Introduction

Although clarinets are classed as a woodwind instrument, all modern student clarinets are made of plastic. Older student instruments and modern intermediate and professional instruments are usually made of wood (which helps give them a richer tone).

Clarinets come in many different sizes, which make up the clarinet family. Beginners start on the most common member of the family – the 'B flat soprano' clarinet, it is so common that people usually just call it the clarinet.

There have been some attempts by manufacturers to make specific children’s versions of the clarinet (either with less keys or a smaller size) but we recommend learning on the normal version of the instrument. Children usually start recorder at the age of 7 or 8 before progressing onto the clarinet. A particularly small child might need a special sling to support the weight of a clarinet. Children who are ultimately interested in playing saxophone are best off playing the clarinet (or flute) first until their fingers are big enough to reach all the keys of the Saxophone.

The clarinet is played by attaching a reed (a small piece of cane) to the mouthpiece and blowing. The player covers or uncovers holes on the instrument to produce notes.

The parts of a Clarinet

There are five parts to a clarinet: -

• The mouthpiece - onto which a 'reed' is fastened using the 'ligature'.

• The barrel - a short tube to join the mouthpiece to the top joint.

• The top joint - which has a corked tenon at either end and a lot of metal 'keys' (which are operated by the player so that the 'pads' cover or uncover the various 'tone holes' to make different musical notes).

• The bottom joint - which has one corked tenon and also some keys.

• The bell - which fits onto the end of the bottom joint.

The metal keys on the clarinet make up the mechanism of the instrument. The keys are supported between metal pillars on screws or rods. Each key has a wire spring that keeps it held open or held shut. Most the keys have a key cup in which there is glued a pad to cover the tone hole. The keys also have cork or felt glued on to function as a stop so that the key opens the correct amount.

The pads, corks, and felts on the instrument (and also the adhesives which keep these items in place) deteriorate over time. On older or poorer quality instruments the mechanism itself starts to wear and the keys can become loose or jammed. We service all our instruments to make sure everything is in good order before they are sold.

The mouthpiece is the part of the instrument that has most influence on the tuning and tone of an instrument. The reed is held on the mouthpiece by means of a ligature that can also influence the sound produced. All our instruments are supplied with a good quality student mouthpiece and ligature.

Although not a part of the instrument there are two other vital accessories – the case and a mouthpiece cap. A well fitting case protects the instrument during transport (a bad fitting case will damage the instrument!). The mouthpiece cap protects the mouthpiece if it gets dropped (and it often does!). All our instruments are supplied with both.

Variations in design

Modern clarinets vary little in the design of the mechanism so they all feel more or less the same to the player. They can vary in tuning to some degree – with poorer quality instruments being difficult to play in tune. The 'bore' of the instrument does vary slightly so there is a difference in tone between different makes and model of clarinet.

There are only three aspects of design that really vary from the point of view of a beginner:

Plating: keys are either nickel or silver-plated, this looks nicer if kept clean and fingers are slightly less likely to slip off a key, however it is not as hard wearing as nickel plate.

Finish: On most student instruments the plastic finish is glossy, on some it is matt or satin or brushed wood effect

Thumb-rest: The clarinet rests on the players right hand thumb when being played and the position of the thumb rest influences how the right hand fingers reach the keys. Most clarinets have a thumb-rest that is in a fixed position; some have a thumb-rest that is adjustable. For the vast majority of players the fixed thumb-rest is in the best position for their hand, but if it isn’t it is possible to re-position it, but not as easily as with an adjustable thumb-rest.

Categories of student instruments

We divide instruments into four categories:

Older student instruments: These are models that have not been manufactured for several years but were well made. They are suitable for up to and including grade 5.

Standard student instruments: These are models manufactured within the last 10 years. They are well-made, robust instruments suitable up to and including grade 5 (and probably beyond with a suitable mouthpiece and custom service). Makes include Jupiter

Premium student instruments: These are models manufactured within the last 10 years. They are very well made and are suitable up to grade 8 (when Custom serviced). The best examples are Yamaha YCL26 and Buffet B12. Both of these brands manufacture a range of clarinets from student up to professional level.

Advanced student instruments: These are wooden versions of the premium student models (Yamaha YCL450 and the older YCL34; Buffet E11). The wood enhances the feel and tone of the instrument.

Manufacturers and models

There have been dozens of different manufacturers and hundreds of different models over the years. We only sell well-known models that are of good quality: they play well and, if looked after, will last years.

Buffet: Buffet is a Brand name owned by the Music Group (formerly Boosey and Hawkes). Buffet clarinets are very well made and are very popular with teachers and players alike. Buffet manufacture two student models, the best being the B12 which has been around for a long time. There have been several different versions but they are essentially the same with only cosmetic differences. The B10 is a lower quality student model and but we do not sell these. (Note there also exist a brand called the 'Buffet Evette' which not made by the Buffet factory – it is lower quality instrument and we do not sell these). To look at the clarinet pages on the Buffet website; click here.

Yamaha: Yamaha student clarinets are as good as Buffet. Yamaha only manufacture one student model, though there have been different model numbers over the years reflecting slight changes in design. The current Yamaha student model is the YCL250 but we prefer the previous YCL26 model that in our opinion is more robust. The advanced student models are the older YCL34 and newer YCL450. To look at the clarinet pages on the Yamaha website; click here.

Jupiter: Jupiter clarinets are well made instruments that are growing in popularity. Jupiter manufacture more than one student model, but the basic JCL630 is the commonly available one. The specifications of the models are listed on the instruments for sale page. To look at the clarinet pages on the Jupiter website; click here.