The NUVO Clarinéo is a clarinet in the key of C and is ideal for young starters ages 4 to 12 years. It is much lighter and smaller than a Bb clarinet which means the finger stretches are shorter and the tone holes smaller. This takes away a lot of the physical challenges of the Bb clarinet while encouraging kids to practice more and develop the skills and enthusiasm they will need when they are ready to step up. It can give a child up to three years head start on learning the clarinet. Since the fingering is the same, the transition to Bb clarinet is quick and easy when they are ready. The Clarinéo has a rich, mellow tone just like a traditional clarinet and can play 3½ octaves fully chromatic. That’s enough for Mozarts’ Clarinet Concerto! There is lots of music and learning materials on WindStars and the Clarinéo is particularly suitable for classroom ensembles playing alongside the jFlute and jSAX. The Clarinéo kit comes with two NUVO synthetic reeds as well as a cane reed. As with all NUVO reed instruments standard Eb clarinet reeds will work. You may also want to try the synthetic reed by Légère which fits all Nuvo instruments. The instrument is easy and inexpensive to maintain as well as being 100% washable in warm soapy water. This makes them ideal in school programs where children might be sharing instruments.
