 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: thinker
Date: 2008-08-04 04:05
Hi -
Through some good-luck, I've got some new time on my hands - particularly over these next several months.
I played saxophone in high school and again as an adult - but I've been thinking about taking up the Clarinet. I can read music (or rather I have read music and think I remember).
Anybody else out there taken it up as an adult? Any tips for what best to do as an adult learner? I already have a clarinet in my possession - a Buffet R13 - so I think I'm doing well on that front. But - how best to approach the lessons?
Thanks!
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Author: NorbertTheParrot
Date: 2008-08-04 07:45
Lots of us have taken it up as adults.
You will likely make very fast progress for a few months, then hit a plateau. That's the difficult bit.
Buy a decent mouthpiece and good quality reeds. Then forget about equipment and practise, listen, practise, listen, practise, listen, practise, listen, rinse and repeat.
Always listen critically to your own playing. It's easy to feel satisfied when you get to the end of piece without playing any wrong notes. Not good enough. You need to learn to listen to the beginning, middle and end of every single note you play. Everything needs to be perfect (some chance!)
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Author: Bill
Date: 2008-08-04 11:51
I picked up clarinet when I was about 33. I think different people have different goals for themselves. I myself would never touch the clarinet if I thought for 10 seconds everything needed to be perfect (with respect). OTOH pros and serious students must find a way to make everything perfect. So you have to have some idea of what your goals will be.
Mine was a love of the physical instrument itself, and ... basically ... enjoyment. It is still enjoyable for me to play.
Bill Fogle
Ellsworth, Maine
(formerly Washington, DC)
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2008-08-04 12:58
Thirties and forties for starting out are not insurmountable problems. There is a lady in our band who had never played an instrument, and learned to play well into her sixties.
You mentioned lessons. Are you working on this on your own, or are you taking lesons from an instructor? If the latter, follow the suggestions of the instructor and practice regularly.
I know this is going to sound ridiculous, but listen to good recordings of clarinet performances. I know you won't be able to duplicate the performance, and that isn't the point. The real point is to listen to the good points... the intonation, the evenness of the notes, the expression the player uses to bring the written music to life. Try to emulate some of that as you progress.
First off, you will need to relearn the fundamentals, and how they apply to the clarinet. After that, work on musicality.
Jeff
“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010
"A drummer is a musician's best friend."
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Author: DrH2O
Date: 2008-08-04 12:59
Hi Thinker,
I started clarinet as a total musical newbie a year and a half ago as a 45 year old. If you already read music and can count you've got a great head start. I didn't when I started and learning to do so while also figuring out where my fingers need to go, what my mouth needs to be doing, how to breath, etc has been the most mentally challenging thing I think I've ever done. I still have a long way to go, but with the help of a an excellent teacher at my local university I've made a lot of progress and have thoroughly enjoyed the trip!
My advice (ie what worked for me) -
- adults are impatient and want to progress fast, but there's no shortcut available, your progress will be directly proportional to the quality and quantity of practice you put in
- so get some lessons early on so you know what to practice and how
- don't despair when your lips turn to rubber after 15 minutes - I spent quite a bit of time finger practicing in the early months when my embouchure gave out but I still wanted to practice
- although boring, the scales, scales in thirds, and arpeggio studies my teacher assigned (I'm working out of Klose now) have been the most important thing for me in terms of developing some facility in reading music "automatically"
- join a community band/ensemble as soon as you can, it will not only help you progress faster, but for me playing something well and in tune with the section and band is a real rush and definitely motivates me to hang in there and practice the the tough stuff
- keep taking lessons past the first steep learning curve if you can afford it, the ongoing professional feedback is invaluable, and a good teacher will know what you need to work on next to maximize your progress. I thought that the Klose "various patterns of the tonic chord" exercise was going to be the end of me, but it really was just what I needed to get used to all the various sharp and flat fingerings
- try out smartmusic, you can play along with a full band/orchestra with music from their database and you can also import your own music files. You can adjust the tempo and get it up to performance tempo gradually. You can also record yourself.
