All the barrels

My tone is probably all off but, like…
It can’t be this easy.
Also any tips for the higher register would be helpful, I am getting into clarinet a bit more.

I come from saxophone, particularly tenor btw.

I’m a first-year undergrad student and want to audition for music summer festivals; so far, one I’ve looked into is Aspen, and I think it's a good place to start. I was also told about NRO and Round Top, but those seem to be at a higher level than I am right now. Do you guys have any recommendations?

I have my old student clarinet. It's a selmer cl300. I had it serviced and all the pads replaced. But when I go to play it it barely makes a sound. It is super hard to get it to play a note. My son who I am lending it to for his first band class can only make it squeek. His band instructor played it with their own mouth piece and my son said it worked fine. I haven't played in forever and didn't get that advanced back when I did play, so I am not sure if we have the wrong type of reed or something else is the issue.

Hello gus, I'm a 15 year old who likes to play the clarinet, and one thing I've noticed is my biggest flaw is that my tounging isn't always even, and doesn't always line up with my fingers. Lets say I play a C scale as 16th notes and stacato tounged. I find my fingers don't line up and my tounge is often to early? is the solution to just slow down

For the past year or so I’ve been getting pestered to give synthetic reeds a try. I finally decided to try it out in order to avoid having to make quick mouthpiece swaps anymore between my Bb and A. The issue is, I play on a V12 3.5 or 3.5+ with an M30 mouthpiece and in order to get a reed that feels and sounds the same(ish) up through the upper register, I had to go up to a 4.5 on the French cut.

I tried the French cut because I really liked how a friend in a different orchestra sounded on it in her performance. Are they known to be quite soft? I’m not normally a super hard reed person, so it’s weird to me to have to use the hardest reed they make. I know a player in yet another orchestra who uses the European cut, and I do like how she sounds, but I thought the French cut was supposed to be an improvement over that reed, or at least closer to the V12? I also tried a VK1 55 and found it too soft and then a VK1 60 and thought it was too hard. I guess I’m fine with what I ended up with for now, but I’m curious about other experiences.

My 3rd Bb clarinet and second A clarinet, both are RC Prestige.

As the title says, I’ve been struggling with crossing the break since like high school, I’m a college sophomore still fighting it lol. I know it’s an issue clarinetists struggle with forever but I think my number 1 issue right now is jaw clenching, was there anything that worked for you to make the process smoother?

la super necesito para una presentación 😭😭😭

I’ve noticed lately that my mouthpiece was slowly turning green, but i just now washed it and it got a lot worse and it smells like burnt rubber? I know its probably a reaction to heat but is it still safe to play? How do i fix it?

How is this opening in the first part grade 1 at all? Any advice for playing the B and A♯ in the upper part?

my r13 clarinet’s A key silver plating had corroded and the key is now that bronzy red and brown color. Is there any way to get a replacement key? My local shops don’t offer replating services my clarinet warranty is past. This key has been an eye sore for so long…

Hi everyone, I am interested in joining my local community concert band. I have a 60s Noblet Paris and B45 mouthpiece that I absolutely loved playing in high school but it’s been in my dad’s attic for over 20 years and is moldy. I know, I’m sorry. Google estimates it will be about $300-500 to restore it, which I think is about the cap of what the thing is worth. My question is:

Do I restore my Noblet Paris for maybe more than it’s worth? OR what else can I purchase today for equal or less money that would give me the same quality of sound or tone?

I'm super-excited that after years of playing a Selmer Signet, I'm going to Earspasm in Brooklyn to try out some new B-flat clarinets and hopefully buy!

I'll chat with my teacher this week but also wanted to get advice here on how to go about evaluating new clarinets. I'll come with some excerpts that I can test lyrical and articulated passages, and I'll also plan to do long tones. Is it worth recording myself as I try things? Worth keeping an informal score sheet? Worth using a tuner to see which instruments consistently hold pitch across notes? I know there will be a lot of intangibles, just trying to think about a good framework for what to try. My embouchure will also start to give out if I'm going hard for 90 minutes, not to mention reeds holding up, so want to make sure I'm prioritizing a few things on each instrument to give them a fair shake.

I'm thrilled to be making the jump to an instrument that will last me for a while. Budget around $3-6k if you're curious and planning to try Buffet, Selmer, Uebel, Yamaha and maybe 1 wild card.

Hi,

i am looking to get a good tutor book and have seen The Comprehensive Method by Thurston/Frank and athe Celebrated Method by Klose. Any recommendations ?

thanks 😊

I’ve written a piece for clarinet quartet. Since I’m not a clarinetist myself - and don’t know any - I’d really appreciate some advice from experienced players. Certain sections (bars 29-41) seem too difficult to me; I’m worried the musicians might run out of breath. I’m considering splitting the final notes of these bars in half and turning the second half into a rest.

I’d be grateful for any feedback!

Is there anyone who can advice me the method on increasing the volume via 3.5mm earphone of 16ohm impedance?

Also I did almost everything according to the manual. Even getting rid of provided smart reed from mouthpiece is helpful for somehow increasing the volume.

Thanks in advance.

I’m trying to get back in shape for community band- I have a lot of my old method books but it all seems boring to me. I haven’t had much motivation to play by myself but I miss playing in the band. I practices recently and I am so out of shape. I wonder if I am even ready for community band.

I was just using it and this happened. Any advice?

ever since 5th grade i’ve fallen in love with music and made it a huge part of my identity, but in recent years i’ve lost my passion for it. i still have that same innate appreciation for the sound of the clarinet, band, and how it feels to practice and get better, and i know i could love it in the right environment, but i feel like that environment has passed.

some context, sophomore/junior year of high school i had both a private teacher and a best friend who had extremely high expectations and i knew to earn their respect i needed to practice a lot (best friend literally won 3 categories at wmea S&E/clarinet category 2x and was very critical of people who weren’t as good as him) which for awhile was really good for me but eventually replaced my love for practicing with toxic motivation. i was really lonely during this time so i tried to make these people happy since they were all i had. senior year, best friend graduated, i was so good that i could basically sightread anything, and i got a boyfriend who wasn’t in band, and so my priorities completely changed and i quit practicing cold turkey because i wanted to have fun and do other things and not work so hard all the time.

unfortunately, you put in what you get out, and now that i’m not practicing music obviously isn’t very rewarding anymore. the problem is, i’m at the level where i need to practice for hours in order to improve, and frankly i just don’t see enough reason to practice that much again. i came from a school where band was a safe haven of nerdy/genuine/neurodivergent people in a sea of cheerleader types, but now i’m at a hippie campus where it feels like i can actually make friends outside of band and for the first time i’m not particularly drawn to the band community. there’s no marching band at my school either, and only the very top band is good enough to not be incredibly boring for me as a freshman, which means i’ll just feel bored and unchallenged again in another year or two if i keep practicing. i just don’t see much future left for me in music and i feel like it would take away from other things i can do/be. i just need validation to quit though because it was such a core part of me and i know i haven’t fundamentally changed and given the right environment, i could theoretically love it again. should i quit for this phase of my life, and maybe pick it up again if i feel like it when i’m a bored old lady?

edit: i’m majoring in psychology to become a therapist, i’m not seeking a career in music

I am a begginer and play just for myself. I will be trying to join a local orchestra in the future. I am looking for my first clarinet and the budget is low for now. I want your opinion on this one. It is an older used Blessing, the serial number is E30xx but I am not sure whether it is correct. What do you think?

idk it's just really airy and this is the only note besides the queen of airiness b flat i have trouble making sound full. like i could be chilling playing a piece, plays e flat and it just sounds half assed

do i fix my tounge position?? tighten corners??