 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: JustDavid
Date: 2013-04-23 20:42
Hello, I am so happy to have found this wonderful board. I played clarinet into my college years, and studied with Dr. William Nichols at (then-named) Northeast Louisiana University in the early 1980's. Things happened, and I ended up closeting my horn for a little while....
I just pulled my long-neglected Selmer Signet Soloist out of the closet yesterday, after browsing this board, and similar forums, for the past week or so. Dropped it off at the local music store and am awaiting an estimate on restoration cost. In addition to the maintenance needs, it does have a small, skinny crack at the top of the underside of the LH upper joint :(
While I wait for the official bad news, I've been contemplating how to go about re-learning to play my instrument; I really don't know what to expect in the way of remembered training. I'm hoping that the members here might be able to provide guidance on how to give myself the best chance of success in this endeavor.
I have the Rubank Method (can't remember off the top of my head whether it's Elementary or Intermediate), if that gives you an idea of my thinking in this regard.
Thank you for any input, advice and certainly any encouragement. I'm more than a little bit scared....
David
I'm a Clarinewbie.... again
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Author: SteveG_CT
Date: 2013-04-23 20:54
It would be a good idea to find private teacher and have at least a few lessons to get back into the swing of things. If you go it alone there is a good chance you could develop some bad habits that will take a long time to un-learn later on when they start limiting your ability to play the music you want to.
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Author: bradfordlloyd
Date: 2013-04-23 22:37
Welcome back! A little over 2years ago now, I started back after a 20+ year hiatus. Now, I'm sure that it's different for each person, but here's what worked for me:
1. I just started. Get playing and play some of the stuff you remember enjoying. Dust off some of those skills, make sure that you still enjoy it, but just do it.
2. Find friends or a community group to play with regularly. After I blew out some cobwebs and could play some basics again, I joined a community band that practices weekly. I also met with a friend who plays piano once a month just to sightread, goof around, and drink beer afterwards
3. Discover patience with yourself. I find that the skills I used to have aren't always where I left them. I've had to rebuild embouchure, remember technique, and hundreds of other little things that used to come naturally and I barely had to think about. It all comes back in chunks, but never quite as I think it will. I've had to start over, think about what I really want, and I'm doing it totally differently this time than I did the last time (more emphasis on fun, less goal-oriented, and a totally different set-up). It has been good....but, wow, this may be the hardest part for me.
4. When you're ready, find yourself a good teacher. Ideally, someone you like, who wants adult students and knows how to work with them. I go once a month because I can't get in enough practice to see any changes on a more frequent interval.
5. Most of all, enjoy it. The chance to make music again has been a true blessing.
Just my two cents.....
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Author: gkern
Date: 2013-04-23 22:53
David - Bradford-lloyd is right on! I started playing again after about a 53 year hiatus a little over 3 years ago. I ordered a plastic horn from Amazon, when it came, I greased the corks, got the reed wet, stuck the joints together, put the reed on, and thought I was Artie Shaw, tried to play it and - NOTHING! Not even a friggin' squeak! Took about a week to get the semblance of music out of it, but I persevered.
Noodle around on in, play some easy stuff, work on scales, and a teacher would be good to get back into the swing of things.
Since then, I have joined a community band, something I heartily recommend.
But, most importantly, enjoy it! I did not realize, in all those 53 years, what I had been missing in my life.
Gary K
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2013-04-24 00:27
I agree with the community band idea. It brought me back to playing eight years ago. I am so happy to be making music again! Yiou might erven want to look at one of the New Horizons types of bands, if they have one in your area, just until you get more accustomed to playing. This can be a good way to start, if the local band is a little too advanced for your current level.
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: JustDavid
Date: 2013-04-24 01:11
Thank you all for the kind words and excellent advice! I think that will do as suggested and, when the Selmer returns from its stay at the spa, spend at least a week or so just ... squawking and figuring out where I am.
I really like the community band idea, as well as the advice to find a private instructor for maybe 1-2 lessons a month if I can squeeze all that in.
Thank you also, Alan (bradfordlloyd) for the tip on patience; I do think I'll have to fight some frustration, especially early on, with degraded skills.
As an aside, I did think it was pretty neat, looking at online vendors, to see where 'clarinet technology' has gone since I went on extended vacation. I certainly don't remember seeing humidity-control reed cases, mouthpiece cushions/savers, pad savers, such a wide range of ligatures, or having such easy access to customized parts (barrels, bells), when I was a student! Seems like the only 'big deal' tweak-wise back then in my neck of the woods might have been the new-fangled 'crystal' mouthpieces that seemingly became popular overnight.
Anyway, thank you again. I agree with you, Gary, about something missing. Music was a big part of my life for almost two decades; going basically 'cold-turkey' was pretty jarring and something I have regretted for years.
