hey I just wanted to say that if you look at any of the cheapest instruments they are all going to have the same case design and the same gloves they all come from the same factory in china that pushes clarinets out at like 20$ a piece and like a trumpet at 70$ a piece.
just want to say all the cheapest instruments will have the same case design and gloves. They all come the same factory and you can tell just by looking at some of the photos most of them are just drop shipped garbage.
Awesome video! I liked and subscribed. For your 10,000th, which I am sure you will accomplish. I would like for you to fix your honeycomb in the background. Sorry! I can't not see it. Love you bro!
@@MadMusicBand Playing flute was definitely weird at first but I’ve gotten more used to it these past couple of months. I also play trombone, baritone, and a few other instruments. I’m going to Music Education and would like to learn as many instruments as I can.
Perhaps a fun idea, for when you have a full band worth of cheapest instruments, would be to record a band standard using all the instruments. Link I mean you record each part then splice them together in the video editor. You could even call it a performance by "Amazon's cheapest band"!
11:00 - Hi! Band repair tech and woodwind player here. The bridge key: You do press it down on the top joint while assembling the instrument. Also the reason it is “too open” when you looked at just the top joint was because the instrument was not assembled. It is meant to rest on the lower joint bridge key. Some times folks add a bit of cork to the back of the top joint bridge key where it touches the body when disassembled, but it isn’t necessary. As far as the ligature placement - the screws are always on the right side. So that ligature was meant to be played with the screws facing down. From a player/repair perspective on those low priced clarinets my experience is that they have a lot of intonation problems. The chimneys (open holes) are prone to leaking where they go into the body, and the tone holes aren’t very level.. which makes it a nightmare to keep the pads sealing. The keys tend to be extremely soft too so they bend easier and come out of adjustment faster. Also replacement parts are not available to repair shops. All that being said, if it’s the difference between a kid being able to participate in band and not being able to get a start on something they might love… that’s a decision for the band director and parents. Hope some of this information helps you in your career as a music educator!
@@MadMusicBand absolutely, it’s your job to teach the kids to play, and mine to help all music folks understand how their instruments work and to help them take care of it better. We’re all in this together.
Some little words of wisdom from a very experienced woodwind player. Align the reed much lower than you think you should, reed placement can often have as big of a difference in playability as the clarinet itself. As a studying band director, I totally get the struggle of dealing side instruments without knowing the little things :)
I got a clarinet at a thrift store for like 75$ and it was definitely used (ew) but I cleaned it and fixed it up and other than the crappy mouthpiece (like that one) it works great! I bring it to band a lot in case anybody forgets theirs/needs to get theirs fixed :-) very glad I found that one because I really thought it would be crap 😅
This channel is super fun for me because, wow, the only instrument I had access to as a kid was my mom's piano, so I have no idea how any other instrument is played. Edutainment at its finest~
7:40 - The LH2 ring key venting is usually higher when the top joint is separated as its venting is set by the RH ring keys once assembled. Most clarinets (even pro level Buffet, Selmer and Yamaha ones and others) are like that from the factory. You can fit a small stopper on the underside of the LH2 linkage (where the bend is) to lower it enough to make assembly easier so the cork on the LH2 linkage piece doesn't get torn off from clumsy assembly which is what you're doing at 10:38 - you should ALWAYS hold the LH2 ring key down when assembling both the main body joints to avoid any damage.
@@MadMusicBand The YamaUrrrr does have that stopper cork on the linkage, but it's far too thin to be of any use. But as a matter of standard practice with any clarinet, both cheap and expensive, always hold the LH2 ring key down during assembly. The tight fitting bell is crying out for the tenon to be resized (skimmed down to remove just enough material) as you can hear the tenon is binding in the socket. That happens on a lot of wooden clarinets too and is an easy fix for anyone who knows where and how much wood to remove (or plastic in the case of the YamaUrrrr) as no amount of cork grease will help and many people wrongly assume it's the cork that needs sanding down as it's the oversized tenon itself that's causing the problem.
