) and they are what I play. I just wouldn't suggest them to somebody who's just started, regardless of prior reed experience or not. That's because of those inconsistencies. It's a godsend for many experienced players who need very specific reeds and they may find reeds closer to what they want in a Vandoren box and have to do less work, but for a starter on clarinet it's just annoying because you expect them all to play the same until you get good enough to have higher and more specific expectations. See what I mean?