I bought an Alto Clarinet on Ebay but... does it work? 

As a fellow alto player I’m glad to see someone else giving the instrument love and appreciation, it really is underrated and doesn’t deserve all of the unjust hate it gets. So glad to see someone give it justice.

God, I'm so surprised the alto clarinet goes so unnoticed. It's like the Tenor Sax of the clarinet family, it retains the large, beautiful low register of the bass while being able to get quite high as well.

The sound it's pretty cool, is like a mix between the soprano Bb and Bass clarinets, which makes for a dark but sweet tone at the same time. I understand the hate as a soprano clarinet player because its lack of repertoire and rarity of the instrument itself but I'd like to play one in the future

No suprise that you made the alto sound incredible. An under rated instrument but the bass still has a place in my heart 😁 #basssquad

I've become fascinated with this instrument lately, to the point where I daydream about getting one and what I could do with it... I'm glad to see the alto clarinet has several dedicated advocates working to dispel the negative stereotypes... Thank you!

Nice performance! I used to play the alto clarinet back in high school and it really is a nice instrument, but the pieces that are written for it tended to be as boring as all hell - and I think that is where the hate comes from - we didn't have the deep resonance of the bass clarinets or the speed of the b-flats so we often felt like a musical after-thought in the orchestra. Definitely an under-appreciated instrument.

Since I am not a classically trained musician I don't understand this thing about the Alto Clarinet being hated. I'm a sax player and play alto, Tenor and soprano and don't see anyone hating any of those. Some people prefer one over the others but that is only natural because it has to do with your own "voice". Tenor is my natural voice, so I love tenor sax but I also love alto, especially now that age has made the weight of the tenor hard on my spine. I recently got a bass clarinet to play as a double and I love it. The sound and resonance is simply wonderful, so I was wondering about what the Alto clarinet is like to play. It has a very warm romantic sound and seems to me that jazz played with it would be just as good as any other woodwind and depending on the reed and mouthpiece I know that it can play more bluesy and jazz type sounds and lines. Probably more so than the standard Bb clarinet, which I have no interest in trying.. I know someone who plays Bassoon in an Afro beat group and is fantastic. Go figure, but it is true. So why should people diss the Alto clarinet? I don't get it. BTW, very nice playing-- Warm and romantically sensuous. So thank you for the demo.

I don't care what anyone says, but the alto clarinet is my favourite sounding clarinet. It's got just that nice blend of the soprano and bass clarinet tones that can be haunting.

You are a very talented musician. I am impressed by the quality of your playing and by the quality of your recordings. Keep up the good work!

The melody you played really moved me. It’s just perfect. I love you.

Luke, you're amazing!!! Please keep videos like these coming 😁🎶!

We need to get the alto clarinet back into the spotlight! I am finally, after 4 years, sending mine to a tech for some serious work. Can’t wait to play it again!

The funny thing is that it was packaged in a scott toiler paper box

Yes 🙌🏽 post more tunes sounds great

Wonderful. My alto is from eBay also, I got it a number of years ago after I played it in high school. The high school one was beaten to within 6 inches of hell, but it played pretty well. I got one later to refresh my skills and also to work on writing pieces for it also. It needs a "champion" and I hope my music will be part of that voice to bring more love to this lovely instrument! Thanks for making this video, you have wonderful lower clarinet technique!

Grew up on the Alto! This makes me wanna buy one again.

Hey I just wanted to say your they best instrument RU-vidr I’ve ever seen! Keep up the great work.

Upvote for your playing!

BEAUTIFUL. MANY THANKS.

I LOVE the alto clarinet.....it has been my favorite clarinet since the first day i played one!!

For me, the alto was definitely the most enjoyable of the clarinet family to play; the range, the sound .... gorgeous instrument.

Alto clarinet was the first clarinet I learnt some 25~ years ago. I was a oboist, not partiuclar strong at times when forced to do lead parts, and wanted a second instrument to jerk around on. Saw a brand-new alto for sale, bought it, and my adventures in Clarinet began. Ended up playing alto in one of the local amateur orchestras, covering bassoon and tuba parts to fill in some holes we had. So glad to see the love for the alto clarinet.

I was already considering getting one for my instrument collection and this just sold me! Absolutely well done!

Thanks for this. The alto is underrated and fills the sound area between B flat and bass beautifully. I play an old Bundy and, with a modern mouthpiece, it plays very well. Lots of classical music written for the basset horn which is very like the alto clarinet (which should really be called the tenor clarinet). By the way, if you are going to play in longer gigs invest in a floor peg like those on bass clarinets.

