Barrel and Mouthpiece Upgrades: What Actually Changes the Sound

Short answer: A clarinet's sound is shaped largely where mouthpiece, reed and player meet, not in the body of the instrument. A well-matched mouthpiece and reed usually changes more than a new clarinet would, while an aftermarket barrel fine-tunes. Body material (grenadilla, plastic, composite) mostly decides cracking risk, weight, upkeep and price; the tonal gap is subtler than many buyers expect.

What really shapes clarinet tone

The reed vibrates against the mouthpiece's facing, and the air column in the instrument then sets the pitch and part of the tone color. So several parts work together as one system: mouthpiece, reed, ligature, barrel, body, and your own embouchure and air support. Change one and the others need to be re-matched. That is why it pays to change one thing at a time and play it for a few days before swapping anything else.

This matters when buying used. A clarinet that sounds dull, plays out of tune or responds stiffly is sometimes being held back by its stock mouthpiece or reed rather than by a fault in the instrument. Before you write an instrument off, test it with a known good mouthpiece and fresh, suitably soft reeds. Checking the instrument itself is covered in buying a used clarinet: what to check.

The mouthpiece

Design and what each feature does

Four things matter most: tip opening, facing length, chamber and material. The facing is the slightly curved surface the reed vibrates against; it keeps the reed from sealing completely against the mouthpiece.

• Tip opening: the gap between reed tip and mouthpiece tip. For B-flat mouthpieces it typically falls between about 0.96 and 1.20 mm, and roughly 0.90 to 1.10 mm counts as a "normal" range for beginners. A narrower opening gives more resistance, a more focused, darker tone and suits harder reeds. A wider one feels freer, louder and brighter, works with softer reeds, but makes intonation more demanding. Makers often quote the opening in hundredths of a millimeter (for example 102 to 119.5), and scales are not standardized.
• Facing length: how far the reed can vibrate freely along the curve. Longer facings tend to sound fuller and more flexible but demand more air support and embouchure control; shorter facings respond quickly and sound more focused or brighter. Naming is inconsistent between makers, so "medium" is not the same everywhere.
• Chamber, rails and baffle: a rounded, closed chamber concentrates the sound, an open chamber lets it spread. Wider rails (the edges the reed sits on) add resistance, narrower ones make playing easier. A higher baffle (the internal rise behind the tip) brightens the tone and adds projection, which is typical of jazz pieces.

These are tendencies. Two mouthpieces with identical numbers can play quite differently because the facing curve and craftsmanship vary.

Mouthpiece material

Hard rubber (ebonite) has been the standard for over a century: durable, with a soft, slightly woody tone. Inexpensive mouthpieces are often plastic, which can sound sharper in the upper register; some tough polycarbonate designs resist chipping and suit school and marching use. Crystal glass is described as brilliant, loud and penetrating; wood is rare and warm. For most players the facing and chamber matter more than the material.

When to change

The stock mouthpiece on a student clarinet is usually a basic model. A change makes sense when the sound and response stay stuffy despite good reeds, when intonation stays shaky despite a sound embouchure, or when playing demands too much effort. Try several before buying: what suits one player often does not suit another, and jaw shape, teeth and embouchure all play a part.

Reeds

Strength, cut and choice

Reeds are almost always cut from giant cane (Arundo donax); synthetic reeds exist but are less common. Strength is rated on a scale of about 1 (soft) to 5 (hard) that is not standardized across brands: a 3 from one maker can feel different from a 3 from another. Beginners usually start at 2 to 2.5; experienced players often play 2.5 to 3.5 or higher. A reed that is too hard is among the most common mistakes: it demands more air, makes the tone thin and stiff, and makes sound production needlessly hard work.

The right strength always depends on the mouthpiece. Rule of thumb: the wider the tip opening, the softer the reed; with the same opening, a reed feels harder the shorter the facing is. So after a mouthpiece change you often need a different strength. The cut (how the tip and back are thinned) also affects response and color, and reeds from the same box differ noticeably.

