Instrument Information
REEDS
All woodwinds should have a minimum of three reeds in rotation at all times meaning they are broken in and playable. Students should have extra reeds in case of emergencies, so total they should have a total of four to five reeds in their case at all times.
Clarinet & Saxophones
Clarinets and Saxophones should play on Vandoren Blue Box Reeds. Do not purchase Rico reeds. They are of inferior quality. Vandorens do cost slightly more, but are well worth the investment. You can go to a local music store with a friend and purchase a box of reeds together and split the cost.
Clarinet Vandoren Blue Box Reeds
Bass Clarinet Vandoren Blue Box Reeds
Alto Saxophone Vandoren Blue Box Reeds
Tenor Saxophone Vandoren Blue Box Reeds
Baritone Saxophone Vandoren Blue Box Reeds
Oboes & Bassoons
If you need to purchase Oboe or Bassoon reeds, purchase from Edmund Nielsen Woodwinds. Purchase medium or medium hard strength reeds. Do not go to a local music store and purchase Jones reeds. The reeds produced by Edmund Nielsen are of a higher quality and will produce a better sound.
Clarinet & Saxophones
Clarinets and Saxophones should play on Vandoren Blue Box Reeds. Do not purchase Rico reeds. They are of inferior quality. Vandorens do cost slightly more, but are well worth the investment. You can go to a local music store with a friend and purchase a box of reeds together and split the cost.
Clarinet Vandoren Blue Box Reeds
Bass Clarinet Vandoren Blue Box Reeds
Alto Saxophone Vandoren Blue Box Reeds
Tenor Saxophone Vandoren Blue Box Reeds
Baritone Saxophone Vandoren Blue Box Reeds
Oboes & Bassoons
If you need to purchase Oboe or Bassoon reeds, purchase from Edmund Nielsen Woodwinds. Purchase medium or medium hard strength reeds. Do not go to a local music store and purchase Jones reeds. The reeds produced by Edmund Nielsen are of a higher quality and will produce a better sound.
MOUTHPIECES
A mouthpiece can significantly impact the way you play. Investing a small amount of money into a good mouthpiece and putting it on an ok instrument will do you much more than investing a lot of money into a great instrument and using an ok mouthpiece.
Mouthpieces students should be playing on at the high school level (intermediate to advanced players):
Clarinet: Vandoren 5RV
Bass Clarinet: Vandoren B40
Saxophone: Selmer C* - Alto - Tenor - Baritone
Trumpet: Vincent Bach 3C (Be aware cornet mouthpieces are a different size. Figure out if you are playing a cornet or trumpet.)
French Horn: Holton Farkas
Trombone: Shilke 51 D (Make sure you know what the bore size your instrument is, small or large.)
Baritone/Euphonium: Schilke 51D
Tuba: Hellberg 120 7B
Mouthpieces students should be playing on at the high school level (intermediate to advanced players):
Clarinet: Vandoren 5RV
Bass Clarinet: Vandoren B40
Saxophone: Selmer C* - Alto - Tenor - Baritone
Trumpet: Vincent Bach 3C (Be aware cornet mouthpieces are a different size. Figure out if you are playing a cornet or trumpet.)
French Horn: Holton Farkas
Trombone: Shilke 51 D (Make sure you know what the bore size your instrument is, small or large.)
Baritone/Euphonium: Schilke 51D
Tuba: Hellberg 120 7B
INSTRUMENTS
If you a planning on purchasing an instrument, consult your band director and or your private instructor first. There are a lot of things to consider when purchasing a new instrument, so make sure you do your research before spending a lot of money. First and foremost, never buy instruments from a non-Music store (i.e. Walmart) and avoid eBay and Craigslist if possible. If the price seems to good to be true, it almost always is. Usually instruments on eBay or Craigslist are an inferior brand or in poor condition.
Flute: Yamaha, Gemeinhardt
Oboe: Fox
Bassoon: Fox
Clarinet: Yamaha, Buffet
Saxophones: Yamaha, Selmer
Trumpet: Yamaha Xeno, Bach Stradivarius
French Horn: Holton
Trombone: Yamaha
Baritone/Euphonium: Yamaha
Tuba: Yamaha, Miraphone, Conn
Flute: Yamaha, Gemeinhardt
Oboe: Fox
Bassoon: Fox
Clarinet: Yamaha, Buffet
Saxophones: Yamaha, Selmer
Trumpet: Yamaha Xeno, Bach Stradivarius
French Horn: Holton
Trombone: Yamaha
Baritone/Euphonium: Yamaha
Tuba: Yamaha, Miraphone, Conn
MUTES
As you progress through high school and college, brass players will see more and more pieces calling for different mutes. There is no need to buy every single mute out there. It is best to purchase the mutes as they come up, and that will spread out the cost. Trumpet players will have the most mutes of all of the brass players. Always invest in a quality mute. We DO NOT recommend AT ALL purchasing the Humes and Berg cardboard mutes. They have poor sound quality and will deteriorate quickly forcing you to make another mute purchase.
Trumpets
-Straight Mute: Dennis Wick (Every trumpet player at the high school level should own a good straight mute.)
-Cup Mute: Dennis Wick (Comes up occasionally in the concert and jazz setting)
-Plunger: No need to buy anything special. Buy the $5 plunger without a handle from Home Depot or Lowes. (Most likely will only come up in jazz)
-Harmon or Bubble Mute: Jo-Ral Copper (Most likely will only come up in a jazz band setting)
Trombone
-Straight Mute: Dennis Wick
-Cup Mute: Dennis Wick
French Horn
-Straight Mute: Recommendation Coming Soon
-Stop Horn Mute: Recommendation Coming Soon
Euphonium/Baritone Mute:No need to own one until college if at all. Probably only need to purchase one in college if you are going into euphonium performance.
Tuba Mute: No need to own one until college if at all. Probably only need to purchase one in college if you are going into tuba performance.
Trumpets
-Straight Mute: Dennis Wick (Every trumpet player at the high school level should own a good straight mute.)
-Cup Mute: Dennis Wick (Comes up occasionally in the concert and jazz setting)
-Plunger: No need to buy anything special. Buy the $5 plunger without a handle from Home Depot or Lowes. (Most likely will only come up in jazz)
-Harmon or Bubble Mute: Jo-Ral Copper (Most likely will only come up in a jazz band setting)
Trombone
-Straight Mute: Dennis Wick
-Cup Mute: Dennis Wick
French Horn
-Straight Mute: Recommendation Coming Soon
-Stop Horn Mute: Recommendation Coming Soon
Euphonium/Baritone Mute:No need to own one until college if at all. Probably only need to purchase one in college if you are going into euphonium performance.
Tuba Mute: No need to own one until college if at all. Probably only need to purchase one in college if you are going into tuba performance.