I have an old Vito bass clarinet -- plastic and not pretty, but it is reliable, plays in tune, and has a big, pretty sound. Not bad. I recently bought a Bundy contra-alto (bigger than bass) clarinet on ebay (knowing it would need major work). I had a complete overhaul, but now it is sweet -- my new favorite of the clarinet family.

2:59 I love the alto

I am going to try my schools alto clarinet

I love its unique sound! It would be cool if I could play an alto one day.

Alto clarinet and contra alto clarinet are cool

It has a beautiful tone !

Love that you did a sort of before/after with the repair!

Really nice sound you got on the Alto! I haven't been able to touch one myself yet. This instrument seems to be in the shadows of its two brothers, the Bb Bass and the F Basset Horn which are generally considered more favorable. I hope to be able to play on one myself someday!

Nice sound!

My editing champion. This is amazing mr

Vito Alto clarinets are for me the best sounding and the best and strongest keywork.

Dude, you’re too much. Love your music!

I like those odd "in-between" instruments. Alto flute, Oboe D'amore, Viola, alto clarinet mellophone, etc.

Very nice presentation and performance.

I've been playing alto for years. I have two: one in Eb and one in F (rare). The instrument goes back to 1809 with the idea of improving on the basset horn in F. After 60 years, the F was replaced by the Eb instrument.

Such an earnest video, thank you

My son is in 10th grade and has been playing alto saxophone 🎷 since 4th grade, and today, he is asking his music teacher if he can borrow and start playing the schools alto clarinet. I was shocked but ok with it, but now I see why he wants to play it, it's a beautiful instrument. Plus, the more instruments he can get his hands on now, the better.🥰

Pitched between the regular b flat clarinet and bass clarinet. The basset horn is also cool.

I'm in the Minneapolis area too.

I sense some Kingdom Hearts Twilight Town theme renditions in the near future!!

Truly incredible sound you achieved. Is the alto clarinet's brand Vito?

Dang, that sounds awesome

Very nice !

Alto clarinet is one of my favorite instruments. Makes me angry that nobody seems to want it in ensembles. I would buy one today if I thought I would have an opportunity to play outside of my home.

Played the Eb Clarinet in high school ...and the Bb Clarinet. For concert wind band it fits in harmonically, but it's a challenge in an orchestral setting where the strings are on the opposite side of the Circle of Fifths. Thats why the Bb players have A-Clarinets, accidentials....lots of accidentials..

You got a steal of a deal at only $200.00 for your E Flat Alto Clarinet even if it needs adjustments. I played E Flat Alto Clarinet and E Flat Alto Saxophone as well as B Flat Soprano Clarinet in high school symphonic and marching band and also in 3 years of Jr. High School woodwinds class and band.

Love e flat alto clarinet !!!

If you're looking for a good alto mouthpiece, the J&D Hite alto clarinet mouthpiece is fantastic. It is very affordable, and it is designed to take both alto clarinet and alto sax reeds without issue.

I’ve always wondered why people hated the Alto. I love it and while it isn’t my favorite of the clarinet family, I do hope to get one in the future

I'm getting my alto clarinet today!

WOW!

Look, it’s the 91 instrument lick guy

Wow no I like the alto clarinet seems really fun of course sense I have to play tenor sax and soon bass clarinet again I probably won’t learn it until I become a adult but that was a really nice piece so good job

I think that the main problem with it is the high cost. But I am more than happy with the regular Bb clarinet. I have a Bb bass, too, in case low notes are needed.

YAY!!!!!!

I sold my Bb clarinet when I get my Alto clarinet, it's a wonderful instrument. Light weight compare to the Bass clarinet, with cool low sounds, not expensive if you choose a synthetic-body-student-instrument, the last low clarinet with open holes wich I do prefer to closed holes. It's a great video about a great instrument, thanks a lot.

You need to check out some of the bizarre alto clarinets from the 1920s and older. Truly bizarre!

To my mind, the alto clarinet is the second best blues instrument to the electric guitar.

Não encontro pra comprar esse clarinete, só acho nos sites do Brasil, já usado!

So, it seems the alto clarinet gets the same bad rep as the viola. I just don't get it. Why, oh why do you need to disparage an instrument just because it is not your favourite? Or because it is supposedly "easier" to play? By the way, the day I'll find an instrument that is easy to play, I believe I'll put it on a billboard for everyone to see. There's no such thing as an easy instrument. Forgive me for my rant, but I think that it's not the instrument, it's how well and what you play with it. You played it beautifully and it sounded great, but only AFTER you had it fixed ;)

When is the contralto clarinet coming

What are you playing? It's so nice!

