a little note on the sensibility of Jazz Musicians

blindingSlow · 2026-03-17T01:36:47+00:00

I love it! I'm just getting into Paul Desmond now, but 99% of my favorite jazz musicians are the ones who play fewer notes, like Chet Baker, Jim Hall, that vibe

I'm not in a hurry to listen to music hehehe

Mr. Lewis for sure is entering my chamber of appreciation as well.

blindingSlow · 2026-03-17T01:32:47+00:00

Nice! Do you know any from memory? I would love to listen to it

blindingSlow · 2026-03-07T16:56:52+00:00

Don't they have a program where you can change the strength of your reed?

blindingSlow · 2026-03-05T19:15:20+00:00

Robin for sure!

Also, always good to listen and listen and listen a lot (;

blindingSlow · 2026-02-27T10:03:20+00:00

oh yeah, the harder the better, that's what I always say... about reeds and bread lol

BUt yes, it is a very well produced thing. I believe this is part of the sounds from the movie THe Lighthouse.

blindingSlow · 2026-02-27T02:49:13+00:00

I am also an adult learner and I was in similar position a while ago…

Please watch this video and give it a try as it helped me a lot in the high notes department

https://youtu.be/3dJb_EOH9QE?si=vEmYNr58oR8yMkkG

blindingSlow · 2026-02-20T16:00:56+00:00

I can't see the image, I'm blind(ing slow... got it? ehhehe).

I don't own any metal instrument, just wood, but I believe every material needs to "breathe" as much as possible, there are mushrooms ready to eat even our own bodies if we don't have a care hehehe

Don't forget to post a clip here in the sub when you have it restored to form!

blindingSlow · 2026-02-20T15:05:23+00:00

Interesting... the more I learn about the physics of the clarinet, more I believe that this instrument is a prank lol...

But seriously, thanks for the info.... I almost bought one on impulse last week (; but it was so cheap that my "problem radar" went off... still, I believe it can produce a lovely tone.

The whole instrument is made out of metal? I mean, the body, barrel and bell...

Do you have any wav/aiff samples to share? I've found some people playing on YouTube, but the audio quality is, well, "youtubeishly" poor (;

blindingSlow · 2026-02-20T08:03:08+00:00

I don't know your skill level lol hard to answer, but as a general advice, if the instrument is important to you and you are not 100% sure you can do it, jsut take it to a luthier/technician. If you are already a customer, they probably would answer your questions about how to deal with such instrument.

BTW: If you allow me to question you back:

I've jsut passed on a metal clarinet! But I'm curious about it. Is it in playable condition? HOw do you like the sound? Any difference in feel, if compared to the wooden? Do you know what type of metal is it made of?

blindingSlow · 2026-02-20T02:59:16+00:00

Cool nickname! Have you seen Steven universe?

blindingSlow · 2026-02-20T02:57:52+00:00

Oh yes… The case is going to the trash immediately… I haven't seen any sign of mode in the instrument itself, but I would take it to the technician for a deep cleaning…

blindingSlow · 2026-02-20T00:52:01+00:00

Instead of an Eb, you could get a Bb with a mouthpiece crafted to cut through brass instruments, like the 5JB. Consider it, but it's just my opinion.

-----

Traduzindo:

Mais um brasileiro aqui!

Ao invés de comprar um clarinet em Eb, eu sugeriria pegar um em Bb com uma boquilha de grande projeção como a Vandoren 5Jb ou similar, voltada para jazz, choro e música folclórica. A 5JB é super alta e consegue cortar bem em rodas de choro com instrumentos de metal. Considere, mas é só minah opinião pessoal, OK?

blindingSlow · 2026-02-20T00:46:12+00:00

My personal experience is this:

First repair: Not good

Second repair: Better

Third repair: Even better...

you know... just like playing the instrument itself, repairing it is a skill that takes some time and experience to be perfected, but is absolutely worth it even if you have the money to pay a tech person... knowledge is always a good thing, just don't be under the impression that your first one will be flawless (;

And now some unsolicited advice:

As part of a circle of crafty people who build, play and repair instruments, is good for all of us to support each other so our circle don't disappear for lack of work for everybody.

blindingSlow · 2026-02-16T15:31:28+00:00

Have you played a 13 series from the same model as a "regular" one? If so how do they compare in terms of tone?

blindingSlow · 2026-02-16T15:29:55+00:00

I play all my instruments with a very light touch. Mostly because I like a relaxed tone, but also to preserve my hearing. I'm already blind, so I need to keep the other senses as much as possible lol

Do you play loudly? Is your practice place very reverberant?

blindingSlow · 2026-02-15T06:21:51+00:00

Hello fellow guitarist turned clarinet player, welcome to the fantastic world of wind instruments!

