 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Alexa
Date: 2000-06-06 21:57
Yesterday I bought my very first clarinet and now I want to get started :-))
Maybe somebody can help me solving some beginner-problems...
Should I try some time on my own or should I look for a teacher? How can I find a good teacher?
Where can I find fingering guides and scales in the web?
Can anyone tell me about good books for beginners (german or english...)
Hope to hear from you :-)
Alexa
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Kontragirl
Date: 2000-06-06 22:22
What kind of clarinet did you buy? Somebody always has to ask
You can start learning while you are looking for a teacher. That's what I did and my teacher was pleased to see that I had some idea of what I was doing.
I'm sure you could find some if you looked around this site you could find some good fingering charts. Maybe someone can give you better directions than those, I get lost on this page. My only more specific advice would be to check the study.
I don't know of any german books, but I'm sure there are good ones. I really like the Rubank series. A bit of advice, pick up the beginner and intermidate book at the same time. If you're a quick learner, you'll soar through the elementary book in no time.
Have fun! I can't wait to hear more!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: drew
Date: 2000-06-06 22:27
Get to a teacher as fast as possible!
Why?
At the beginning you can pick up incorrect techniques very quickly. Sometimes these can be hard to change. A teacher will get you on the right track from the beginning.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Don Berger
Date: 2000-06-06 22:57
I'm sure Dee and our other fine teachers will chime in with good advice. Also Arnold and maybe Alphie can help with Ger and/or Fr instruction books. Search the Phorum and ask Mark C for help when needed. Don
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bob Gardner
Date: 2000-06-06 23:00
Alexa:
From another beginner. If you can't fine a teacher right away start by yourself. You can find fingering charts on this site by Joseph Izen--they are of great value. he gives you the proper fingering for every major and minor. I went and highlited all of the b and # in a piece as a reminder to do the proper fingering. i you can fine a copy of David Pino book--teh clarinet and clarinet playing --you will find this to be of value. I purchased a copy from Amazon.com.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: AL
Date: 2000-06-06 23:03
I agree with Drew completely. Get a teacher right away!
You don't know the messes some kids (and adults) get into.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: paul
Date: 2000-06-06 23:41
First, let me welcome you to the wonderful world of the clarinet and to this fine BBS. You will always find friends who genuinely care on this BBS.
I have to echo the "find a teacher" vote. I'm no longer shocked by folks who start out with the worst habits and then can't figure out why it's so hard to play a clarinet. A few tips and tricks of the trade here and there can kick you off in the right direction, making the clarinet a real joy in your life. A couple of years of lessons helped me understand music and the clarinet fairly well. Now, it's totally up to me to practice what I learned to make it real.
Second, take the quality time to stick with very basic fundamentals in the basic beginner's drill books. There is a reason why you play a simple low C for eight counts, then a low D for eight counts, etc. You are building up counting skills, air support strength, embouchure (lip sealing and control muscles) strength, and gaining valuable experience at the same time. Stick with the low and easy to play notes for quite a while.
Third, if you are daring (and that's okay, too), try my Scales on this BBS. Go under the Study page and then go to the Scales sub page. Please honor the copyright rules. For the price (free), the burden isn't too much. These scales are made for beginners, set to a very simple measure in 4/4 time (that's what the big C means next to the fancy looking "S" at the beginning of the measures). Take your time and look at the accompanying fingerings for each note, and make it a point to carefully read the subtitles on the fingering pages. Sometimes you look at the fingerings from left to right and sometimes you look at the fingerings from right to left. That's because I took a shortcut on lots of the scales fingering sheets to crank out the entire product quicker. I simply copied the entire sheet and put a subtitle on the sheet for the ascending (going up) (very often left to right) and for the descending (going down) (very often right to left) scales. You might ask yourself the question "Why make this so difficult?". Good point. Music notation consists of lots of shortcuts (perhaps not this bad, but there are lots of them). I wanted the novice to get used to reading for these kinds of details in music.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Eoin McAuley
Date: 2000-06-06 23:49
I agree! Get a teacher. I taught myself for the first two years. I played for the first three months without tonguing and it took me another six months to recover from this mistake. A teacher would have spotted this straight away on the first lesson.
What sort of a clarinet did you get? Since you mentioned German, I must warn you that there are two types of clarinet: Boehm system, which are normal in most of the world, and German system, which are used in Germany and Austria. A simpler type of German system, known as Albert or Simple system was also available until recently in many places; these are no longer made but are still available second-hand (used). If you have an Albert or German system clarinet, you will need to learn a different fingering system, so the charts will not help you, although some instruction manuals give fingering charts for both systems. You can tell which system your clarinet uses as follows: down the front of your clarinet are six finger holes. The one furthest from the mouthpiece is for ring finger of the right hand. Beside this are some keys for the right little finger. If there are four keys in a neat 2 x 2 array, then relax, you have a Boehm system clarinet. Ignore this paragraph. If there are only two keys, you probably have an ALbert or German system clarinet. This may cause some problems unless your teacher is familiar with this type of clarinet.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Nicole Y.
