 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bo
Date: 2003-02-04 21:45
I play guitar, drums, bass, a bit of piano, mandolin and harmonica, but I am scared of the clarinet. I start lessons on Thursday. Any tips? I am using Basic Studies for Clarinet by MMO for starters. Know any song books of tunes that I might know? Any genre. Thanks ahead of time.
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Author: melissa
Date: 2003-02-04 22:27
Biggest tip... COVER THE HOLES!!! That is one of the things that makes clarinet so much harder than ost other instruments...
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Author: Tom Piercy
Date: 2003-02-04 22:32
You might already have the book below in the "C" version from the instruments you already play. Many standard fake books also come in Bb versions.
"The Real Little Ultimate Fake Book"
is a smaller sized version of The Ultimate Fake Book.
Selections of current and classic tunes. Each song includes the melody line, the chords, and the lyrics written for piano, vocal and guitar. . This is one of the most comprehensive fake books on the market with over 1200 different songs. It also comes in a Bb version which you would want for clarinet.
You can find it easily at many sites by doing a Google search using the title.
Real Little Ultimate Fake Book
Hal Leonard Publishing
Edition #3 ~ C or Bb Edition
Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation
ISBN: 0634029053
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Author: Pam
Date: 2003-02-04 23:24
Don't be afraid of the clarinet. It's an instrument. YOU make the music. Getting some lessons from the beginning is a good thing to do so you won't develop any bad habits. Have fun!
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Author: RA
Date: 2003-02-05 00:42
Yahmaha works as well. I was taught out of the Standard of Excellence by Bruce Pearson but um...that was what my teacher taught me even though I wasn't a band student she had many who were.
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Author: leonard a
Date: 2003-02-05 02:01
I am new also, and I started with
Play Clarinet Today by Hal Leonard ($9.95). Introduces you to one note at a time and has a cd that you can play along with, or you can just use the book. I don't have the site where I bought it, but if you put in that title in a search, you should come up with it. You can also put in a search for "clarinet music" and you should find a site that lists it. Another book is the Rubank Elementary clarinet book, or if you already read music you might start with the Intermediate. All music stores have this. Your teacher may have a favorite to recommend also.
Don't dismay. It's a harder instrument than some, but diligence will pay off. It already is for me after three months.
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Author: ron b
Date: 2003-02-05 02:35
Welcome to the Wonderful World of Woodwinds, Bo
I must admit, Bo, your clarinet should be approached with caution. Treat it with utmost respect from the very first moment, for you never can be absolutely sure, at first, in what frame of mind you'll find your clarinet. Clarinets are not hesitant to talk back to you when they don't like your attitude and they certainly can be moody and cantankerous and sometimes, without warning, rowdy and screechy and downright antagonistic. They can be frightful. Occasionally they become balky, totally unco-operative, and give you a stoney silent treatment you'll never forget. Sometimes your clarinet may just glare at you for what may seem like an eternity while you sit there in total humiliation.
I'd be scared too, Bo, if it weren't for the promise of other moments that surely will come about in time when it finally warms to you and becomes, in your hands, the most sonorous and melodious of all its cousins. When you and your clarinet get to know one another intimately, putting your differences behind you, and talk and sing to one another in phrasings from another plane, you'll know what real contentment and harmony can be.
Treat your clarinet with the respect it deserves, Bo, and you'll have a lifelong musical companion who'll take you places you never dreamt of. Doors will open up to you people, places, and things you never thought possible.
My clarinet companion has taken me not only to some of the lowliest and saddest of places on earth imaginable but also into the presence of royalty. Generals have stood silently, saluting the anthems we've played, congregations prepared for worship and unruly crowds calmed by our soothing melodies.
Bo, My Clarinet and I wish you and Your Clarinet, all the best in your musical journey together.
Happy Tootin'
- ron b -
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Author: leonard a
Date: 2003-02-05 02:41
Ron, your message exemplifies what I love about this site. Total strangers bonded by the love of and desire to play the clarinet. Your words were so right on and descriptive, but most of all what came through was your love of the instrument and support of all of us who want to play it. I am new too, and your words inspired me.
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Author: leonard a
Date: 2003-02-05 03:53
Go to www.clarinetspot.com. Large selection. Click on Method Books, and you will see Clarinet Today Level 1 and the Rubank books as well as others.
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Author: Josh
Date: 2003-02-05 04:42
The biggest problem for beginners seems to be flat notes. Keep the corners of the mouth tight, bite down firmly, and don't move your mouth.
In the very beginning the chances of playing in tune are slim, but after a while, when the notes start coming out, worry about that.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2003-02-05 11:59
Josh wrote:
>
> bite down firmly,
No, I don't think so. The teeth should be doing very little of the support (indeed, with double-lip the teeth do even less!). The lips should be exerting the force.
If you're biting then you need to un-learn that habit pronto!
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Author: Sandra F. H.
Date: 2003-02-05 12:02
Play, play, play...The more you play the more you'll enjoy it. There are days when we all have been frustrated, but there are those moments... Like Brahm's Serenades and clarinet polkas! Good luck!
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Author: Bo
Date: 2003-02-05 12:29
Thanks all for your tips and support. This board is more responsive than any other board I have ever posted on. I think I might adopt this as a new home away from home. My little girl might get mad though so I must be careful.
After playing music for 17 years and at the age of 31, I will now dive into the realm of reading music. Sure, I know what the notes are, but I never site read. Here goes nothing.
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Author: Vikki
Date: 2003-02-05 12:33
Hi Bo
I too am new to the clarinet and haven't played recorders since I was 13. I am really enjoying it at the moment and my instructor is very patient with me. Be confident and have fun with it. You will get there! I make all sorts of strange noises during my lesson and that is to be expected first off. I would concentrate on how to breathe from your diaphragm as opposed to blowing with all your might! It is like "tightening" your stomach muscles. Also if you are squeaking, I found that if I lifted the clarinet up slightly while playing and making sure my reed is moist, I was successful!
Good luck!
Vikki
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Author: Eileen
Date: 2003-02-05 20:03
You also always have a built-in excuse for a less than great day. It's hard to blame your guitar strings but a clarinetist can always blame the reed.
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Author: Bo
Date: 2003-02-05 20:08
Now, that is something I never thought of.
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The Clarinet Pages
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