 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: VicBB
Date: 2025-07-03 18:01
I'm just curious so would love to do a little informal survey of sorts here. Do you literally just listen and try to play along til you get it? Do you transcribe? Do you do the classic thing these days by reading the charts and practicing all the arpeggios? I think this last method usually gives quickest ok ish results for beginners, but I'm blind, so reading charts on the go is not an option.
Would be fun to hear y'alls experiences
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Author: David Eichler
Date: 2025-07-04 12:30
Are you talking about playing jazz. Of course you need some technique, but learning to play by ear is fundamental. Play along with recordings of actual performances by the musicians that most inspire you, and they don't have to all be clarinetist or reed players. Louis Armstrong is the foundation of everything. And then Lester Young is the inception of modern jazz. I would start with them, along with one or two clarinetists you like, for reference to good jazz sound for the instrument.
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Author: Fuzzy
Date: 2025-07-04 18:22
I agree with David.
I'd add a few hints that would have helped me (sort of a "notes to myself"):
1. The first and most important part...is listening. I can't stress the listening part enough. Not only for ear training, and not only for style...but also to form a sonic perception of the sound you'd like to produce, the types of technique you prefer over others, etc. Also, to understand the trad format better - it isn't everyone playing all the time (not that you would - but it is an easy trap to fall into with trad, and waiting your turn, or finding how to support is very important).
2. Take the time to develop the sound you're after - tone, projection, techniques, etc. This doesn't necessarily have to be when playing along with something else. Your sound will refine as you learn the genre, but I think its good to have your core sound/tone/projection pretty solid first.
3. Learn to play by ear. I know the usual recommendation is to "play along with something" - and that's true...but you can start with something much simpler and without a sound track - knowing exactly how a tune goes is the most critical part at the beginning...every note must be clear in your mind. It would be fine to pick something like "Three Blind Mice" or "Happy Birthday" etc. - something short that you know well.
I suggest that being able to accurately hear the tune in your head is the most important part. It will get to the point that if you can hear it in your head, you will be able to play it (this will go for intervals as well). Once you have an easy song down (it might take only a few minutes - or days - just depends), try doing the song again from a different starting note (meaning: play it in a different key). It's great exercise to just play through the song in random keys (random starting notes) one right after the other. This helps you learn to play in complicated keys - and helps develop your ear.
4. Pick a song that you are very familiar with, and try to play along with a recording - pick a slow song if you can. Figure out what key it is in, because that will help you whittle down a few "safe" notes for you to land on - especially the root chord tones. When solo breaks come in on the recording - solo over the top of the soloists to work more on your technique and have some fun.
5. Once you get the melody down (which might take days/weeks at first), turn the music off, pick a random starting note, and figure out the song in that new key.
6. Once you get good at the melody, play along with the recording again and start trying to fill with meaningful lines when either trailing off long tones, or providing pickups into the melodic line. You can also start trying to play meaningful harmonies. Harmonies with direction.
7. Play songs with singers singing the melody. Don't play over the singer's voice - be patient and add fills and occasional voice leading. Add fills (or recurring patterns) on the bridge during the first time through. Otherwise, fill when the singer breaths or sustains tones. Fills normally support or add direction to the melodic line, and are not usually a focus unto themselves.
General notes:
The clarinet's classic role in a trad band is to help emphasize the chord's quality - whether major or minor, or extended (flatted seventh, etc.) and to give direction to the chord changes (voice leading). Add fills (or share them with the trombone), and to take whichever note the trombone/saxophone aren't taking. Another important rule of thumb - is it is generally desired to stay out of the way of the melody, and don't get too close to the melodic line or range of the lead. Many clarinetists opt to play high notes to stay out of the way of the trumpet, but some trumpet players like to play high, so then it is better to play low. (Yeah, it's easier to be heard by playing high.)
