Clarinets

I love the clarinet!! I started learning two years ago, never having played music before and I am now at grade 5 standard. I have weekly lessons and an't get enough of it! (I am an adult learner!) It is quite an odd sensation having the reed and mouthpiece in your mouth but you get used to it quickly. It isn't the easiest of instruments to play as there is a technique to getting the sound out - you can't just blow and it takes a fair while to master the fingering and key work. It is quite challenging but very enjoyable. I love the range that the clarinet has. I adore the low register it has such a beautiful sound. ...  Read the complete review

Q: What’s worse than a clarinet? A: Two clarinets! Heh – well that’s what a few musically minded comedian wannabes say – and usually they are brass players! Hey! No offence to brass players but there is a sorta brass-woodwind divide in concert bands and orchestras, but that doesn’t deter me from carrying on playing this fantastic instrument. And the childish banter is surprisingly very amusing – especially when some people take it quite personally when they’re told they look like a goldfish on heat when they play! (Yep someone came up with this comeback and the clarinet player walked out of the rehearsal in a huff!) ...  Read the complete review

When purchasing an instrument, there is so much choice. At the moment, there is so much choice as to models, price, brands etc etc, and as with everything it becomes more and more difficult to decide on one with increased use of jargon and selling techniques employed by different manufacturers. I am currently looking to buy a new pair of clarinets myself, a professional pair to take me from my current amateur pair (E13s) to the world of the Pro - music college and beyond. Here are the rough results of my findings. Many people will fob you off claiming that the cheap models (the clarinets the shops will have in stock) are perfectly adequate for any ...  Read the complete review

This won't be a very long opinion :> I started playing the clarinet when I was eight. I can't remember why at all. The teacher was a right old dragon who taught several of us at the same time. I later got a proper teacher and really got to grabs with it. Then when I was eleven I realised that I hadn't wheezed for ages. I mentioned it to my Mum and she agreed - I could run for longer without getting out of breath. I didn't have massive coughing fits. I didn't wheeze. My improvement in stamina showed in being able to swim length after length at swimming club. I hadn't used an inhaler in so long that I didn't know where it was. ...  Read the complete review

Buffet Clarinet. Updated (And an apology) I am sorry that the standard of my initial opinion was so slack, and hope that this is a little more “useful” A quality woodwind instrument made by Buffet, costing around £400 from specialist music shops this instrument is capable of excellent results from the most novice and experienced clarinettists. Our is of black plastic construction, though some can be made from Bakelite or wood, and has silver keys with quality replaceable pads that cover the holes, (I think 25 keys in all). The joins are dressed with cork to keep the instrument airtight, and the instrument is finished with silver ...  Read the complete review