Why is Clarinet so expensive to play!?

[anonymous278347457]

I play 4 instruments, Piano, Guitar, Bass and Clarinet

Piano- Tune once a year £30-50

Guitar- £5 for a set of D'addarios (£30-60 per year)

Bass- Haven't changed strings for 6 months(£30-40 max per year)

Clarinet- Vandoren V12s and 56s cost £2.20 PER REED! And each last about 2 weeks, and some are unplayable out of the pack(bad tone/warped/High notes too hard to get etc). which is at least £100 a year!

I know Rico Reeds are cheaper, but I don't like them as much. And Ordering off the net is also cheaper, but they are still pretty expensive.


/rant

[excane]

Same deal with the saxophone. Buying reeds definitely adds up.

[Trevorus]

Bass strings are pricey too...

[BassManPatsFan]

Have you ever tried a plastic reed? I play bass clarinet and I have three plastic Legere b.c. reeds that have lasted me about two and a half years between the three (one got chipped after over a year of play, the other two are still fine). They cost about $12 each, but it's worth it considering that they don't go bad nearly as quickly as wooden reeds and in my opinion they sound much tighter and clearer on bass clarinet than wooden reeds do. I've never tried one on clarinet, so I can't really comment on the sound...
-Alex

[Aaron Saunders]

Plastic reeds might get a bit, er, "shrieky" on a regular clarinet.

I'd suggest saving up and buying 'em in bulk -- as in, suck it up for a month or two, and drop like 100-150 on a whole whack of them at once. This way, you've got a huge supply of reeds and you got them much cheaper overall than if you'd bought them once or twice a month.

That said...try playing DB -- I paid $180 CAD for my last set of strings, and if I get anything done on the bass, I need to buy a new set...which sucks even more because it needs a new nut and could use a fingerboard planing .

[AmazingGracePlayer]

A reed lasts you two weeks? What are you a chipmunk? I don't think it's that different, but a sax reed lasts me about a year... And I wash it once a month to keep it somewhat sanitary. But I usually pick out 1 or 2 good reeds from a box of 20 Ricos. Still, doesn't cost that much...

[cash87]

hm... acutally i see bass being more expensive than clarinet. If you keep your reeds protected and take care of them after use they can last a very long time. Also look into mitchell lurie for reeds...to me that are just as good as Vandorens and a little cheaper.

[labgnat]

expensive to buy or rent maybe, doubt it costs to play tho

[anonymous278347457]

Originally Posted by AmazingGracePlayer

A reed lasts you two weeks? What are you a chipmunk? I don't think it's that different, but a sax reed lasts me about a year... And I wash it once a month to keep it somewhat sanitary. But I usually pick out 1 or 2 good reeds from a box of 20 Ricos. Still, doesn't cost that much...

I've never really thought about cleaning reeds because they start to feel old, what do you clean them with?

I know some people do all sorts of fancy stuff like soaking them and then flattening them out on pieces of glass and smoothing them out with sandpaper and stuff. But the only thing i've ever done is shave them down, because the Vandoren 3s are a little hard and the Rico 3s are a little soft.

[Baryonyx]

The simple solution, give up Clarinet!

[tplyons]

I was all over Vandorens or Rico Royals in a complete jam. I bought 4's and trimmed to my liking (about 3.5) ...

However, when I played clarinet and sax in the same show. I was using a medium Fibracell on the clarinet. Used Fibracells for marching band as well due to the fluxuations in weather.

[Mark Wilson]

My ensemble teacher went to some Reed factory in Paris when she was there, and she said a box of reeds were about 80 bucks or so.
Also, bass strings are damn expensive.

Say you change strings once a month.
Say the strings cost 40.00. (Mine do, give or take)
That's 480.00 a year!

[AmazingGracePlayer]

Originally Posted by thedonutman

I've never really thought about cleaning reeds because they start to feel old, what do you clean them with?

I know some people do all sorts of fancy stuff like soaking them and then flattening them out on pieces of glass and smoothing them out with sandpaper and stuff. But the only thing i've ever done is shave them down, because the Vandoren 3s are a little hard and the Rico 3s are a little soft.