David
I'm a Clarinewbie.... again
Post Edited (2013-04-24 01:14)
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Author: curlyev
Date: 2013-04-24 04:10
Yes, a community band is a GREAT idea, and it's so much fun! You will be surprised how quickly it all comes back! Happy playing!
Clarinet: Wooden Bundy 1950s
Mthpc: WW Co. B6 refaced by Kurtzweil
Lig: Various Rovners
Barrel/Bell: Backun
Reeds: Legere 3.75
OKC Symphonic Band (just started this summer)
*playing 22 years (with a 5 year hiatus) and counting*
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Author: jasperbay
Date: 2013-04-24 04:22
David;
I'll try to add a couple things that helped me after a 40 yr. hiatus, that others haven't mentioned.
Aftermarket mouthpieces are a quantum-leap improvement over whatever came with your Signet, or any other clarinet. I've had great results with several of different Vandoren models, try several if you can. Forget crystal untill later. Start with a #2 reed and work your way up from there.
Your Soloist is a very good clarinet, might need pads and new cork . The advent of thin CA (suerglue) has made small crack repairs much easier and long lasting. I dab small drops on the crack with a toothpick till the crack won't wick any more, then scrape/sand/buff. Oftentimes the repair is invisable.
Just start playing for fun, and it'll all come back like riding a bike!!
P.S. In the "Search" archives are many articles on repadding, crack repair, etc.
Clark G. Sherwood
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2013-04-24 15:37
Have fun.
One thing that you might not realize is that all that old muscle memory is still there, and you'll be reviving any bad habits you used to have. Because of that, I'd put working with a teacher near the top of my priority list.
Clark's mention of the mouthpiece problem (yeah: problem, like reeds but 10 times as expensive) is excellent. When I restarted about 10-years ago, my old college-period Brillhart wasn't cutting it; and I started shopping cheap on "that auction site." In that random search for a friendly 'piece, I found that I needed to set up two mouthpieces with reed and ligature so that I could pop them off and on and interchange them quickly. When two mouthpieces were close, I found that I could sense the difference between ligatures, so I "bid" myself a matched pair (I now have 4) of ligatures, to take that variable out of the comparison.
I just revisited my mpc and was lucky enough to start with a dozen or so "pro" mouthpieces collected by the clarinet studio at Eastern Washington University. From there, I picked a maker and ordered three of his mouthpieces for trial. DARN I ended up buying two of them. Take a look around here for threads on makers, and use the sponsor's ads. Most of the mouthpiece makers/facers are great to deal with. They'll help you out, and expect you to try out a few before buying. If you're close to a good sized music shop, visit them and try a few.
A couple of makers have special 'pieces intended to be a step-up from the mouthpieces used to fill that pocket in the instrument case. These are pretty decent, usually made of plastic and priced under $50.
Enjoy
Bob Phillips
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2013-04-24 15:50
When I returned to playing (after "quitting for good" for nine years), I started out with the same clarinet and setup I'd been using when I quit. (The clarinet needed the basic overhauil with corks and pads but otherwise it was okay.) The only difference was the reed. I had been playing on a 3 or a 3-1/2 depending on whether I played band and jazz or classical music, but as a come-backer I thought I'd need to start all over with a 1-1/2.
Wrong!
I was immediately sorry I'd wasted the money on an entire packet of 1-1/2s -- just too flabby, even though my lip was plenty flabby then, too! I tried 2-1/2s for awhile, but I think I was back to my normal 3 and 3-1/2 preference within the first month. So if you do start off with a much lower stiffness of reed than you were used to back when, don't spend lots of money loading up on those lighter reeds. In fact, if you still have unused old reeds, try them out. They might not last as long as fresh, new reeds but there's value in going back to whatever's most familiar.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2013-04-24 16:42
A few years back I returned to the clarinet after a 50 year gap. I found that the muscle memory was still there, but it took a couple of weeks to get the chops back. I bought a German made Evette in good condition and just noodled around for a while. When I'd got the the point where I could run up and down a chromatic scale I found a teacher and worked with her for a bit. After a month I was pretty well back to where I was when I left off. The community band is a great idea, I joined a New Horizons band, and after 3 years I also joined another more advanced band to provide something with more of a challenge. I still play with both bands, and regret all the time that I wasn't playing.
Tony F.
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Author: Paula S
Date: 2013-04-24 18:59
I never completely stopped playing, occasionally helping out with my hubby's school orchestras but I didn't do anything at all demanding until I started practicing again seriously last July. You Tube is your friend! Listen to people to inspire you and keep you going when you have a bad day. Allow yourself one improvement day and a knock back day and generally this will keep your motivation up. Use the opportunity to redesign yourself so that you come out even better than you were before. I dismantled everything and started working on individual aspects of my playing bit by bit.
