The musicians and those, who are interested in music or begin to play, have many questions, concerning the types of orchestral instruments, or narrower, of classical instruments. The question is what brands of this or those particular instruments are the best to provide a perfect playing and indulgence from playing.

Here are a few recommendations on how to choose a clarinet; however, this information should correlate with personal needs, means, goals and wishes. The primary thing is that you should choose the best instrument you can afford. The professional clarinetists in the US commonly prefer the following four brands: Buffet, Leblanc, Selmer and Yamaha. Less popular brands include Jupiter, Howarth, L. Rossi and Patricola. The Buffet R-13 is probably the most widely used professional soprano clarinet in the US. It retails for around two thousand US dollars. The "prestige" model with some valuable additional features will cost around three thousand US dollars. Some musicians play The R-13 from the first day they held a clarinet in their hands. The most valuable and famous feature of the Buffet R-13 is its intonation with deep, resonant tones.

Anyway, any clarinet should be subjected to a good-player play test in order to confirm the quality. Buffet also presents top professional bass clarinets with both a magnificent sound and modern mechanism, comfortable for playing. Leblanc suggests several pro soprano models, which have slightly different mechanisms. The Leblanc models possess both: a smooth mechanism and tonal attributes. The models' prices can vary from two thousand up to three thousand of US dollars. Selmer models are smooth mechanically and tonally and, at the same time, they provide a more outstanding and easier mechanism to maintain playing than either the R-13 or the Leblanc. Yamaha makes two professional models, the CX-72 and CS-72. They are a little bit cheaper than the R-13, however, some professional musicians are not satisfied with the play mechanism as well as with the sounds produced and, as a result, do not advise to buy them.

As far as children are concerned, the clarinets, made of plastic, are recommended for little beginners to get the experience of playing and handling the instrument without having great expenses. Intermediate clarinets are commonly made of wood and can vary in price from about five hundred up to one thousand and two hundred. The intermediate wooden clarinets have a better tone quality and intonation, together with a better-designed key work. They are suitable for those, who have already studied the playing principles and are ready for further training. The higher-end intermediate clarinets often share features with their professional "relatives" and are appropriate for an amateur player.

Nevertheless, when choosing a clarinet, you should bear in mind that all the criticism goes from a personal attitude and will not possibly coincide with your experience. The second thing is that an intonation and a tone are also individual notions and every musician determines for himself how his clarinet should sound. And the last thing is that the purchase of a clarinet should be supported by a professional clarinetist consultation and a play test.