My Yamaha (not Yamaer, the real one!) clarinet has a bevel on the bridge key where it just slides jn and you don't have to do that. I've been playing it for 10 years and never had damage from not pressing that key.
@@pikachuchujelly7628 It still helps to add that stopper, bevel or no bevel (or ears or no ears) as many people still mangle things up even with the ears on the linkage piece on both Yamahas and Buffets. Remember that when you put people into the equation, anything can and often will happen and prevention is always better than cure, even if you can't fix stupid. I always tell people to hold down both the LH2 ring key and the throat A key (with their left hand) and when they move onto bass clarinets with a fully automatic speaker mechanism, that also prevents the extra linkage running across the joints getting mangled up as the throat A key lifts it out of harm's way during assembly.
I have a bundy bass clarinet and it’s been great, the poor thing was beat to death and is missing several springs, has a massive dent in the bell, and still plays great
I love these videos there so entertaining! I am very suprised your not more popular. You really remind me of my middle school instructor lol. Keep doing what your doing!
Clarinetist (of sorts) here. I was laughing in tears! I sooo feel for the student getting the cheapo horn and ragequitting after 2 lessons. A good mouthpiece is a must. And not too expensive thing to add to that... BTW the zipper thing being 'off rails' is a bag manufacturing thing. Usually the one making the bag would set it but hey, that takes 2 seconds and time is money.
Yea, it's super frustrating thinking of a kid getting this and being unable to make a noise because of a terrible mouthpiece, and then quitting. That's funny about the zipper, didn't think of that, but yea each time it's taken two seconds to fix. Every second counts I guess 😂
Your wife looks like a younger version of one of my great friends who is a master flute player. I love these videos, they are so fun as a horn player, please find a cheap french horn
@@Murgoh Around $800 to $1000 (canadian, so even less US$) direct from China, for a Bassoon. That''l probably be synthetic...if you want wood, it's more like $1500 and up.
Hey! As a clarinetist I want to tell you that when you’re doing a chromatic scale, there is a key right between the low G and low A that you can press that makes it easier to go from Bb to B natural. Press it when play low Bb to make it a B natural. (Also works with F and F# with the register key)
This one was really close to being an easy recommendation, but it just fell short of that in a few ways. I'm sure a lot of kids use clarinets like this though
I think the difficulty of getting the bell on and off would be a dealbreaker in loaning to students... because I can see them gripping the lower section with the keys hard enough to bend/break them to get enough torque to twist the bell on. One could always mod the bell by sanding the inside to take off just a bit of material making it easier to get on and off. Certainly the customer shouldn't have to do this on a new horn, but it should work just fine, be easy to do and after all it is a $60 horn.
Yup, if you're a tinkerer or adult I think you can overlook these issues. I'll likely try to make it better myself, or I'll try the bell from my busted horn and see if it's a better fit before I check it out next year. I've already stolen that horns mouthpiece, it's nice that my old horn could be an organ donor 😂
Never sand the instrument. The cork is replaceable and is what is responsible for the fit. If the cork is too thick, you can sand THAT. Keeping in mind that cork compresses and soaks a little more grease over time, so you should aim for a slightly stiff (but not difficult!) fit on BRAND new cork. And yeah, a new player ideally should never be messing with this. Even if they know they can sand the cork, they might accidentally sand a little bit off the tenon itself in the process and that's no good.
Lifetime clarinetist here(50 years+) Noticed you don’t use the mouthpiece pads… beginning students can really benefit from using the pad, it helps with staying in position. However, I recommend using the clear pads (instead of the black rubber type) they are thinner and work more comfortably. If you plan on playing for years, it will protect your teeth. 👍Nice Vid!
I've actually never tried one myself on the clarinet. I'm obviously not playing a ton in comparison to someone who "mains" the instrument, but I really should give one a go and see what they're about. I never dissuade kids from using them, but maybe I should be promoting them. I'll give it a shot. Those rubber thumb pads on the other hand, my kids love them for some reason and I'm not a fan 😂
Usually the off railed zipper means it us a brand new zipper. Usually zippers of new bags ir backpack are like that too, especially the zipper on the inner pockets.
