Buying a beginner clarinet

It can seem a bit of a minefield when you decide to buy your first instrument. There are lots of different makes and models of instrument and you want to get the best value for your money.

Clarinets can begin from as little as a couple of hundred pounds and go up in price to over £7K for a top quality professional instrument.

If you have started playing already, you may have hired one or borrowed one through school or a county instrument scheme. Many music shops that sell instruments offer hire purchase schemes, so if you are unsure, a rental might be the answer.

Second hand:

The other option is second hand and there can be some good quality second hand clarinets on the market, but buyer beware. If you are buying a beginner clarinet made of plastic rather than wood then the likelihood is that a second hand instrument will be okay, but be wary of buying a second hand wooden clarinet unless you know it’s history or have bought it from a reputable dealer. Wood will warp over time and if a clarinet has been kept in a drafty or humid attic or cupboard under the stairs for many years before selling, it can accumulate mould spores. I would always recommend if you buy second hand that you go through a music shop or dealer, not ebay or anywhere else. A music dealer will have thoroughly overhauled any second hand instrument before resale.

Beginner clarinets are usually made of plastic. It makes them lighter and cheaper to manufacture and therefore more cost effective for the beginner starting out. Brands in this area include Boosey and Hawkes, Yamaha, Windcraft, Buffet and Jupiter. At a beginner level, a plastic clarinet is an excellent buy. Students that are experienced and looking to take their playing further after several years will want to move to a wooden clarinet eventually as the tone of a wooden clarinet is not comparable in my opinion.

Extras:

Most come with an adjustable thumb support for the right hand these days which is such a useful addition, especially for smaller hands.

This level of clarinet usually comes with a mouthpiece included in the package. Intermediate models often do not, and varying a mouthpiece or barrel with the body of a clarinet can change the tone altogether, so for this reason, mouthpieces are sold separately so that student, instrument and mouthpiece can mix and match until they find the right fit.

Some beginner clarinets come with a neck support. Now whilst, in theory these are useful and I am currently using them with an adult beginner who has problems with their fingers and grip at times, in my experience, these neck straps are unnecessary and cause problems with the over all hold of the instrument and alignment, so perhaps wait until your teacher advises you to use one. A saxophone that comes with a neck support is necessary as a saxophone is a far heavier instrument.

A ligature is the part that holds the reed against the flat side of the mouthpiece. On most beginner clarinets this is metal with two screw fastenings. On more advanced instruments or, by students’ choice, there are also leather and carbon fibre but again, this is a whole new blog post.

Final thoughts:

If you are buying new or second hand from a shop such as Howarth’s of London or Dawkes in Maidenhead, do book time in a room to try a few. You may find taking a few different reeds will help too. If you have been practising to date on a different make and model of instrument, the reed you have been using with that combination may not be as well suited to the new set up. Rico and Juno are good beginner brands of reeds and, despite contrary belief, the higher the number is does not determine how advanced a player is. Some of the best players I know use number 2 reeds and I have taught beginners that have coped with a 3 in some brands. I will do a blog post in a week or two about reeds.

Care and maintenance of your clarinet is paramount to its longevity. Do not keep it set up all the time, always make sure you run your cleaning swap through after each practice and remove the reed and store carefully. Wash your swab frequently and try to avoid drastic changes of temperature, so for example, don’t leave it in a car on a really hot or really cold day, store it away from a radiator. Finally do get an annual overhaul of your instrument to keep it in top condition.

Where to buy?

I have listed some brands below as well as some places to look for clarinets. I have put a star against any dealer of whom I have had personal experience.

*Dawkes Music (Maidenhead) https://www.dawkes.co.uk/clarinets/bb

John Packer (Wellington, Somerset) https://www.johnpacker.co.uk/shop/woodwind-instruments/clarinet

*Howarth’s of London https://www.howarthlondon.com/instruments.aspx?id=13&family=810

*Wood, Wind and Reed (Cambridge) https://www.wwr.co.uk/

Normans (Burton on Trent) https://www.normans.co.uk/collections/clarinets

* Casewell Strings (Banbury) https://caswells-strings.co.uk/ these folk do not sell clarinets, but they do overhaul and repair them.

Presto Music (Leamington Spa) I have linked to a blog post written by one of their team that discusses their top three beginner clarinets https://www.prestomusic.com/instruments-accessories/articles/4082--beginners-guides-best-clarinets-for-beginners

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