I clean my reeds by running them under water... that's about it... I know how the reed sometimes get all curved and the tip isn't flat, which is really annoying, I just press the reed against the mouthpiece, and I hold it for a few seconds, and it becomes normal again.

Shaving reeds is not a good idea. It's ok for beginners because their embrochure is probably not good enough to support, but after playing for a few months, try thicker reeds. Your mouth should be "holding" the mouthpiece rather than trying to "flatten" it. In other words, the middle of the mouthpiece/reed should not get much pressure from your lips, but the side should. It's hard to describe with words.

[wdinc01]

Originally Posted by Chris2112

The simple solution, give up Clarinet and play euphonium instead!

Fixed it for you.

Anyway, I seriously don't think that your reeds should only last two weeks. I don't play clarinet, so I'm not an expert, but two weeks seems kind of ridiculous, unless you're doing some hardcore playing. Tomorrow I'll try to remember and ask what some of the kids in my band say about it.

But yes, I do think taking up a woodwind instrument is pretty expensive, or so I hear. Brass is pretty much just get valve/slide oil and maybe a mouthpiece, and you're good to go. That's maybe $50 a year.

[tplyons]

Originally Posted by AmazingGracePlayer

Shaving reeds is not a good idea. It's ok for beginners because their embrochure is probably not good enough to support, but after playing for a few months, try thicker reeds.

Watch your wording. Shaving reeds can be a great idea.

I did this for years as well as the top players I played with. Buy stiffer reeds (4's or 5's) and shave them down to appropriate thicknesses. No two pieces of wood are the same, so a machine can't guaruntee any sort of consistency, therefore only hand honing a reed ensures good quality if you know what you're doing.

Out of a box of 10 reeds, I found four or five good enough to work with. THAT's EXPENSIVE.

[tplyons]

Originally Posted by wdinc01

Fixed it for you.

Anyway, I seriously don't think that your reeds should only last two weeks. I don't play clarinet, so I'm not an expert, but two weeks seems kind of ridiculous, unless you're doing some hardcore playing. Tomorrow I'll try to remember and ask what some of the kids in my band say about it.

But yes, I do think taking up a woodwind instrument is pretty expensive, or so I hear. Brass is pretty much just get valve/slide oil and maybe a mouthpiece, and you're good to go. That's maybe $50 a year.

If I played one reed straight, practicing two or three hours a day, I could probably kill it in a little over a week.

I've kept reeds for weeks, having them in a rotation, as well as certain reeds for hotter, more humid days, etc.

If you can't tell, I was quite the technical player.

[Mole]

I just recently stopped playing bass clarinet, those reeds cost a lot more than normal clarinet reeds. We should all feel sorry for contrabass clarinet players, though-- a box of 5 Vandorens for them is 40 dollars. Anyway, I would suggest a Fibracell reed. I got one for my bass clarinet and it lasted for over half a year, and it stopped lasting then because I stopped playing then.

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally Posted by Aaron Saunders

That said...try playing DB -- I paid $180 CAD for my last set of strings, and if I get anything done on the bass, I need to buy a new set...which sucks even more because it needs a new nut and could use a fingerboard planing .

I agree that Double Bass is far more expensive - so it's not uncommon to pay $220 for a set of strings and also - you really need a car to transport it anywhere and play gigs - not like clarinet, where you can carry it under your arm!

[saxnbass]

I play Sax, and would have to say that sax is more expensive than clarinet. Pics? Sure












Sax: MSRP $5,000
Mouthpiece: $100-$200
Reeds: Vandorens about $20 a pack (so $2 a piece)

If I were in the UK, it would be even more.


But yes, overall, reeded wind instruments are expensive. At least you don't play bass clarinet, baritone sax, or bassoon. Geez, those double reeds are expensive. Like $15 a pop, from what I hear.

[wdinc01]

Originally Posted by tplyons

If I played one reed straight, practicing two or three hours a day, I could probably kill it in a little over a week.

I've kept reeds for weeks, having them in a rotation, as well as certain reeds for hotter, more humid days, etc.

If you can't tell, I was quite the technical player.

I asked probably the best clarinet player at school. His answer was essntially what you said, so I guess you're right. I still think it's kind of crazy, though.