Hey! It’s that clarinetist from your trumpet video. All things considered, your tone wasn’t too bad! Though I can tell how tough it was to play the el cheapo clarinet with its mouthpiece. I’ve had my fair share of those. Keep up the great work! As for the stand situation, get one with locking legs. I got one from my local music store for about $20 and it still works great!
Yup, I've got a sax/clarinet double stand that works well for school, I'll just have to find one for home as well seeing as I shouldn't use this one :p. I'm actually pretty proud of my clarinet playing, I've gotten a lot better the past few years :)
I used to have a Buffet Crampon E11, LOVED hat instrument. Much underrated imo, no need to buy the pricier RC etc. Also get off Rico reeds and move to Vandoren already.
The struggling to talk while the reed is in your mouth is too relatable. I have a younger brother who always wants to watch me practice and he asks my questions while the reed is in my mouth lol
It’s kind of funny this video popped up in my feed. I had just seen a Yamaer Clarinet at a pawn shop a week ago. At first I thought it said Yamaha until I looked at it closer (they had the case in the back). They wanted $80 for it originally, but had marked it down to $60. Keeping in mind it was used. I showed the assistant manager the Amazon listing was $60 new, and explained to him that I’ve played the clarinet for 35 years now, I tried to explain to him that it wasn’t worth what they were charging. He just said they have to sell it based on what they paid for it. I ended up walking out with a mint condition Selmer Student model for my son for $90. The cheap crap Clarinets they sell on Amazon is for those who don’t know any better to buy.
@@MadMusicBand which is why it caught my eye. From a distance all I seen was the gold Ya, and thought I struck gold. Instead it turned out to be fools gold.
So I want to get back into music after years and watching you struggle with that bell was giving me war flashbacks because I broke my old clarinet’s bell from having to put so much into yanking it off and accidentally losing my grip and throwing it to the floor. 😢
@@MadMusicBand Yep. I got here because I was wondering about how good a super cheap clarinet could be and am not wholly shocked the answer is not great. The rainbow colored ABS ones I see everywhere (Medicini and Glory brands in particular) have me interested as maybe a step up from the YamaHER in quality, but I think I should save a bit more.
there is a chromatic fingering for low B natural and high F sharp where you use your ring finger to press a key between the middle and ring finger spots
For $60 it's not horrible, but it's not good. I am concerned that students won't be able to make it work out of the box, but it might be OK for a backup instrument or marching.
I'm not sure if someone said this- but the screw(s) of a ligature always goes on the right side :) You can't just flip any ligature over. For example, I use the Vandoren optimum on soprano with the screw on the side of the reed, and on bass I use the Vandoren M/O ligature with the screw facing away; on both, however, they are both still on the right.
I never really questioned the weird useless pockets companies put on their free cases. My violin case has one too and there are some odd bits in there: some of those removable sticky tabs for marking places in a book; a skinny book for noting music to learn or exercises to do; the instructions that came with my tuner that I have never looked at; and a digital metronome.
@@MilamberinxI think they just throw as much random stuff they can to make the package more enticing because it doesn't cost them anything to do so. I'd rather have had none of them yet gotten a working mouthpiece...
As a middle school clarinet player going into high school, I like your recommendation on the student clarinet just to get a better one for high school! (The cheap one is interesting 🤔)
I love my buffet. It's one of my best non-percussion or electronic instruments. One of the few I actually researched and bought new myself, vs just happening upon one used.
A a day into clarinet playing to was good to know that it was probably the mouth pice on my 14 buck good will clarinet and not just me playing wrong that I had to breath so much just got a new Yamaha mouth piece for 30 bucks
The two barrels are for different tunings, as the video says. The longer barrel is the one you generally use. The shorter one is for when you haven't warmed up, or it's a very cold day, and the instrument is playing flat.
@@MadMusicBand As a professional player, I very rarely use my short barrels. But once in a while, they come in handy when I just can't get my usual set-up up to pitch.