- have fun and take unabashed pleasure pleasure in your progress, that's what it's all about (even though my family thinks I'm totally nuts)!
Anne
Clarinet addict
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Author: NorbertTheParrot
Date: 2008-08-04 13:30
"I myself would never touch the clarinet if I thought for 10 seconds everything needed to be perfect (with respect)"
Maybe I should rephrase that. I wasn't trying to say "If you can't play perfectly, give up." What I meant was, you do need to concentrate on the small details. It is easy to get carried away playing lots of notes very fast, believing this means you are playing well. Better by far to play something simple, and play it beautifully.
Recording yourself helps a lot with this. Any old equipment will do for starters, just use your PC and its built-in microphone. Record yourself playing something simple, and really listen to every note. You will hear errors that you didn't hear while you were playing; notes that start late and with a quack, notes that end too soon, slurs that aren't slurs. Concentrate on sorting these things out, not on playing faster and higher.
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Author: Claire Annette
Date: 2008-08-05 12:58
CarlT on this board is just starting out on clarinet.
I think the advantage of starting as an adult would be the maturity of knowing that success comes from hard work.
The clarinet, IMO, isn't the easiest instrument to play. However, the satisfaction that comes from playing well worth all the work.
CLARINET GUARANTEE: You'll get out of it what you put into it.
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Author: russjm
Date: 2008-08-05 15:30
I'm 43 and just starting out myself. I can't read music, but I'm a bass (electric) player and singer, so I have some musical knowledge.
My 7 year old daughter is starting to learn to play clarinet at school, so I decided to help her by learning too, so we can learn together.
We've bought pretty modest instruments to learn on I guess, she has a Yamaha 26 2, and I have a Boosey and Hawkes Regent with a Vandoren mouthpiece. Not exactly top flight stuff, but good to start us off.
I'm getting the hang of the first few notes, and enjoying it a lot, Benny Goodman I aint, but maybe when I'm 70 !?
I think with anything like this, it has to be fun, and a release from every day hum drum things. I see it as a new challenge, and I'm looking forward to many years of fun with it.
Post Edited (2008-08-05 15:32)
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Author: Travis
Date: 2008-08-05 17:50
I’m 37 and am learning the clarinet with no previous formal music training. I take weekly lessons from an instructor I really like – he has me working through the Rubank Elementary book (I’m not quite half-way through yet) supplemented with some exercises from the Velocity beginning book. The hardest part for me is finding the time to practice – I have a full-time job and a pretty busy non-work schedule as it is so trying to find the time to practice everyday can be a challenge. However I quickly found out that if I skip even one or two days of practicing my sight-reading abilities slip a little bit. So even if time is short I try and practice everyday – even if it’s just for 10-15 minutes.
One important thing is that when I am not actually playing my clarinet I am almost always listening to jazz music (the music that I love and want to play). Of course I have my favorite clarinet players and I listen to them often. I was talking to a friend of mine who plays cornet for a local trad jazz band and when I told him that I’ve listened to jazz music almost exclusively for the past 10 years his comment was that I was ‘halfway there’ So listening to a lot of music is, I think, very important.
Lastly, I think having a good support group is vital (for me anyway). I tried teaching myself clarinet a few years ago but I was kind of operating in a vacuum. I quickly became frustrated and lost interest. These days I have several friends who are into jazz and play various instruments (with varying degrees of proficiency) – we get together weekly if possible and play through songs and help each other out as best we can.
So I guess I would summarize by saying:
1) If possible, get a private instructor
2) Practice every day, even just a little
3) Listen to the music you want to play
4) Get a good support group to help you out and keep you motivated
These are, of course, just my opinions.
Sorry for the long post – even though I hardly ever post, this board has become part of my support group
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Author: Van
Date: 2008-08-05 22:23
Hi:
I played somewhat in high school and then really picked Clarinet up again in my late 40's. Now, I cannot live without my daily clarinet session. There is just so much great music out there on the internet that there's always a challenge and always a chance to try new styles. For example, I got interested in Brazilian music recently but could not find clarinet music in this genre so I started downloading guitar music and playing the melody lines...some of this stuff is achingly beautiful on the clarinet.
