How to Find the Right Clarinet
Plastic, Wood, Student, Intermediate? Buying a New Clarinet.
Nov 23, 2008
Buying a clarinet can be intimidating. Jonathan Cathell, a technician who has repaired woodwinds for twenty years, explains the variations in quality, features, and materials buyers will encounter when shopping for a new or used clarinet. In a related article, he addresses what to look for when checking the condition of a used clarinet.
Levels of Clarinet Craftsmanship
The classifications student, intermediate, and professional aren’t always reliable. No matter the features or materials an instrument may boast, its sound and reliability depend most heavily on craftsmanship. For this reason, it’s not a bad idea to shop brands like Selmer, Buffet, Leblanc, or Yamaha which have consistently put out quality instruments for years. There are several other reliable manufacturers buyers can easily find by questioning experienced clarinetists.
Student clarinets start at just a few hundred dollars, and professional instruments can cost thousands. Below is a breakdown of what buyers can expect to find at each level.
Student Clarinets
The majority of student Clarinets will have plastic bodies and nickel-plated keys. While wooden clarinets certainly look nicer and have a warmer tone, they are more fragile and require higher maintenance.
The plastic body can be a pro or a con depending on how the instrument will be used. “A wooden clarinet should never be taken on the football field,” comments Jonathan. “It exposes a horn to elements and temperature changes that can potentially cause cracks. And depending on their location, cracks can be pretty expensive to repair.”
Unlike a durable plastic clarinet, a wooden clarinet will expand and contract in many ordinary situations which young players might not always consider. A wooden instrument needs to be relatively the same temperature and have the same moisture level throughout. For example, a player’s warm breath will cause the inside of the instrument to expand. If the clarinet is being played outdoors on a chilly night, that expanding inner wood can crack the outer layer. Another problem arises when wooden clarinets are left in warm cars. Heat causes the wooden body to expand, but the metal parts do not, giving rise to stress and potential cracks. Sometimes, clarinetists are careful with their instruments, but have the misfortune of living in a dry climate. The Southwestern United States, for example, is a region infamous for wreaking havoc on wooden instruments.
With common sense and routine maintenance, wooden clarinets aren’t likely to crack. Certain students though, might prefer the freedom of a sturdy instrument to improved tone. Additionally, not all plastic clarinets have a cheap, student look. Some are available with a mat finish which more closely resembles a professional, wooden instrument.
A feature encountered even on most student clarinets are undercut tone holes, or holes that are larger on the inside of the instrument. This undercutting improves the clarinet’s sound because larger holes make for a better tone.
Intermediate Clarinets
Intermediate clarinets are usually made from African blackwood, or grenadilla. Because of their wooden bodies, intermediate clarinets are definitely better looking than student models. But, with higher quality woodwinds, greater attention should have gone into their mechanical construction as well. Jonathan warns buyers against intermediate brands which only upgrade the clarinet’s appearance. “Many intermediate clarinets are the same as the student horn except for a wooden body,” he remarks. “You’re obviously getting the resonate quality of the wood, but nothing else is improved. Unfortunately, it’s a typical practice.”
Most truly intermediate clarinets will add features to improve the instrument’s feel, such as silver-plated keys and higher quality springs. The better construction of the mechanical parts should also make intermediate instruments more reliable in the long run.
Professional Clarinets
Most professional clarinets are also made of Granadilla, though there are some made from exotic hardwoods such as mopani or rosewood. To slow the harvest of African blackwood trees, Buffet has come out with a line of “green” clarinets made from a grenadilla shaving and polycarbonate fiber composite.
To further improve the instrument’s appearance, the keys of some professional clarinets are gold-plated.
Clarinet Mouthpieces
Because the mouthpiece is most responsible for determining the clarinet’s tone, many musicians upgrade this part instead of upgrading the entire instrument. A higher-level mouthpiece can actually make a mediocre instrument sound impressive. Most student models come with a plastic mouthpiece. A hard rubber, or ebonite, mouthpiece is usually the next step up. There are different grades of hard rubber. “For a good step up, hard rubber mouthpiece,” says Jonathan, “you can expect to pay up to $200.”
Optional Features on a Clarinet
Most clarinets have 17 keys and six movable rings over the tone holes. Three additional keys and a seventh ring are added to instruments in what is known as the full Boehm system. Most clarinetists won’t need these extras. In fact, their additional cost and weight cause the majority to opt for the standard 17 key Boehm system. But for clarinetists who often play complex and fast-paced pieces, one or more of these features might be useful.
- Alternate Ab/Eb key: This key for the left pinky provides a musician alternative fingerings that make certain passages of music easier to play.
- Articulated C#/G# Key: A feature that facilitates B/C# and F#/G# trills with better pitch and easier fingering.
- Low Eb key: This key extends the clarinet’s range one half step lower, and enables a musician to play passages written for a clarinet in the key of A on a standard Bb soprano clarinet.
- Seventh ring: This feature adds an option for cross-fingering Eb/Bb.
Choosing the right clarinet depends on many factors. How much money do buyers want to spend? How important is durability? How important is tone? Will a buyer encounter complicated music that makes additional features useful? Should they purchase a new or used clarinet? All these considerations will effect the buyer’s decision. Careful research is the first step to finding the best instrument for any musician’s needs.
Quotes gained through conversation with Jonathan Cathell.