To add more clarity, the shorter barrel is made for A=440 while the longer is made for A=442. It's a regional thing...North America generally tunes to 440 but apparently at least a good chunk of Europe tunes to 442.
I bought a cheap "Yinfente" C clarinet on Amazon because I wanted a C clarinet without spending… any money. It's actually surprisingly usable. But yeah it came with pretty much exactly all the same stuff… two barrels, the little "thing" of cork grease, the pointless white gloves, the terrible reed. (Yeah, I never tried the mouthpiece.)
That's awesome that it works! Yea, mouthpieces seem to be an easy first upgrade to most of these cheap horns. I am also of the mind of wanting to spend very VERY little on horns that aren't my primary 😂
I play clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor sax, and piano. I can certainly say that that clarinet is horrible. If you’re almost passing out from playing a clarinet while bass clarinet takes much more air, then that mouth peice was made horrible
Okay I'm going to come in again. When you put the ligature on most of them are directional. Most beginner clarinets come with ligatures where the screws go across the reed. The part that you grab to tighten it should always be on the right. So it will be different for ligatures that are designed to have the screws go on the top.
Hey, read all your comments, thanks for taking the time. I'm not shy about my ineptitude on certain instruments (I'm a percussion main). One of my favorite parts about making these videos is that I get to learn all of the things that I've been doing wrong, and better teach my students. I am in fact a teacher 😂, so I do appreciate your comments so that I can make sure to better teach my students in the future. Every band director has their strengths and weaknesses, and obviously my largest strengths are percussion based. Also, you'd be surprised what some colleges pedagogy classes cover...my woodwind ped was basically us just playing the instruments, and not a lot of step by step/detailed info.
@@MadMusicBand you're young. I have had many years and it took me all of them to get thru precision, brass, and finally strings to feel like I've finally got it. Your willingness to show it all on RU-vid proves you want to do this. Go get em! You're kids are lucky to have you!
As a Clarinetist myself, the yamaer Reed and mouthpiece sounded so bad!😭 Also, pro tip for all the newbies out there, STAY AWAY FROM CECILIO REEDS! They are extremely low quality and are sometimes warped and won't work out of the box.
I remember a kid in my band had that one it broke at least 3 times. I also remember my band teacher helped him for like 25mins and learned it was broken
I thought that could be the case, but I doubt the difference between 2 hz would warrant its own barrel. I really don't know why they think it's necessary to add another. I wish they'd just put in one and with the money saved put in a better mouthpiece.
As a clarinet player- try switching to vandoren reeds such as the v12 or v21 as they play so much better than rico. Also I bought that stand for $20 I can't believe I could have gotten a whole clarinet for another $40.
I've had luck with both reed brands. I've found it's more about the individual reed vs which brand as long as you at least have a decent brand (Rico, vandoren, juno, lavoz, etc.).
I did notice a difference with the type of reed even within brand and it needing to match mouthpiece shape. I landed on ru le pic 56 on a vandoren 5 rv or a traditional or v12 on a b40. They are all subtly different. It’s also important to consider your own mouth and teeth shape.
You're the first person to guess! Correct on the LOTR, we'll see if anyone else can figure out the other two. :) I play #1 at the school so the time and none of my students know either 😂
Love LOVE Mashle :) I need to learn that marimba lick... funnily enough Chou Cream Funk is #2 on my running playlist 😂. We are going to Tokyo in two days and the first thing I'm going to do is devour one of those cream puffs.
I had a Yamaha clarinet for a while and I could NEVER get the hang of it. My coworker was a woodwind player and she wizzed through the scales thus proving I was the problem. I let her keep it because I don’t have the right anything for woodwind. I’ll stick with kazoo.
Nothing wrong with rocking the kazoo! Clarinet is definitely not easy to start though, I've found alto sax to be easier to pick up as far as woodwinds go.
