Most professional clarinetists will buy several instruments throughout their playing career. The make and playing characteristics of a clarinet are a matter of personal taste. As the French say, à chacun son goût. That being said, there are some guidelines that any clarinetist should follow no matter what their tastes are.

Plan to use a clarinet for 10 years. At the seven-year mark start your search for a replacement. Taking your time over the next year, search for your new clarinet. You do not want to wait until you have to replace the one you are playing as you could end up selecting one that is far too free-blowing. Remember, the way the clarinet plays when it is new will not be the same as when it breaks in, which will take about two years.

When a clarinet comes from the maker, its humidity rate is rather low. This can contribute to a stiff response. As the humidity rate goes up the clarinet will begin to feel more vibrant, with increased resonance. It will take about one year to fully hydrate. Remember, no two clarinets will play exactly alike. During the two years of the break-in period, you will also need some time to learn to negotiate the clarinet’s idiosyncrasies before putting it into use.

Selection process

Try not to be swayed by the wood’s appearance.
Check the tenons and sockets for splits.
Make sure tenons and sockets fit properly. Binding tenons and sockets will dampen vibration, making the clarinet feel dead and unresponsive. Try to have this fixed before you put the instrument together.
See that the instrument’s pads cover reasonably well.
Check height of the register key pad. It is often set much too high in order to mask a stuffy throat Bb.
Check height of the other pads: if they are too high, they will be too sharp and too free-blowing, if they are too low, they will be too flat and stuffy.
Use the barrel that comes with the clarinet. The instrument was made to tune with the barrel it comes with.
Make sure the Bb bridge key pad doesn’t close before the three ring F key pad.
Check to see if there is some lost motion between A & Ab/G# key

Play Testing Guidelines

Do not try to play with your best sound. The objective is to determine the playing characteristics of that clarinet, not to see how beautiful you can make it sound. Do not play the instrument too long. You want to receive a quick impression. The longer you play it, the more you will begin to adjust to that clarinet.

The following exercises will help you weed out problematic clarinets as quickly as possible. This is especially useful when trying many instruments.

If the clarinet doesn’t pass these tests, I believe there is no point in spending any more time on it. Move on to the next clarinet.

Ex1: Test for response. Using only the air in your oral cavity, attack the note at a ppp. This will help you determine how quick the response is. Does the note start immediately, or is there a hesitation that causes you to push make it speak?

Ex. 2: Test to determine if it holds its focus. Attack note as loud as you can. Does it hold its focus, or does the sound begin to spread, sag, and start to go flat?

Ex. 3: Test to determine its dynamic range. Starting at ppp and crescendo to fff. Does the sound keep expanding and stay focused throughout the crescendo, or does it begin to spread laterally or feel like it stops? Remember you are looking for a sound that will project.

Ex.4: To test tone quality and evenness of response. Play this exercise twice, slowly. The first time softly and the second time loudly.

Ex. 5.: Test for problematic intervals. Play the following 12th: Play the fundamental, and then, with the same air stream add the register key to overblow the 12th. If these 12ths are too spread they will always tend to be a problem.

Break in Process

Once you have made your selection, do the following to break the clarinet in. Follow the same instructions in the article on how to prevent cracks. Do not over play the clarinet. Too much moisture too soon can cause it to crack. I recommend you play no more than 15 minutes at a time for the first week. After the first week, gradually increase the playing time by 5 minutes each week. Every time, after playing the clarinet, swab, dry sockets, disassemble and put back in its case, placing a soft cloth over it. Leave the case open and let it sit for 45 minutes to one hour, letting it rest and dry out before playing again. You can do this as often as you like. Always start with low sustained passages. Ideally you want your A and Bb to have the same resistance. When selecting an A clarinet, try to pick one that is a little freer with a more colorful sound then your Bb clarinet.

Recommendations

For a first-time buyer of a professional grade clarinet, I would recommend purchasing a Buffet Green Line Clarinet. The model you select is a matter of personal taste. All Green Line Clarinets are professional grade instruments. Buffet-Crampon takes the same care in manufacturing these instruments as they do any of their professional line of clarinets.

My reasons for this recommendation are as follows:

I. A Green Line Clarinet won’t crack

II. If you have a limited number of clarinets to try, their consistency will make it easier to find one to your liking.

III. It can be used safely in adverse conditions that would be too cold or too hot to safely play a wooden instrument, such as in pit orchestras or outdoor concerts.

IV. As your playing career progresses, and you feel that you need to purchase a new wood clarinet, it will be good back up instrument.

Buying and Breaking in a New Clarinet