Learning how to clean a clarinet after practice takes three minutes and prevents most of the pad and crack problems that send instruments to the shop. Moisture left in the bore softens pads, loosens tenon corks and, on wooden clarinets, contributes to cracking. You do not need a full workshop routine every night, but you … Read more
A clarinet ligature holds the reed on the mouthpiece, and a bad one is one of the quiet reasons student clarinets squeak. Stock metal ligatures that come with beginner kits often crush the reed unevenly or rust shut. Upgrading the ligature is a ten to thirty dollar fix that improves response without changing the mouthpiece. … Read more
A clarinet swab is the one accessory you use every single time you play, and the cheap one that came with the instrument is usually the worst option available. Moisture left in the bore swells pads, lifts tenon corks and, on a wooden clarinet, contributes to cracking. The right swab clears the bore in one … Read more
The plastic vs wood clarinet debate decides most upgrade purchases, and it is more nuanced than the usual assumption that wood is simply better. Plastic, properly called ABS resin, dominates the student market because it survives conditions that would crack grenadilla within a season. Wood dominates professional playing because it produces a warmer, more complex … Read more
Choosing between trumpet vs clarinet is one of the most common decisions in a first year band programme, and the two instruments could hardly be more different once you get past the fact that both are played with air. One uses a mouthpiece and lip vibration, the other a reed and eighteen keys. They demand … Read more