Date: 2000-06-07 00:53
Rubank rules! My private teacher set me up on it and I'm flying through it! (I wasn't quite ready for the Advanced Method yet) He says if I keep working I should be through soon! Rubank's frustrating sometimes, but it's challenging. And I like that!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: paul
Date: 2000-06-07 01:15
Ditto on the Rubank series. Good stuff and solid education, too. Plus, the Rubank books have weekly lesson plans embedded in them. Follow the plan and work it hard each week. Before you know it, you will be well on your way with solid fundamentals in clarinet playing. That's why the Rubank series books are the favorite of private and public teachers all over the place.
Lots of the exact same music that's in the Rubank Advanced is in my Langenus books. Early the last century, copyright laws were a lot more lax than today. So, if you think you saw it before in another book, you're probably right.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Sara
Date: 2000-06-07 02:23
Love the Rubanks! Hated them at first b/c their not the most interesting music but if you supplement it with sheet music you learn a lot. Good luck, don't practice a million hours a day, have fun with it. Find a teacher you'll benefit so much from it. Now if I didn't take lessons I would quit band class b/c I'm so far ahead. Good luck!
Sara
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Willie
Date: 2000-06-07 05:47
I agree with finding a good instructor, one who knows what begginers should work on. I say this because some instructors are better suited for more advanced students. Now some of the stuff this instructor may have you do may seem stupid or boring to you as a begginer, but it all has a purpose. I went through it and again with my daughter who still doesn't like scales and long tone excercises. Keep your enthusiasm and welcome to the clarinet. Good music is enjoyable, but lots more fun if you play it yourself.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Beejay
Date: 2000-06-07 13:50
Several contributors mentioned the Rubank books. They are very good, but they are hard to find in Europe and expensive too because of the unfavorable exchange rate. I believe you are writing from Germany and if so you need to know if you are playing a Boehm (French) system clarinet, or an Oehler or similar German system. If you have a Boehm clarinet, I would recommend the adaptation of the Klose method by Guy Dangain, published in Paris by Gerard Billaudot. It comes in seven volumes which you can buy one by one as you progress. It contains ample explanations with translations into English and German -- "Allgemeinverstandlich fur den jungen Klarinettisten.". I also like Dangain's book of scales and arpeggios which are very logically arranged, and his three-volume "Initiation a Mozart," which ranges from easy to quite difficult adapations, and which can, of course, be played on any kind of clarinet. There are dozens of other methods for the Boehm clarinet, and I'd be happy to find out more details about them if you care to e-mail me. I assume there must also be many specialized books for the German systems, but there I am unable to help you. Some methods I have seen, such as the old-fashioned but still very beautiful one done in the early 19th century by Lefevre and republished by Ricordi in Italy contain detailed charts for both kinds of clarinet. One other small detail: the keys are numbered differently in continental methods than in those published in England or the United States, and this can give rise to confusion in reading some of the keycharts on these pages.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Meri
Date: 2000-06-07 14:49
Al and Drew:
As for getting a private teacher right away, I do not necessarily agree. I myself got very far as a primarily self-taught player, by listening to good clarinet recordings, actively participating in master classes and music camps, occasional mini-lessons, reading the literature and applying ideas, teaching the less-advanced students (privately and in groups) in my high school and the nearby grade 7-8 school, working through the solo clarinet literature (including three good clarinet study books) my school had available (which was a lot) more. I sucessfully made the second-highest ensemble in music camps (highest being Symphony Orchestra, second-highest Wind Symphony, with a total of 7 groups of placement), performed some difficult orchestral music in the all-city orchestra, made honours band for my city's bicentenial, and more.
When my technique was evaluated by a private clarinet instructor (a well-respected one where I live), it was said to be excellent overall, with a couple of minor problems. (which were corrected). Now being back into lessons for the summer, my teacher thinks the Weber Concertino (a piece I quite like and that our community band is thinking of performing next season) is within my grasp.
Note also, I have been playing since I was 12 (started in grade 7 through the school program). (now 21, 22 in August)
So, Al and Drew, rethink about what you said about having lessons. If someone is determined to play well, willing to work at it consciously, and seek out resources, then they may still turn out to be fine players.We really do have to teach ourselves at least 9/10 of the time, and thank our teachers for the rest.
