Clarinet is hard to blow?

Question

i have 2 clarinets one rental buffet and an armstrong clarinet that belongs to me, the buffet is really easy to blow but the armstrong is extremely hard to blow. i've cleaned the clarinet out and there are no blockages, i just bought the clarinet and it seems rather old, it was apparently bought at an estate sale......

Answer 1

Change your reed, ajust it, check the pads.  I find mine hard to blow when the reed is dried out or really old.  I also like 1.5-2.  My daughter had to start with 3 & 4 and even I couldn't blow it.  If the upper neck pads get worn, it will be hard to blow, too.  Usually, my lower pads go out first.  If you have a tiny s***w driver, check all the fittings.  Something might be loose.

Good luck and happy blowing.  I have the one I got in 1977, one closed hole flute and three bamboo flutes.

Answer 2

RJS is right about Buffet making excellent clarinets.  They sell the most popular professional model- the R13- and their craftsmanship is unparalleled.  I should mention though, that Buffet DOES IN FACT make saxophones and flutes- they are NOT a clarinet specific company, even though they're known for great clarinets.

Anyways- you say that you are renting the Buffet, which tells me it is a student model, most likely plastic.  At the student level, Buffets are comparable to most other name brand clarinets, in both craftsmanship and materials, and you can get a Selmer or Yamaha or LeBlanc that is the same quality as Buffet.

Armstrong is a subsidiary of Selmer (also known for some STELLAR pro horns!), but Armstrong makes exclusively student models.  What I have noticed about Armstrong though, is that they aren't as durable as one might think.  

I played on an Armstrong when I was young... and all the way through high school (for marching band, anyways).  It was always a free blowing horn... until it cracked!  I took it to the shop and they said it was common for this model to get hairline cracks around the register key and thumb hole (which mine had)- likely because they ARE used frequently in marching band and exposed to the elements.  The other problem they have is they crack around the metal rings at the end of the joints and barrel.  

The shop was able to repair the crack, and they also repadded and recorked it.  It played better, but it was never quite the same.  I had to change my mouthpiece and reed set up to compensate (I wasn't going to march with my pro horn).

So if you're going to play the Armstrong, you need to take it to your local music shop and 1) get it looked at... have them check for cracks, check the pads, cork, etc., and 2) spend a day trying out different mouthpieces on the Armstrong.  Use a reed that's been broken in, and try to use a couple different strengths.  For each mouthpiece you try, play a full chromatic scale as low and high as you can go, and make sure it's comfortable (you're not straining or having to blow too hard).  

For my Armstrong, I ended up having to use a Gigliotti (P) Mouthpiece and a 4-4.5 strength Vandoren reed.  I had been using a Vandoren B45 mouthpiece with a strength 3 reed... It was quite a change, to say the least!  Unfortunately, you will just have to go through trial and error to find what works for you.  And be aware- what works for your Armstrong will likely not work for the Buffet, and vice versa (as you've noticed).

And one more thing to consider: even if the Armstrong has never been cracked, and the pads and cork are fine, Buffet and Selmer have two very different ways that they go about boreing out the clarinet... this can create different types of resistance that are not necessarily better than the other, just different and unfamiliar.  You would still need to try a bunch of mouthpieces to see what works for you.

Good luck, and have fun! :)

Answer 3

Howdy Hi,

So you play on a Buffet rental and you just bought an Armstrong??  There is a good reason, I think, the Buffet is easier to blow.   For the most part,  Buffet clarinets are considered the best clarinet... from the beginner models all the way up to the professional model.  I would guess that 98% of all professional clarinet musicians,  teachers and college students play Buffet.   They are just made by the highest standards and are thought to be the best playing clarinets on the market.

On the other hand,  the Armstrong company does not really specialize in clarinets like Buffet does.  Armstrong makes flutes, saxophones, brass instruments and none are in a professional quality league.  

What I can suggest if you are going to play exclusively on the Armstrong, is to get a tune-up at the woodwind repair and get yourself a good professional mouthpiece.  This should give you an easier playing and better sounding instrument....  more competitive to what you would have if you were playing on the Buffet.

Thanks for reading.