Breaking in and rotation

Do not play a new reed for long right away. Moisten it in clean water for about 30 seconds (soaking too long makes it mushy) and play it only about 5 to 10 minutes at a time for the first few days. Keep three to five reeds in rotation so each one dries fully between sessions. As a rough guide, a carefully treated reed lasts about 40 to 60 playing hours, though the spread is wide.

Storage and care

• Rinse the reed with water after playing and let it dry flat in open air.
• Store reeds in a ventilated case with a flat surface, not damp in a plastic sleeve, where mold (black spots) can form.
• As a guideline, about 40 to 60 percent relative humidity is good for storage; heat above roughly 86 to 95 °F (30 to 35 °C) can warp reeds.
• Discard reeds with cracks, chipped corners, black spots, clear warping, or poor response despite care.
• Do not leave the reed on the mouthpiece in the case, and take care that the tip does not bump anything when you assemble or disassemble.

The ligature

The ligature holds the reed to the mouthpiece. Metal, plastic, fabric and string versions exist; fabric designs slightly soften the top end and are a bit more forgiving of an imperfect reed-and-mouthpiece match, while metal and string versions tend to project more. How much any of this matters is debated, and the effect is clearly smaller than that of mouthpiece and reed. More important is that the reed sits straight, centered and snug, and that you do not overtighten the screws.

The barrel

Function and intonation

The barrel is the short section between mouthpiece and upper joint and your main tuning tool: a shorter barrel raises overall pitch, a longer one lowers it, and pulling the barrel out a few millimeters lowers pitch too. Standard lengths are 65 or 66 mm for B-flat clarinets and usually 65 mm for A clarinets (64 to 66 mm is also found). A well-adjusted professional clarinet typically tunes around A = 440 to 441 Hz with a 66 mm barrel; 65 to 67 mm is the normal range.

If you need a length well outside that range, the cause usually lies with the mouthpiece, the instrument or the player. Pulling the barrel far out often just masks the cause. Young students tend to play flat while they build embouchure strength; a very open mouth shape (the feeling of "oh" or "ah") lowers pitch further, while an "oo" shape with slightly drawn-in corners helps.

Aftermarket barrels and tone

Besides length, the inner profile (bore) shapes response and color: some profiles sound focused and dark, others more open and bright. Wooden barrels usually sound warmer and more complex than the plastic or rubber barrels supplied with many stock instruments. The effect is audible but smaller than a mouthpiece change, and it helps most players who already control their mouthpiece and embouchure. A common recommendation is to wait two to three years of steady playing before considering one. Check fit: the barrel has to match the tenon and the instrument, so try before you buy.

Body material: grenadilla, plastic and composite

The three options

Professional clarinets are traditionally grenadilla (African blackwood), occasionally other woods such as mopane or bubinga. Cheaper student and beginner models are usually ABS plastic, less often hard rubber. A third group are composites, for example grenadilla powder bonded with resin and carbon fiber, which aim to combine wood-like sound with greater crack resistance.

How big is the tonal difference?

Many experienced players and teachers hear grenadilla as warmer, more centered and more complex, with ABS a touch more nasal and bright. At the same time bore geometry, tone-hole finishing and keywork often matter more than the material itself, and for beginners the difference between wood and a good plastic horn is often hard to hear. Quality plastic clarinets are fully adequate through the intermediate level. Moving to wood pays off mainly once you have already matched mouthpiece and reeds, have hit a tonal ceiling and can keep up the care routine.

Cracking, breaking in and care of wood

Wood absorbs and releases moisture and expands and contracts with temperature, so it can crack. The classic case is a split in the upper joint, often in the first year, when a cold instrument is blown with warm, moist breath. To lower the risk:

• Play a new wooden clarinet only briefly during the first days so the wood adapts to warmth and moisture.
• Play only when the instrument is at room temperature; avoid sharp temperature swings, radiators and windowsills.
• After every session take it apart, swab the bore and let it air-dry fully; blow through the tone holes; never leave a damp swab in the case.
• Leave the case open to dry out now and then, and avoid very dry heated air in winter.
• Oil the bore only with acid-free oil, only when the sealing finish is visibly worn and the wood is completely dry, and keep oil off keys and pads. If unsure, ask a shop.
• Grease the cork tenons regularly so they do not crack and the joints go together smoothly.
• If the ring on the lower joint is loose, take it to a repair shop; a loose ring can damage the wood.

