Yamaha Clarinet > Reviews > Screeeeech!!!

Author's product rating:   

How well constructed is it?	not applicable/no opinion
Appearance	Cool
Quality of sound	very good
Playability	quite hard to play
Value for money	good

Advantages:	nge of music, chamber to Jazz .
Disadvantages:	r the high notes are a beggar !

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I began playing the clarinet when I was 11 years old..my school music dept had weekly half hour lessons, 2 people at each session. If you decide to go for it I would reccomend at least an hours individual tuition in order to make any significant progress. It can be a very tricky instrument to master, especially to get any sound out at all initially until you strengthen your embouchure (mouth muscles), and you will find that the first sounds you make are horrendous screechings, and these will pop into any playing you do! At first I had a school 'loan' instrument, but when I had convinced my Mother that I was committed to learning, she bought me a little Yamaha Clarinet for £250, it was the cheapest one in 1983! Reeds cost £1.50 back then and I think they are a similiar price today, I would get a 1 1/2 reed at first (soft, easy to blow) and move on to a number 2 when you are more accomplished. I learnt to play using "A Tune A Day" books, which take you through step-by-step and note-by-note, with a 'tune' to play at each stage, I found the lower and mid octaves easy to master, but the upper register....well, hard work, its like being a being a beginner all over again, you struggle to get the notes out and the keying becomes a bit more complicated...this was the stage where I began to lose interest.......I got my Grade 4...left school and the School Band behind...but I can still play 'Stranger on the Shore'........15 years later!!