Chalumeau WCL-71 Pear Wood Pocket Clarinet

Sounds great easy to play and solid construction. If you can play a Recorder throw that away and get this instead you won’t regret it!

I purchased two of these with the aim of having something fun to travel with and also to record some "clarinet" sounds for some of my music. I wasn't expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised how nice they can sound. But here's the rub ...I have played single-reed instruments before, but my wife hadn't and it initially turned out that it took quite a bit of effort, and a lot of wind to make a sound on one of them. I had read that replacing the mouthpiece with a real clarinet mouthpiece makes a big difference, so I ordered two Primo Clarinet Mouthpieces from Sweetwater Sound ($29 each as I remember).As soon as I mounted them to the Chalumeau, it was a completely different and pleasant experience! Much easier to play, much easier to shape a good sound. So but the Chalumeau, but order a separate, decent clarinet mouthpiece - it will make a world of difference!

amazing but its only an octave and 1/4, which means 10 different notes can be played, also its higher notes are nothing to write home about

On the surface this looks like a great beginner's instrument. A clarinet that plays like a recorder. But there are things you should know. The reed it comes with is garbage. The mouthpiece is not great either. I put a well lubricated Yamaha mouthpiece and a decent reed on mine and I was able to get it to sound pretty good. But this is NOT a recorder. It requires a more perfect embouchure and it takes a lot of breath pressure to hit the high notes. I think I'm going to enjoy learning to play this instrument, but please understand it is not easy to play and some experience with the clarinet or saxophone would be helpful. Good luck.Update: The high notes are not in tune with the low notes. And it requires about ten times the breath pressure of my alto sax. Don't know if I'm going to keep it.Update: I sent the thing back. The off key notes were annoying.

Pleased. This is a fine musical piece, but I'm not skilled enough to really test the range and value of the tones produced. I'm enjoying my initial foray, but I had not been a woodwinds player in the past.

I am a professional clarinetist who is learning to play the recorder and chalumeau for historical practice and in order to teach younger children. This little chalumeau is a great introduction to the clarinet and the perfect stepping stone between the recorder and the clarinet.As with all stock mouthpieces, you should use your clarinet mouthpiece instead of the mouthpiece that comes with the chalumeau. I play on a D'Addario X0, which I love, and all of my students play on D'Addario Reserve mouthpieces. For clarinet teachers, this is a great way to encourage students' parents to purchase good mouthpieces because this instrument is dirt cheap compared to a decent clarinet!

I'll get the disappointments out of the way first:1. The mouthpiece is garbage, and I'm not just being picky. The side rails were not smooth or even and the ligature is wonky. I threw it out and replaced it with one from my Yamaha clarinet. This problem majorly knocks two stars off (a flute w/o a mouthpiece is just a holey pipe).2. The ONE reed (2.5) it comes with is garbage. Aside from mine being chipped, it is just not good. It's just a reed that can be replaced, but come on - this thing wasn't a cheap toy, don't give me a piece of scrap for a reed.3. The instrument comes with no documentation.I am pleased with the quality of the barrel. It is flawless. With a new mouthpiece and good reed, the instrument sounded pretty good. Impressive dynamics. It can play mellow, or really scream and growl. It's a very expressive instrument, but finicky.The range is limited to a chromatic scale of one octave and one step, from C to D. It does not play a higher octave like the recorder. This can be remedied with very skilled playing, but a novice will shriek and squeal.They say it's a good transition from recorder to clarinet, but this thing is more difficult to play than clarinet. However, there are not many other such small options for familiarizing a young child with playing reeds, so there is some truth in that statement.The instrument I received does not match the picture. Mine has two grooves instead of the rib near the foot, and the foot itself is not as curved. But this in no way affects how the instrument plays, so it's not a big deal. This listing states the instrument is pearwood, but the company website lists maple. I'm clueless.The "rainproof" pouch is decent. I'm certainly not going to test how "rainproof" it is though. I would like an extra compartment for storing the mouthpiece separately from the instrument (see below), and storing a few reeds.If you buy this, DO NOT store this with the mouthpiece attached. Remove it after every use and wipe the moisture out. Water pools in the joint. A LOT of water, like enough to pour out.In comparison to the Yamaha instruments I own, each one coming with documentation and accessories, I think this package is quite sparse, especially considering the price. With a mop, pack of reeds, and a quality mouthpiece, it's worth $70. As-is, $30 is a fairer price.This thing rides a very fine line between me recommending it, or warning you to stay away. If it didn't sound so jazzy, I'd say don't. The only thing truly stapling me to this instrument is the familiar fingering and compact size, really.

I really enjoy using this clarinet, but as previously said, the mouth piece is garbage, but can be replaced. if your new to instruments and want a pocket sized reed, I would recommend checking out the pocket saxophones first before choosing this.