What cracks look like, what they mean and what repairs cost is covered in more depth in the used-buying guide.

School, marching band and outdoors

For school bands, marching and outdoor use, plastic or composite is the sensible choice: unaffected by climate, low upkeep, and ABS is light too. Note that ABS is hard and can shatter on a hard impact. For beginners a good ABS model or a well-serviced, checked used wooden clarinet both make sense. If you are considering the larger instrument, its specifics are in buying a used bass clarinet: what differs.

Hygiene and cleaning

Cleaning the mouthpiece

Cleaned regularly, a mouthpiece stays free of deposits that can dull the sound and hurt response. Proceed like this:

1. Remove reed and ligature, and wrap the cork in a little tape.
2. Wet the mouthpiece with lukewarm water and clean gently with a little mild soap and a soft brush, especially around the facing and chamber.
3. Rinse thoroughly until no soap remains.
4. Pat dry with a soft cloth (not rough paper towel), remove the tape and lightly grease the cork.

Never use hot water on hard rubber; it can discolor the material, and the mouthpiece should not go in the dishwasher. Avoid scouring pads, acetone and other solvents, and never mix cleaning products. As a guideline, a thorough clean every few weeks is enough with regular playing; clean sooner after illness, when deposits show, or when mouthpieces are shared. If in doubt, do not share mouthpieces and reeds at all, or disinfect before handing them on.

Keeping reed and instrument hygienic

Rinse the reed after playing, let it dry and do not keep it in your mouth. Swab the instrument, wipe the ligature now and then and air out the case. Fabric ligatures can be washed with water and a little soap, then dried well.

Upgrade order: what helps most?

1. Suitable reeds in the right strength. Cheapest and immediate, especially if your current reeds are too hard.
2. Mouthpiece. The biggest lever on tone, response and intonation for modest money. Re-match reed strength afterwards.
3. Ligature. More polish than transformation; worth it once mouthpiece and reed fit.
4. Aftermarket barrel. Influences color, response and tuning; worth it once the rest is sorted.
5. Instrument (wood instead of plastic, higher tier). The most expensive step, justified when you reach the limits of your horn. Which keywork system fits is covered in Boehm system versus other fingering systems.

What does it cost?

Reliable price ranges cannot be given here, because offers vary widely by shop, brand and model (as of Oct. 2026). The upgrade order above is a useful guide: reeds are the smallest item but a recurring one, since they wear out. A brand-name mouthpiece is a one-time, manageable purchase, with specialty models (for example crystal glass or CNC-machined) costing more. Aftermarket barrels and ligatures run from simple to premium models, and used barrels are cheaper than new ones. The instrument itself is the most expensive step: plastic (ABS) clarinets cost less than wooden ones, and professional instruments cost considerably more.

Compare several shops before buying, get quotes, and try mouthpieces where you can. Very cheap bottom-tier instruments are best avoided, since build quality and intonation often suffer. If you are unsure, ask your teacher or a specialist shop which tier fits your level.

Common mistakes

• Reeds that are too hard for a beginner, or a strength that does not fit the mouthpiece.
• Changing several parts at once, then not knowing what made the difference.
• Pulling the barrel far out to hide intonation problems instead of checking mouthpiece, reed and embouchure.
• Storing reeds damp in the plastic sleeve, or playing a single reed to death.
• Cleaning the mouthpiece with hot water.
• Blowing a cold wooden clarinet right away, or leaving it by a radiator.
• Going to wood early without a care routine.
• Buying a mouthpiece by price instead of trying it: mouthpieces are personal.

Myths and misunderstandings

• Wood always sounds better: The difference is real but often smaller than the gap between two mouthpieces, and bore and craftsmanship count too.
• More expensive means better: A costly mouthpiece may simply not suit your embouchure and reed.
• The ligature changes everything: Its influence is clearly smaller than that of mouthpiece and reed.
• A new barrel fixes every intonation problem: It mostly shifts the overall pitch; fingering, embouchure and mouthpiece issues remain.