 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: jsantos1
Date: 2018-05-26 03:45
Hello everyone!
I've been learning clarinet for about 4 weeks and I'm loving it so far! I'm following the Rubank method and practising everyday for about 1h30. I don't want to play professionaly, just as a hobbyist, but I want to be good at it.
Currently I'm doing long tones and the Rubank method (I'm going forward as I'm feeling confident in the exercises) and as far as I can tell, everything is going well. What I am here to ask is what else I could do besides long tones and Rubank? I'll begin clarinet lessons with a private teacher in about 2 weeks, but until there, I don't know if is something else I could be practising.
I don't have yet a plan, I just do 20 to 30 minutes of long tones and breathing exercises and then I go to Rubank and play it until I get tired or have to do something else. As for actual repertoire, is there something easy I can try? I'm playing from low E to Bb (above the break). As for crossing the break, is there a right moment to practice it? Is it something I should forget for now?
Thanks in advance!
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Author: Speculator Sam
Date: 2018-05-26 04:17
Good for you on discovering the love of clarinet! Welcome to the club jsantos! Thankfully, you'll be working with a teacher soon so they can explain as well as help develop a strategy for you. Before I continue if you simply just need a single song to work on, then here's one of the prettiest beginner tunes, the first one I learned
The song addresses the break, so definitely if you're starting to get the hang of it (it took me three weeks to confidently and consistently cross the break; be patient it takes time), then I'd direct you to two more videos. First. Second.
First, I'd recommend some videos on how to divide your practice
Michelle Anderson's video
The Clarinet Slayer's video
I'm not a teacher, but I can tell you how I divide my practice session and see how this could apply to your situation; I think I mostly follow the advice from the same videos.
1/3 Warm-Ups & Scales: Long Tones, an altissimo and a breathing exercise, warming-up my hands, chromatic scales, and reading through the Albert Scales book for the remainder of that section.
2/3 Technique: 5-10min. of sight-reading most days, 5-10min. of the Modern Daily Studies, and the majority remainder is Rubank Intermediate Method.
3/3 Repertoire, Improvising, & sometimes plain noodling: I'll take one or two pieces or songs, work one them diligently. Sometimes that's the entire of this section. If I happen to stop improving after 20-45min., then I'll look up a song or backing track and play along with it. If I still happen to have energy and time remaining, then I'll probably noodle or just use that energy to clean my instrument and put it away nice and slow like.
Now I have a 2-3hr practice, but for you the Rubank book includes a lot of the scales and rhythmic exercises to warm-up the tongue anyhow. In other words, right after long tones I'd just go straight into the Rubank. When you feel like you're done with the book for the day, but still happen to have some time left, then you could see googling an easy arrangement of a song or piece. Michelle Anderson has a another video on repertoire books. I'd recommend improvising/noodling and having fun if you found you're done learning a song for the day and still want to practice the remainder of your allotted time.
I hope this has helped any. Good luck on your clarinet journey jsantos.
Post Edited (2018-05-26 04:23)
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2018-05-26 05:48
jsantos1 wrote:
> Currently I'm doing long tones and the Rubank method (I'm going
> forward as I'm feeling confident in the exercises)...
> I don't have yet a plan, I just do 20 to 30 minutes of long
> tones and breathing exercises and then I go to Rubank and play
> it until I get tired or have to do something else. As for
> actual repertoire, is there something easy I can try? I'm
> playing from low E to Bb (above the break). As for crossing the
> break, is there a right moment to practice it? Is it something
> I should forget for now?
To clarify, are you playing from E below the third leger line below the staff (E3) to Bb above the staff (Bb5)? I that's the case, you've already crossed the "break" - you just may need to learn to play the actual intervals back and forth between the two registers more smoothly. (For octave numbering look at the image to the right of the title of this page, "The Clarinet BBoard," to see where C4 is located on the staff - at "middle C").
If you haven't started to play the notes in the 2nd ("clarion") register (if you really meant "throat" Bb4), my advice is to begin as soon as you're secure with the low ("chalumeau") register to try pressing the register key to open it, starting with low C (to produce G5, just above the top staff line). Once you can get G easily, start coming down a scale with the same fingerings you use in the chalumeau - G, F (RH 1st finger), E, etc. (fingered the same as low C, Bb, A...).
Beginning students usually find going downward over the break from C to Bb and B to A easier than going up at first. When you can go downward from clarion C(5) Then the next step is to go back up, remembering how your fingers felt before you came down from the upper notes. IMO this can be started whenever the chalumeau register is controlled and fingers are covering the holes consistently. The sooner the better.
As to a practice routine, the most important thing is that whatever you're doing is motivating you. If I spent that much time on long tones, I'd be bored and ready to stop playing. But many players, even advanced ones, play long tones every day. I start with scales, and as soon as you learn a couple of scales, you should review them at each practice session. Rubank Elementary is as good as anything unless you like eye-catching, colorful layouts, in which case something like Essential Elements 2000 or another band method aimed at kids might be good. There are lots of collections of very easy classical tunes, e.g. Rubank Book of Clarinet Solos - Easy Level. Most of the band method books used in school programs have folk songs and composed songs old enough to be in public domain scattered throughout, as do the first couple of books by James Collis. If you're looking for popular songs new enough to still be protected by copyright your best bet is to search online for collections - Broadway hits (or the major songs from a single show), movie themes, holiday songs, songs from a specific decade, etc.
Of course, your teacher will no doubt want you to buy the book(s) he or she is most used to using and will have ideas about what you should practice. But even then, don't limit yourself only to what the teacher recommends.
Have fun with it!
Karl
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The Clarinet Pages
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