I bought a Selmer USA alto clarinet for $80 dollars for sh*ts and giggles and, after sending it to the shop it works pretty well

What make is it? What do you consider "affordable" for repairs? Around here an overhaul on an alto runs about $400... more than I'd want to spend on a $200 instrument, unless it was a steal of a deal on a good model. BTW, while alto sax reeds will fit some alto clarinet mouthpieces, they're really not the same as alto clarinet reeds. Clarinet reeds as cut to have more wood in the center of the reed, which gives a less "scratchy" tone than with sax reeds.

Congrats on your new baby. Question: is there vibrato on alto clarinet? For most clarinets there is not. I guess there's a temptation to play it like an extended-range alto saxophone.

Love Groth Music!!!!

Beautiful! Also WHICH HARP IS THAT 😍

I found an alto clarinet in a pawnbrokers and got a good price, on the basis that I knew what it was and they didn't. The only advantage of the alto clarinet is that the weaker throat tones are in a different place in the scale. My bass clarinet goes down to a low concert Bb and I've got 4 clear octaves above it. In theory the soprano clarinet goes an octave higher but that's going up into dog whistle territory. The ergonomics of the alto clarinet are, for me at least, pretty bad and very similar to the C-melody sax. Admittedly I'm talking about the relationship between my own body and the instrument, so others will have a different experience though not necessarily a better one.

I may not be a woodwind player, but if I had the choice to learn a woodwind instrument, I would choose the Alto Clarinet, with the Bass Clarinet coming in at a sharp second. I will probably never understand why a lot of musicians hate the Alto Clarinet, I mean, I don't see anything offensively bad about it and it sounds really beautiful (as demonstrated in the video). Alto Clarinets are amazing, and I want to learn one right freaking now lol.

If you use a very close mouthpiece with a harder reed you will get a smoother silkier sound closer to a Basset horn not as harsh as the sound you produce.

I noticed that your instrument has two joints rather than one body in the case. Does the single body differ from a two jointed Alto Clarinet in terms of quality? There are a lot more single bodied Alto Clarinets for sale, as I have only seen one available two-jointed Alto Clarinet. Also, do you have any advice for finding a good plastic/ Vito Reso-Tone Alto Clarinet? I want one that's in decent shape, but most online (eBay) are very... old & gross.......?

Honestly I’m one of those people that shit on the alto clarinet I change my mind it sounds amazing tf

Are you going to do a instrument collection for 2020?

I played bass clarinet and I think it would be cool if I tried the alto clarinet

Why is it so hated? It is like the bassoon of a sax section. Beautiful in it’s own way!

But love it after.....

Yamaha also makes Alto Clarinets.

0:54 it looks very similar to an oboe casing

Three cheers for you! Getting a decent alto clarinet can be daunting but you managed it. Leblanc Vito altos were generally pretty good and great for beginner and intermediate players. You showed a Vandoren 5RV mouthpiece, but did you have a chance to try a B40 or a BD5? Mouthpieces can be so individual and you never know what will help you to get an even more amazing sound than you've already achieved. Great video!

👍👍👍

What is that song at the end? It’s soooo beautiful!

How much did your repair cost?

What are the positives to the alto clarinet? maybe i'm naive, but it looks and sounds like the bass clarinet is far more superior and we should worship the bass in terms of versatility. You make it sound wonderful x

Anyone know what piece he played?? Or did he make it, genuinly i think i sounds fabulously fabulous!! i NeeD this piece plsss

What brand is the alto clarinet?? What would that clarinet cost new?? And finally, what did you pay to get it repaired??

That’s exactly what I did

The alto clarinet is like the viola of the clarinet family. They both get way much more hate than they deserve

What brand?

did you compose that yourself? or is it a licensed piece? i like it

I play alto clr aswell 😋

Do you recommend buying instruments on amazon?

Would you be willing to record yourself playing chromatically through the instrument to indicate how well it is tuned against itself? There is not much information regarding the alto clarinet online. I have found that the Selmer Bundy model is incredibly out of tune, and am interested as to how your Vito fares. Simply by listening to your playing I can tell it is much better, but if you have the chance to mark its tuning it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! P.S. Alto Sax Signature Legere reeds are fun on the Alto! Makes for a very different tone.

What brand is it?

The song u were playing is so cool! What’s the name?

What's the make and model of your vibraphone?

does it have the same range as the Tenor Sax?