The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: spikey1973
Date: 2023-05-26 23:18
Hello to all
Next week I will have my first clarinet lesson (whoohoo, finally) one of those free introduction lessons. Since those are usually pretty short i was intending to add another lesson to make it a full hour or longer.
But before stepping in to the unknown I was wondering.
What do you guys'galls believe we should and shouldn't discuss during this first lesson to get the most out of it.
anything I should practise on on forehand?
(I am going to ask him this last question too)
Kind greats
Matthieu
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Author: kdk
Date: 2023-05-26 23:50
spikey1973 wrote:
> What do you guys'galls believe we should and shouldn't discuss
> during this first lesson to get the most out of it.
>
> anything I should practise on on forehand?
> (I am going to ask him this last question too)
Yes, ask him what you should practice beforehand. But he'll probably say to bring whatever you've been playing. I always want to hear what a new student can already do.
I don't think there's much that you shouldn't discuss if he brings it up. I wouldn't suggest deluging him with questions about equipment unless what he hears suggests that what you're using isn't working.
Once he hears you play, let him set the agenda as far as first steps are concerned. He may ask you what you hope to be able to accomplish with the clarinet (what sort of music, what kind of groups, etc.).
You should get an hour, whether you get it all gratis or have to pay for part (or all) of it. You need to get an idea of his teaching style (and if you're comfortable with it) as much as he needs to find out where your strengths and needs are.
Good luck with it.
Karl
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2023-05-27 00:21
Hi Matthieu,
As another adult learner, here is what I have found:
I've had a couple of first lessons with different teachers, and their teaching styles were incredibly different, so it may be that you just need to go with the flow a bit and find out what the teacher is like.
If you are very keen to make progress fast, and perhaps on a budget, then it might be good to be quite upfront about that, and ask the teacher to give you clear guidance on how to proceed.
To do that, it would be good to define quite closely what you consider to be "progress". For example, do you want to get into a group to play with others, or are you motivated by grades? Do you can deeply about playing in tune, or do you love just pouring your soul into it and not caring too much about accuracy?
I know I wanted to learn all the fingerings fast, so I could play my favourite tunes, but I know other people who get anxious about making mistakes so prefer to learn slowly and play simple tunes perfectly.
The most important thing I think, is to say if you experience pain when playing, especially around your jaw area. I know you are a medic and you are probably way ahead on this already, but I just wanted to mention. Having a good long lesson on your first go, is going to expose stuff like that pretty quickly. Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder is the thing that is useful to read about.
I think if you can say what you want and are motivated by, then it will really help the teacher to meet your needs.
Good luck!
Jen
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Author: Julian ibiza
Date: 2023-05-28 00:11
Hi Matthieu,
That's great about your first lesson!
I would just let the teacher " Do their thing " that first lesson as you'll both be appraising one another for starters.
Learning any musical instruments is quite a journey to get to anywhere near where you want to go ,so it all comes down to a simple LOVE OF THE ROAD.....Finding a comfortable and patient relationship with yourself and your instrument and also a teacher you feel you can reasonably relate to . It's a game of patience and delighting in small victories . Take care of that ,and the destination will take care of itself.
All the best.
Julian Griffiths
Tel. 34 696 798 853
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Author: spikey1973
Date: 2023-05-31 23:59
Hey to all,
Just a small update,
I had my first lesson today and i am happy, learned a lot in such a short lesson.
I honoustly believe the teacher was happy with what I already could do and also with my instrument. He sayed it had a really nice warm sound and really seemed surpriced when i said where i got it from and what I payed for it. Which is really nice to know. Gives a bit of confidence.
So now practice more.. and make advantage of what I learned..
Kind greats
Matthieu
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Author: Julian ibiza
Date: 2023-06-01 09:37
Congratulations Matthieu !.......glad that went well and the teacher liked your instrument.....Happy days !
Julian Griffiths
Tel. 34 696 798 853
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