@@MadMusicBand I found it pretty easy. With my first bassoon lesson, no squeeking or much screeching at all. As for Hobo (I knew what a C4 on piano was and how it looks on a music sheet and that's it) on the you can try a bunch of instruments morning, it went mostly pretty well. Finding what tongue-ing is and trying to apply it was the greater brain f"huppeldepup"ck and felt like doing morse code with your tongue. It's really just like holding a drinking straw very gently with your lips and that's it. 😁 Or am I special? 🤣🤣🤣🧐🤪😁
I think next time you need to find the cheapest flute. They do some really sweet PINK ones. 🤣🤣 So the stand and mouth piece are just going right to landfill. Thanks for adding that you were playing the chromatic scale. 😲 Interesting video 2x👍
I bought one of these clarinets on Yahoo Auctions recently. Could not get it to play a decent note at all. Sold it to a recycle store here in Japan for $80 - win!
I played sax and clarinet and wanted to learn flute. I bought an 80$ flute off eBay. It was playable and I played it everyday for two weeks. Then I was playing and sproing springs went flying and keys were on the floor. I threw it in the trash and bought a 500$ Yamaha flute.
Clarinet (and beginning flute) player here. I cringed when I saw the reed already on the mouthpiece. Pretty crazy that there was not a paper sleeve or something to put the reed in after playing. A great way to mold on the reed and the mouth piece. A couple of years ago of not playing for a decade and a half, I bought a set of cheap reeds off of Amazon. I could not even make a toot. It put me off of playing for a couple of years until I got a set of Rico reeds. I got two cheap flutes off of Amazon and noticed that I always got light headed immediately after playing.
I remember I was in orchestra rehearsal with the band kids and the Orchestra kids. I was playing part. I was sitting next to a clarinet kid and I accidentally threw my bow at him.
Barrels have an incredibly small effect on playability. A beginner, even intermediate player wouldn't even notice the difference. I suspect the two barrels included are for tuning A=440 and A=442, which is funny because a beginner's margin for error is wider than that difference in the first place.
@@JHouse4 that's an interesting thought, though I'd imagine the tuning difference between the two would be larger than just 2hz because of the size difference alone. I bet they just throw it in to make it seem like a better "deal" or something, I doubt there's a heavily thought out reason for it. I could be wrong obviously.
I will say, the one thing is that you should ALWAYS grease the tenan corks with your fingers. I see horns all the time with cork in all kinds of places it shouldn’t be, mostly tone holes, from people applying too much cork grease by using the stick rather than their fingers.
Interesting, I had never heard that before. I feel like I actually used too much because I had to use my finger. Probably because I just had never done it that way before.
@@MadMusicBand yeah, just take a thin layer on your finger and apply it to the cork works really well you don’t need much. Using your finger also allows you to add a small amount to the inside of the receiving joint if it’s way too tight or the instrument is new.
The three tunes were 99 Red Balloons, one of the themes from The Fellowship of the Ring, and the "cat" theme from Peter and the Wolf. Did I win my very own Yamaer?????
I live in Europe, and I got a cheap clarinet from Thomann, a big box store in Europe. I play sax too, but I've had a really hard time with it. Especially getting the low register to sound. The middle and high registers sound okay. Watching this, I'm getting kind of curious, if cheap instruments in general just ship with bad mouth pieces. I mean, since all of these instruments come from China, it could literally be the same instrument, just with a different logo slapped on it. May be worth looking in to getting a new mouth piece, see if that makes it easier to play. And, yes, I did buy new reeds for it, already. So, it's not the reeds, at least I don't think so, I don't have a stash of other clarinets to test them on ;)
Definitely worth trying out a new mouthpiece. I actually got the Buffet from Thomann. I'm based in the states, and that was the first I'd heard of Thomann. They had the best deal on it so I'm a fan.
as someone who has had horrible experiences with renting clarinets from various music stores, do you advise getting a clarinet from an online store? like my clarinets always end up having broken keys or something
That's hard to say. Mine came without any glaring issues, but you can never tell what you'll get when you order until it arrives. Easy returns at least :p. Sorry you've had such bad luck with rentals.
@@MadMusicBand as band director ...understanding how the bridge key works, and how it is ESSENTIAL for students to know as well...in order not to bend and break keys....I would hope that was instruments 101 in your training.
