What mouthpiece for a Buffet E11?

Question

What mouthpiece and reed? It's a Bb clarinet

Answer 1

I agree with above! Go to a music shop and try out a few! Thats the only way to tell which one suits your playing! Ask your clarinet teacher too! As for reeds I use Vintage (Aussie brand) or Vandoren depending on the tone I want!

Answer 2

First- congrats!  Buffet E11 is a great intermediate model clarinet!  

Now, what mouthpiece and reed to pair with it... well, that's really dependent on you!  You should take your clarinet to the local music store in your area and ask to try a few.  They should be happy to help, and generally you can find a knowledgable staff member to help you.

You want to find a mouthpiece that is comfortable, doesn't make you work too hard to get the notes out for the range of your horn (though if you are a beginner, this will be hard to test), and something that gives you a full tone.  You don't want it to sound like you're choking your clarinet! LOL

If you are a beginner, a good mouthpiece to start with is a c85... it has a good, medium face.  Once you learn to play a little more, you can go to a smaller or larger faced mouthpiece (try b45) and different reeds.   For a beginner, I suggest a 2 or 2.5 reed strength, preferably made by Vandoren or Mitchell Laurie.  They are soft enough to get a good tone out without making your embochure too tired.  However, as you become more advanced, the reed strength should go up- getting high notes out (let alone IN TUNE) with soft reeds makes you work too hard and can give you a bad tone.

In the end though, I would say ignore the brand names on mouthpieces and go with what feels good and sounds good to you!  If it is a well known mouthpiece that people rave over, great.  If it is a generic blank that costs less than a pack of gum, great.  If it works for you, then it's the right one.

Also, you may want to try them in the store, then go home and check amazon.com or wwbw.com- they carry MANY brands of mouthpieces, usually for cheaper.  And for reeds, I personally order online in bulk... it comes out to cost less.  I would not order a mouthpiece from an online site though, without trying it out first- otherwise, you might get a very expensive hunk of plastic that you just hate.

Good Luck- and happy playing!