Meri
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: steve
Date: 2000-06-07 15:02
meri brings up some interesting points....If I'm not mistaken, there are examples of autodidact (self-taught) master classical woodwind players...Sigurd Rascher (sax) comes to mind...I seem to remember that Simeon Bellison was self taught, but I may be wrong....otoh, many jazz players are self taught....
however, imho, nothing can substitute for the one-on-one interaction of a master teacher in the transmission of the techniques and traditions of classical music...I'm sure Meri is a fine clarinetist, but I'd bet if she started with a teacher at the start of her playing, she would have become just as fine faster, and also had the opportunity to learn alot more than clarinet.....
also, imho, meri is somewhat unique...most of us wouldn't have her raw talent to tackle classical clarinet on our own...a teacher sure can't hurt!!!..good luck to ya meri...
s
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: SusieQ
Date: 2000-06-07 15:16
I have to agree with Steve in that Meri is the exception rather than the rule when it comes to being self taught. I for one did not have a private lesson until I was in my late 20's. Our band director in high school was a brass man and did not know the finer points about the clarinet, therfore most of my clarine instruction was self taught. To learn the alternate fingerings and when to apply them really needs to be taught by a qualified teacher and the sooner the better. It is extremely hard to change bad habits later on. I am still struggling with these fingerings. Do yourself a big favor and find a teacher and learn the correct fingering early on.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Lelia
Date: 2000-06-07 15:52
I think it's much easier for a beginner to start with a teacher, but -- another one of those self-starters was Artie Shaw, and he ended up doing pretty well! For someone who's studied other instruments first, especially if they have something in common with clarinet (flute, for instance, with similar fingerings, or sax, with similar fingerings *and* a single reed), I think picking up clarinet without a teacher is possible. I started on piano with lessons, learned clarinet in a public school music program and have gone on to teach myself recorder, sax and several other instruments. I'm no genius, either. I just got good books, maintained a regular practice schedule, listened to a lot of music and plugged away.
One suggestion for beginning clarinetists: Your lip needs time to develop and toughen up, so don't try to start right out practicing 4 hrs. a day! Work up to a practice schedule gradually, maybe with only 10 minutes the first day. If you can play for half an hour per session at the end of two weeks or a month, that's great. You can make progress with short practice sessions as long as they're *thoughtful* practice sessions where you can really concentrate. Patience at the beginning means faster progress in the long run, because if you don't hurt your lip, you won't have to take time off to let it heal. Welcome to the clarinet!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-06-07 15:57
steve wrote:
-------------------------------
otoh, many jazz players are self taught....
--------
I played jazz bass for many years; though I say I was 'self-taught" it really isn't the truth, at least for most jazz musicians I know.
jazz musicians rarely play truly "solo" - they're members of bands or jam with the local groups. They share from each other on an almost daily basis, and there's always one of them that takes a newcomer under their wing to help them out. While I never had "formal" lessons on bass, I had many teachers, some of them masters of the instrument, and all of them were unpaid (except for the booze tabs I'd pick up when I could :^)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Meri
Date: 2000-06-07 16:34
steve wrote:
-------------------------------
<<I'd bet if she started with a teacher at the start of her playing, she would have become just as fine faster, and also had the opportunity to learn alot more than clarinet>>
As for learning a lot more faster, that is a possibility. As for learning more than clarinet, I learned a lot more than that. I also learned piano, flute, and oboe (piano and flute self-taught; oboe at a music camp beginning oboe class, but piano is my only other active instrument) although one of my high school teachers was a flautist, so he helped me with that instrument, but mostly for a good beginning. In addition, I learned a lot of classical music history (mostly through independent reading, but also through courses in high school and university); I get most of the obscure classical music questions on "Who wants to be a millionare", for example. Also did grade 3 harmony, as well as compose/arrange music, mostly with MIDI. (I still have my midi files)
In addition, I was not interested in private lessons until I was in grade 11, and then my dad was unwilling to support the idea. Most part-time jobs weren't suitable for me at the time, because of the committment. Hence it was also partly out of necessity.
As for learning the correct/alternate fingerings, I always carried and used a rather comprehensive clarinet fingering reference; ever since I was in grade 9. (the one from Pino's book--the first clarinet book I read--still refer to it) Added the Brymer reference on fingerings a few months ago as well.
Too few people I think, are willing to be explorers; they are dependent on those who taught them or at least other people. Think of the question that is often asked on this BBoard, when some complain they are sick of the standard literature. Why not go into a university or college music library (or some reference libraries) and see what you find that you like? There's a lot of musical gems rarely played. Remember that Mazzeo said that "a student...is going to be his own pupil longest" (13, in The Clarinet, Excellence and Artistry)
Meri
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bob Gardner
Date: 2000-06-07 17:02
i believe that some people are blessed with musical talent and the rest of us have to work our buns off. if a good teacher is available by all means go for it. however if one is not available and you have the desire to do something then by all means go for it. Take advantage of what is there. i think this is one of the things I like about this board. There are a group of people willing to share what they know with others. All you have to do is ask.
Enjoy life.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
