Hi, everyone! I need some basic clarinet help. First of all, I am not in high school. I have been playing clarinet for 13 years, but quit playing competitively after high school. I have two major questions. All throughout school, I played on a Selmer clarinet. I am not brand savvy, nor am I a brand snob. I think it`s great that people own clarinets that cost thousands of dollars, but I am in college and a mom--it is not high on my priority list. Last night I bought a Boosey & Hawkes Series 1-10 on eBay. Can anyone shed any light on this clarinet model? For the price I paid for it (really cheap) I`m assuming it`s not top-of-the-line. I am assuming that it is not wood, but the man who sold it to me was not music savvy at all and did not know. My second question has to do with reeds. I grew up on a military base in Germany, so I didn`t deal with buying reeds. Our band director bought all of our reeds from catalogs and then sold them to us. Therefore, I am entirely out of the loop on reed size and strength. I, for years, just bought what the band director gave me. I haven`t played regularly in 8 years, but I`m pretty sure that I remember using a size 3 reed comfortably. My interest in the clarinet is purely for leisure...I am simply considering auditioning for the community band at my college after brushing up with some private lessons. Can anyone help me better understand clarinet brands and reed sizes? Thanks in advance, Annjolena

When I started playing in 6th grade I used a Michelle Lurie 3. That might work, if not try a 3 1/2 or 4.

I am not really familiar with a Boosey & Hawkes 1-10. I am guessing that it isn`t top-of-the-line but Boosey & Hawkes clarinets have good quality to them. I would definately recommend the Boosey & Hawkes E-11 clarinet. It is wooden and you can find them for pretty cheap. It is not top-of-the-line but it is a pretty good clarinet. As far as reeds, Vandoren reeds are very good.

Why the hell would u use a size 4? Most people start on 2 1/2 then work up to a size 3. Most pros use a size 3, and i don`t think u need to much higher than that.

Wow, you guys started playing on hard reeds! I started on a 1 1/2! I`d suggest buying one or two strength 2 and 2 1/2 reeds to build your embouchure up again. If you haven`t played for a few years, your mouth muscles won`t be as strong as they used to be. Good luck to you and let us know how you get on. Luv Amy.

Actually Jacqui, most pros use a 3 1/2, but it doesn`t matter what strength you use as long as you`re comfortable with it. I started out on a 3 and now use a 4 sometimes 4 1/2 to get that extra resistance I like. It improves my tone and helps the quality of certain registers. "Why the hell would you use a 4" or w/e you said is one of the most ignorant comments/questions I`ve heard in a while. If someone wants to use a 4, and it helps them then what is it to you. I know PROS that use 5s and I know of a case where a pro used much higher levels than that and had them custom made so that he could be comfortable with his playing.

Bradley

I would just start on Rico size 2s (I`m going in the 8th grade this year and I started on Rico, size 2 in the 6th grade) Then when you get a little more comfortable you could move to a Van Doren size 2 or 2 1/2 and move on up gradually from there. If you get between a Van Doren 3 and 3 1/2, but the 3 is too weak for you and the 3 1/2 too strong, I would move from a Van Doren size 3 to a Mitchell Lurie size 3. That`s what I`m using right now because my embouchure isn`t quite strong enough yet to handle a VD 3 1/2.

Hope that helped,

Nao

i`m a junior in a texas high school, sitting fourth chair and can tell you that a 2.5 or 3 should be fine for reeds. (in the vandoren line) however, if you choose to use another reed company other than vandoren, their strengths are a little different depending on the company. also be sure to order traditional or blue box and not V12 (grey box) as these are thicker and much more difficult to play on. i recommend highly, even if only for leisure, to get a horn that is wooden and plays with a decent sound. i recommend the Buffet E-11. a great beginner/student horn. if you get more serious, perhaps the famed Buffet R13 is in store for you. Good luck!!

My advice? I have my own personal preference, so many of you will probably say that I`m wrong in suggesting this. Because I do not remember what size reed I started on, I`m experimenting with a lot of reed sizes right now. I use the Mitchell Lurie brand because it helps most clarinets with a flat tone to make a beautiful wooden sound. My size 3 reed that I use right now isn`t strong enough for me anymore. So, I`m moving DOWN the scale. I`m going to a 2 and a half, 2, and a 1 and a half size reed. Why do I do this, you may ask? Because my aunt`s old band director had been playing his clarinet for over 13 years, which would not be over 30 years by now and he had a crystal clarinet with a 14K gold mouthpiece. So, yeah, this guy was GOOD! Well, he was in a certain Symphany (can`t remember which) and he used 1 and a half reeds. So, I`m completely going by hers and his advice. Going DOWN the scale will help you build back up your embouchure and because the reed is thinner, it will help with your tone. Good luck on reed shopping! And remember, this is MY OWN PERSONAL PREFERENCE, so, you do not have to take my advice. All I`m saying is, try it. Buy one of each of those sizes and experiment.

I use a number four or five reed with a Selmer HS* mouthpiece. Anyone can use a stiff reed so long as it is sanded. The additional stiffness makes it easy to play the higher registers without the squaaaaak. Soft reeds are easy to play on the lower registers but fail miserably on the higher registers because they lack the edge. You can learn to sand a reed (and get the most out of any brand reed) by doing a search on the internet for reed information. The pundits responding to your question are too involved with their own egos. Good luck.

Wow, a crystal clarinet and gold mouthpeice. That must have been the best sounding clarinet ever (sarcastic). Downsizing your reeds will help you play for prolonged periods of time when fatigue plays a factor, but a size 1 reed is ridiculous. You might as well cut out a sheet of notebook paper and put it on the mouthpiece.

I use size 4 for Bb or Eb clarinets...and a 1 or 1.5 for contrabass

I`ve got questions about the reed size too. I`m happy with traditional Van Doren #3, but not ecstatic, so I`ve been considering paying more for their V12 or even Rue 56 reeds. Are they worth the extra money? I`d prefer not to buy a box of each only to find that one is much better and I`ve wasted money on the other two.

It seems that the V12 and Rue56 are both thicker and softer than the traditional, which sounds paradoxical to me. I have a 5RVlyre 13 mouthpiece. Can anyone help?

Hi,I started playing the clarinet last year in the 5th grade I like it but it is much easier than the flute!!!!!I use 3,31/2,4,41/2 for you probally a 5 !!!Someone e-mail me and tell me if I`m right!!