Of course that's just the classic role - you can lead the band and play melody the entire time if you wish, or - if you're the band's leader, you can take the root and tell the trombone to get used to it. Hahaha!
One other helpful tip: When playing with recordings - pick smaller ensembles to play along with - there's more room for you. Not intentionally plugging anyone...but here's an example of what I'm talking about (treat Evan's clarinet playing at the beginning as if it were a singer's voice - harmonize/fill, but don't cover - or just copy the beautiful melody: There Must Be a Way
Chris Tyle sometimes frequents the BBoard. Perhaps he will chime in. If so - forget anything I have said and accept his advice!
Fuzzy
;^)>>>
P.S. - for me, arpeggios are handy to know - but difficult to use meaningfully. They can become a "crutch" or sorts - replacing meaningful music, so I personally try to limit their use in my playing. The very good players can wield them in meaningful ways, but it seems many players use them to cover for the fact that they've run out of ideas (musically) or are scared of a specific chord structure. Hahaha!
[Edit: added P.S.]
Post Edited (2025-07-04 18:48)
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Author: kdk
Date: 2025-07-04 20:41
Fuzzy wrote:
> General notes:
> The clarinet's classic role in a trad band...
So, is "trad" a well-known term in some music circles? Trad[itional] jazz? Different from Dixieland? Big Band?
Karl
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Author: Fuzzy
Date: 2025-07-04 21:10
Karl,
That's a great question to ask!
Ask ten people and you'll get ten different answers.
Honestly - certain circles/regions refer to it differently. "Trad" has become more popular, as "Dixieland" has (rightly or wrongly) been deemed politically incorrect and paints a picture of striped pants, waistecoats, straw caps, four/four music played quickly on the banjo. Whereas "trad" hopes to erase that image and encompass a larger whole. "Big Band" generally refers to late 30s and 40s swing, etc.
So - nowadays, you usually hear the world "trad" to indicate "traditional jazz."
Certain folks won't use "trad" because it is hard to define "tradition"...the question asks: "Tradition of which era?"
"Early jazz" is another one - though it might insinuate leaving out a lot of music made since the 20s/30s.
"Hot Jazz" can cover early jazz, or more modernly-influenced-jazz.
Just like so many things - the more you get into the social circle, you find all sorts of differing viewpoints and opinions - some of which are voiced strongly. You'll also find the terms used in contradiction to what you had learned as the "correct" definition.
There's a pretty good argument that most "trad/early jazz" should actually be classified as "pop music" of the era. John Reynolds makes a point of this.
I think many folks we'd classify as "trad pros" look at themselves as jazz musicians...not necessarily "trad musicians."
Still...right now, "trad" seems to be the preferred term - at least in the US.
It's another one of those things that is better experienced by hearing...once the music is heard by all those present, the definition can be set in context. Similar to describing tone as "dark" or "covered" or "spread" or "chocolatey" or what have you - and then no one will agree anyway. Hahaha!
Fuzzy
;^)>>>
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Author: kdk
Date: 2025-07-04 22:25
Fuzzy wrote:
> Karl,
>
> That's a great question to ask!
>
> Ask ten people and you'll get ten different answers.
>
That's good to know - I felt a little unmoored - like maybe I'd missed a whole stylistic movement.
Thanks!
Karl
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Author: Philip Caron
Date: 2025-07-05 15:49
Hi Fuzzy. As I poke along, after a lifetime of reading music, coincidentally following some of your suggestions and starting to play by ear, I'll note that for reasons unclear to me (probably because I lack a formal music education) some melodies are easy to play by ear, even in different keys, but some melodies seem much harder. They sort of change key or use some superset of the key at unexpected places. I can hear the notes in my head, uh maybe, but I still tend to make mistakes playing them by memory. The mistakes sound obvious, but I'm liable to fumble around looking for the right note, and sometimes I don't even find it and forget what I was doing and have to start over. Grr. Persist, Grasshopper.
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The Clarinet Pages
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