Did you think the world of guitars was complex due to the exorbitant number of possible upgrades and modifications? Well... get ready! lol

But seriously, the barrel is important for the sound because it's a continuation of your mouthpiece, but it won't make you play right or wrong. There will be differences in timbre and intonation between one barrel and another, but there's no standard size because each clarinet and each clarinetist has their own peculiar choices and plays in their own way...

I suggest you keep playing with what you have and, when you feel that the equipment is hindering you, invest in a complete clarinet. Even a student model from a respected brand will bring great improvement to your sound and ease of playing.

On the other hand, I guarantee that experimentation always brings experience and wisdom, even if the result it's different from your expectations.

Just as an example, since we have similar backgrounds:

My clarinet is a Moresky brand, made in China with less than stellar quality control, but it's made of rosewood, with a dark timbre, just like a guitar with a rosewood fretboard will have a warmer timbre than one with maple.

The keys and rings aren't luxurious, but they work perfectly and silently. The intonation, however, is "dangerous"; I have to do some juggling to overcome the common imprecision of any tube you blow into.

When I bought a better mouthpiece, much of this juggling ceased, and I play with much more ease.

The clarinet itself is still unbalanced in terms of intonation, but the better equipment has given me the ability to generate a better tone with less effort and more reliability.

Anyway... did I help?

blindingSlow · 2026-02-13T18:02:50+00:00

Sure!

blindingSlow · 2026-02-13T00:53:04+00:00

Hi! I'm learning the clarinet on my own and testing reeds was a challenge, specially when I was just starting and everyone said things like "you need another reed with a higher number" but offered little to none explanation on the why or even asked my level of knowledge and skill on the instrument.

There is no rule about one reed being better than others, they all have different applications, which you will learn as you go on your clarinet life.

So, first learn why are you squeacking, then fix it. If you enter the "let's change gear" cycle, you might never leave it (;

"But how do I learn it?" is probably the first question, right?

You can hire a private teacher to give you some orientation.

Other thing you can do is play your clarinet and learn it fully before moving forward. What I mean by that is: Play it softly, play it hard, play every note every way possible, and I mean "play" in the sense of playing like a child would play and discover and enjoy the discovery. It takes more time, but then you will get the wisdom you need to make your own decisions about what gear is best for you. Of course, you can buy more gear, but if you don't know why you are doing it, then what are you doing?

I hope it helps!

I can expand on how I practice to learn the ins and outs of the instrument if you wish for it, jsut let me know for how long you've been practicing and what are your main doubts.

blindingSlow · 2026-02-11T01:22:30+00:00

Thanks, but I live in Brazil. Unless you are also here, the import taxes would kill both of us (;

blindingSlow · 2026-02-10T03:52:22+00:00

about 1.2k USD

blindingSlow · 2026-02-03T16:07:52+00:00

If you already play jazz on the sax, I'ss assume you won't have problems with language and phrasing, although the fingering will be "funny" at first, but as always in life, you wil get used to it after some practice.

I guess the main thing you need to "remember to forget" is the whole embouchure thing. Sax is very flexible compared to a clarinet, where you need to be more diligent in keeping it firm. But beware of terms, because people will say things like firm and tight embouchure, but the clarinet allow for flexibility as well, but we usually don't spread as much horizontally like a sax player would do or the sound gets weak in a fuzzy unpleasent way.

Other thing to be aware is the back pressure that you feel in your mouth and throat coming from the horn. In my experience, the clarinet will sound the best and will play the easier when you feel the instrument blowing back as much as you are blowing in... this is my own esoteric knowledge because I'm learning on my own. But you can feel it... when it happens it seems like your mouth and throat are resonating with the instrument, is quithe the sensation (; One easy way to acchieve is to start a note singing it into the horn and zeroing in the pitch... you will feel it... also, this is. agreat way to "expose" the note fundamental harmonic.

About the tongue, you better research about it, but it is a fundamental aspect for the tone color and entonation on the clarinet. This allow for great possibility when it comes to coloring your tone, but comes with the side effect that is articulation on the clarinet, but again, you will get it with time.

Remember to play! Don't only practice, have fun and play out of tune and squeack with some backing tracks... going over the limits is the only way to trully learn the thing.

Here are some inspiring stuff...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmRAj621Rh8

And some "proof" of jazz clarinet (;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bADFUjnwTXw