Tips on Purchasing a Woodwind Instrument
By Matt Ramel
When purchasing a woodwind instrument there are a variety of choices to choose from. The best place to purchase or rent a woodwind instrument is at your local music store. Most music stores will help provide the basic necessities for your woodwind instrument with possibly a pre-made kit when purchasing or renting one.
Tips for beginners
For beginning students renting an instrument is the most effective way to start learning. This choice is the most effective one because it does not leave you with an unused instrument if your student decides not to continue. If you see that your student is going to enjoy the instrument and stick with it throughout their musical career, the rent of the instrument can be paid off and with most music stores you will be able to keep the instrument.
Popular beginner’s brands
Yamaha
Vito
Leblanc
Tips for intermediate and advanced students
Intermediate and advance woodwind instruments have much more quality in the way they are built and sound. These instruments are for students who have some prior experience and plan on continuing further.
The best type of clarinets at this level are made out of grenadillia wood. The fact that it is made out of wood compared to a beginning clarinet, that is most commonly made out of a resin or plastic, helps create a more pure and resonant sound.
Intermediate and professional saxes will also be made out of more quality metals and materials that will last longer as well as give the instrument a more desirable sound quality.
When trying new instruments you want to make sure that you try a variety of different quality brands such as Buffet, Selmer, or Yamaha. You also want to make sure that you try instruments within your price range as well as different model instruments. Each instrument model and brand has its own unique quality since they are made out of living materials.
Once you find an instrument that feels comfortable in your hands and sounds the way you want it, you then need to try more instruments of that exact brand and model. Even though they may look exactly same, each instrument will most likely will play differently. By trying a few instruments of the same brand and model you will then be able to pinpoint exactly which instrument is right for you.
These same steps can also be taken if purchasing a mouthpiece as well.
Top intermediate and advanced clarinets
Buffet
Selmer
Yamaha
Top intermediate and advance saxes
Selmer
Matt Ramel has played at Elmhurst College Wind Ensemble. He has performed at IMEA collegiate demonstrations as well as Orchestra Hall. He was also part of a Clarinet quartet that has played at the annual Clarinet Collaborations Chicago located at Northeastern Illinois University. He has had the opportunity to play with some incredible musicians such as Jorge Montilla and John Bruce Yeh.