Why Do Young Clarinet Players Play Flat?

This is a guest post from Rheuben Allen, taken from his site with permission. Why do young clarinet players play flat? Elementary school and middle school students who choose to play the clarinet often have an issue playing in tune. But they’re not necessarily to blame. The manufacturers of many student clarinets sell instruments with …

An Introduction to the Clarinet by Rheuben Allen

Hi everyone. This is Rheuben. Today I’m going to introduce you to the clarinet. The clarinet is a member of the woodwind family and is unique among the woodwinds. Most woodwinds over blow what we call an octave. When you finger a “d” and push the register key, you get a “d.” The clarinet is …

Review of the Buffet B12 Clarinet

When I began to double on clarinet, I needed an affordable and playable horn. By chance, I stumbled upon a used Buffet B12 clarinet, and I am so glad that I was able to start out on such a great instrument. I had a few issues with pitch on the instrument. For me, the standard …

Review of the BG France Duo Ligature

To start out, I want to let you know that I have been playing the same setup on my alto for several years now. Even when I’ve changed my mouthpiece, reeds or ligature, I have always tended to go back to my Beechler mouthpiece, Rico Plasticover Reeds and Ishimori ligature. No matter how much I …

Repairing a Crack in a Clarinet

This article is part of a series of repair articles written Rheuben Allen. There are a number of reasons that the wood of your clarinet may crack and if it happens, there are two different methods you can use when repairing that meddlesome crack in your instrument. Keep in mind that it is always safest …