As many others, I've found that you reach plateaus and then you keep plugging and then you skip to a new level. The jumps are sometimes very unexpected. Sometimes they come when you cannot play for a few weeks because of other commitments or travel or injury (yes, the wrist suffers the ravages of age!). But persistence wins in the end. Playing the Rose etudes (one a week) really helps and the scales etc. cannot be shirked but even just playing first violin parts of Scarlatti pieces can much improve your technique.
This is just a rather long-winded note of encouragement to you to keep at it--the rewards are large and will continue to grow as your skills do.
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Author: CarlT
Date: 2008-08-06 03:10
Much of the above is excellent advice to an adult just starting out.
I'm a 70 year old retired engineer, and I took up the clarinet 4 months ago. It's been one of the best things I have ever done for myself. Admittedly, I am (knock on wood) probably healthier than the average "senior citizen". For example, I am currently helping a friend frame a house. I told him though, that I was NOT getting up on the roof. I very easily could, but I'm not stupid. Enough of that. My point is age is a relative thing at most. If you are generally healthy in body and in spirit, why the heck not take up the clarinet? I resent the time now that I am spending helping my friend with his house because it does take away time from my practice, but I still manage a couple of practice sessions a day (morning and night).
My goal is to be able to participate, and play well, in the local town band. Even though I only have been practicing for 4 months, they have already invited me to come to their practice sessions and join in on some basic tunes (I stop when they get to tunes with notes I have not yet played well, such as certain sharps, flats, altissimo notes, and any music with keys not in C, F, or G, etc).
I especially agree with DrH2O's advice above. In fact, I am going to put this thread on my favorites if nothing else but to read her post from time to time for the advice she gives. I believe I have reached that first plateau that she mentioned, but I'm fighting it with more and more (and better I hope) practice. My teacher for the first 14 weeks is a 55 mile round trip for me, so I have had to cut lessons back to once a month. He did, however, give me a very good start, and I highly recommend you get a good teacher and keep taking lessons as long as you reasonably are able to financially and otherwise.
I use Rubank Elementary Method. I believe it to be one of the best for adults.
Good luck, and if you have enough desire, you certainly can do it.
CarlT
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Author: Cindyr
Date: 2008-08-06 13:04
I've been playing again for 3 years now. I play in a community band, a small town ensemble , and my church (trio). The community band is great, but I've learned more in the smaller groups, where I'm the only clarinet. I would also add that it's fun to play some music that you like after practicing the assigned stuff. I have to play more classical music than I care for in the ensemble, as there are violins, a cello, etc. I personally like music from the 1940's to 70's, this is what I play when I'm alone, or with one other clarinet.
It's helpful to find others nearby who share the same interest as you, and practice together. That's why we formed a small ensemble. Good luck!
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Author: MichaelR
Date: 2008-08-06 15:49
Thinker, as you've read by now there is no age limit. I started in my late 40s with no previous woodwind experience and without having read music in over 30 years.
In addition to what others have suggested I'd say:
Even when you memorize a scale continue to practice while reading from a printed score. You'll avoid the trap I've fallen into of knowing the clarion notes but easily connecting score to fingerings.
If it fits your personality seek out a community band in your area. Playing with a group is a great supplement to lessons.
--
Michael of Portland, OR
Be Appropriate and Follow Your Curiosity
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Author: Pam H.
Date: 2008-08-06 18:07
I second the idea to find others to play with. I had played the clarinet in high school and came back to it again at the end of 1999 - around 20 years after graduation.
Now it's 8 or so years later and I've added the flute and sax to the instruments that I play regularly. The fingerings are very similar to clarinet so that helped me. The flute embochure I did struggle with for years before getting comfortable with it. (I still have to practice the flute pretty consistently to keep my lips in shape.) I play in several groups now.
Early on in my flute lessons - maybe 3-4 months into them, my flute teacher invited me to come to a flute choir she leads. Playing the easy parts in a group sure helped me to grow. I'm still in the flute choir often playing harder parts these days. :-)
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