I have had so much good advice from this site. Paul Aviles said if you make any changes in your embouchure expect to squeak for a while. Also he said that some changes can be destructive so keep an eye out for that. A major motivation for me was to choose a piece I really wanted to play. The Ireland Fantasy Sonata was my goal and I think I am doing pretty well with it now. I wouldn't have believed I could get anywhere near 8 months ago. Also open your mind to the type of music you play. I had not gone anywhere near jazz and didn't think I could do it but it has been one of my best musical experiences to date :-)
On a practical level, get yourself a tuner and something to record yourself so you can analyse your playing and seek to make improvements. Also don't discount new innovations such as synthetic reeds. I really like the Legere Signatures as they are so consistent which helps when you are unsure of your playing ability.
I can't believe that am now playing Eb soprano and am loving it. Also I have just joined a community band which is great for me. I have the enjoyment of being with people who have a common interest and a way of comparing myself with others. It has stopped me being so hard on myself as I can see that it is actually permissable to make the occasional mistake.
Also they now have me playing Eb alto as well so I have widened my horizons more than I would ever have imagined. All in all I am having a great time and am totally back in love with the clarinet after 30 years of only having an occasional acquaintaince with it ;-) Enjoy!!!
Post Edited (2013-04-24 19:00)
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Author: Slowoldman
Date: 2013-04-27 15:38
Last year, I too returned to clarinet playing after a 34-year layoff. I was always a hobbyist, not a music major. I agree with all the good advice above; and will offer my 2 cents. I also had the Rubank Intermediate book, along with Baermann 3rd division--I found it useful to work on these to get going, along with pieces (solos, band parts, whatever) I had played comfortably in the past. And scales, with a metronome, seemed to help my breath support, fingering and smoothness.
Once you get some of the "basics" back in shape, I agree that at least a few lessons with a good teacher are key. (Think about looking at your local college.) After about 6 months of work, I felt confident enough to audition for an advanced community band, and playing in a group really led to "quantum leaps" in my playing.
The biggest thing perhaps for me is the amazing selection of reeds available now. It can be confusing. Friends and teachers helped me zero in on something that fit my mouthpiece and style. Try a bunch.
Returning to music has brought me a lot of happiness and a sense of accomplishment. I wish you the same.
Amateur musician, retired physician
Delaware Valley Wind Symphony, clarinet 1
Bucks County Symphony Orchestra, clarinet 2 (sub)
Post Edited (2013-04-27 17:06)
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Author: bill28099
Date: 2013-04-28 14:15
I would go here and download Klose http://imslp.org/wiki/M%C3%A9thode_compl%C3%A8te_de_clarinette_%28Klos%C3%A9,_Hyacinthe_El%C3%A9onore%29 it's free and old but full of good stuff for starting over. Start on pages 20 and 21, I play those pages every day on my bass clarinet as a warm up. Then it's off to page 97 and a few more.
Absolutely get a teacher. If possible get the best teacher in town, maybe a retired professional or university professor. Teachers actually like old folks, we practice and are prepared for lessons. But equally important a teacher is a motivating force, having one will keep you practicing so you don't look stupid at the next lesson.
Join a group, the local community band or sometimes a local college or university group will be short of people and you can belong for free. Find a summer camp for adults if you can afford it.
If no group can be found play duets with yourself. Record one part on your computer/recorder, play it back and play the other part in real time. Download symphony parts from IMSLP and music from YouTube and play along.
I took a 42 year break from playing and have been at it now for almost 10 years. Unfortunately I'll never be as good as I was in 1961, old brains don't learn as well as young ones, old lungs don't blow as well either, old ears need hearing aids and old fingers are subject to repetitive stress problems.
A great teacher gives you answers to questions
you don't even know you should ask.
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Author: raysnuffer
Date: 2013-04-29 00:46
Great to read these posts after taking up the clarinet again 50 years later !!
I looked on Ebay for a clarinet and ended up with an Evette Schaeffer Master Model. This clarinet is thought to be a precursor to the R13. I then practiced from a Eubank intermediate book my wife bought from a thrift shop.
I love the idea of buying, repadding and playing them so much that I have bought and sold dozens of them.
After a year of play every day, I find the tone is coming around to a level I never thought I could achieve.
Good advice stated above. The mouthpiece and reed can make or break the sound of a good clarinet. I found that certain mouthpieces are great with my 1960 Noblet 27 but don't play well on my 1910 Chapelain at all.
But what fun to experiment with different combinations.
I just started playing with our community band here in Bella Vista Arkansas and find it to be a whole new challenge playing to to fast marches.
But it is good to see you and people like us finding music even more fun now than when we were younger.
Ray
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