 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Arunas
Date: 2015-01-13 05:16
Hello, I'm new here and also to the clarinet. I've come here for some advice and help. So here is my short story.
I think it's worth noting that the clarinet would be my second instrument, the first being the electric guitar, as I am a die hard "rocker" also I had lots of favourite bands and tunes I wanted to play, which is a bit different with the later (clarinet) situation.
I've learned to play the guitar completely in my own, the internet is simply overloaded with material on how to do it, so since I had and still have a real passion for it ( plus lots of spare time ) it was like playing a video game instead of doing hard.
As time passed I always had this idea of a second instrument, a wind instrument to be precise, after some digging I found out that in an orchestral setup there was this one instrument that stood out the most, this sound I found really pleasant to my ear and for some strange reason it remined me of Tom & Jerry - it was the Clarinet.
Ofcourse then came a lengthy period where all I would watch (and druel while) was youtube clarinet performances and such.
So I finally scraped some money to buy myself something it was a used Yamaha YCL-250 Bb. I have no complaints over this instrument and I love it just holding in my hand, the only complaint for the time being is that its so damn hard to assemble this thing without being paranoid over breaking the keys...
The first blow was as pictured in lots of movies... well.. nothing came out, as I realised that its not that simple as blowing in to a recorder. But this was quickly fixed and sounds are produced.
(The natural way I started blowing, is somewhat different than on most videos in YT, what I do, if google is right, is double lip embouchure - should I stay with it or... ? )
So days passed and I was playing with the thing casualy when I came to realise: ok enough, time to get some chops down and start learning some tunes.
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Thats when I realised: unlike the guitar which I picked up to play the music I like, the clarinet I picked up solely by the unique sounds it can produce...
I have no "tunes" that would serve as DRIVING force, the most known classical peaces that I watched on YT are completely out of my legue, coupled with the blues and swing impro. stuff that I watched along with the classical did not raise hope either.
OK so I though fine, I'll just go learn some licks/riff/or just start up some lesson series on youtube/ download a DVD, find a magazine scan or something.
Thats when i discovered that video material is very scarce, apart from basic 101 clarinet caring/cleaning/posture videos there isn't really much of a variety musicaly. Downloading a DVD was out of the question too, since... well... there are none out there for grabs.
Bottom line is,
I need help in finding a starting point, the songs I like dont really go well with the clarinet, the one I do are simply not memorable enough for me to want to learn them or have no material on how to play them.
Id like to find a healthy database on something I could make my everyday "homework" in terms of learning and expanding all the main fingerings and techniques of the clarinet. Some tip and tricks to the fingering system as I find it totally bizarre.
Basically, I need something... something that would put the sounds this instrument makes into a good musical context (suited for it) As doing chromatic runs ( which I honesly cant even do, let alone talk about creeping in to the register key territory ) is very robotic and can drive you insane from the monotony of sound.
I hope I make sense with my problems, I don't want to sound impatient as I know with these things how much you put in is what you get, but I'm simply missing the "spark" in terms of material to get me started.
Cheers & Thanks !
EDIT: I'm aware I might and will get responses like "Find a teacher" - I acknowledge that it probably the "best?" ways out in terms of finding what I want and starting out, but for the time being let's just say that in my area, there are very few people that deal with this instrument, and the people that do are preliminary school teachers that don't take up afterclass lessons. This and the fact that I'm a strong believer that they are people that can only show us the door and it's up to a student to decide if and when he wants to open them and explore, so again it's all the work you will put in, not someone else for you ( also I'm a student and what they charge would leave me eating water and bread, yikes! )
Post Edited (2015-01-13 05:26)
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2015-01-13 06:40
Hi Arunas:
Welcome to the bboard. By no means do I represent it. I’m just one of many people here who ask and answer questions, complete with my own opinions, biases, experiences, limitations, strengths and weaknesses, just to name a few attributes.
I have been doing it for 40 years though, so I’m probably at 20% of all that one can know. (I’m not sure I said that as a joke, and if I did, 20% may be too high, not too low.)
I read your story carefully and have considered not only what you’ve asked, but the spirit, I feel, behind why you’ve asked what you have. Before I begin taking a crack at them I need to ask you, what are your goals and intentions for the instrument? Please, don’t patronize me and don’t patronize yourself. Just be honest.
If you want nothing more than to play well known melodies on the instrument (and by the way, if that’s all you want, who is anyone to judge) and wish to learn enough to voice the instrument and finger the keys, my answer will differ from that which addresses if you truly want to learn the instrument from the ground up.
So describe yourself. Are more the kind that wants to learn the equivalent on the clarinet of how a starting or wannabe electric guitarist learns Deep Purple’s Smoke on the water https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUwEIt9ez7M or do you want to learn the kinds of things that move you in the direction of the Youtube clarinet videos you are enamored by?
I’m not shaming you. I’m gauging you.
Assuming you wish to learn correctly, let’s "rip off a couple of band aids on
hairy skin." It may hurt initially, but I’m going to save you pain down the road.
“I'm a strong believer that they are people that can only show us the door and it's up to a student to decide if and when he wants to open them and explore, so again it's all the work you will put in, not someone else for you (also I'm a student and what they charge would leave me eating water and bread, yikes! )”
Clarinet, especially initially, to not be done wrong, to not develop bad habits, is not “wong” (my past tense for winging it.) There’s the basics of reading music if you don’t, how to properly assembled and disassemble the pieces of the instrument you fear breaking when you work with it, reeds, fingers and embouchure, etc. I know this all takes money you don’t have. And as I don’t know your age, I don’t know if you can get basic knowledge at the public school level.
Songs? It’s three blind mice in the beginning, and that’s if you’re lucky. We often don’t get to top 40 or Broadway tunes, let alone the classics right away because there’s a proper order to learning, and it begins with the scales you will never stop playing.
Later on, years down the road, there’s plenty to explore on your own. You will make subtle changes in your play and instruments to fit your taste. But now, you need to be led like a horse with blinders on so as to be forced to practice that which is important in the beginning: the so called boring grunt work.
On the bright side-the same Youtube that got you interested in the clarinet offers Skype lessons, and clarinet mentoring programs. But in the beginning there’s no substitute for a teacher being physically present to test your instrument, visualize your play up close, get you started with study books, and for you to visualize their play.
“The songs I like dont really go well with the clarinet, the one I do are simply not memorable enough for me to want to learn them.”
Arunas, the few songs you do at first, should you be so lucky to even tackle (or skilled enough to tackle) them, will be simply children’s tunes. You will need to learn stuff far far more boring than that you find too boring to tackle as per your comments above. You will sit with a metronome trying to get passages that are variations of scales at just the right speed.
I wish I could give you advice more to your liking. Clarinet just doesn’t lend itself well to self help, especially initially. Technology though is making it possible for you to learn from good teachers even if they aren’t in your area.
As far as staring books go, Klose’s Clarinet Method Volume 1 is as good as any, but simply getting yourself a copy, without someone to rate your play, just isn’t worth it.
Sorry. Maybe others will have better or different opnions. I wish I could be a bearer of better news for you.
Post Edited (2015-01-13 06:44)
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Author: Tony F
Date: 2015-01-13 09:27
Hi Arunas,
I'll echo WPD's comments on the necessity, or at least advisability of working with a teacher initially. It will get you started in the right direction, it will get you over the basic "Need to know" stuff and it will steer you clear of bad habits and bad technique which once learned are very hard to unlearn. If there isn't a teacher locally, try to find a more experienced player to show you the basics.
You haven't told us much about yourself in terms of your level of musical knowledge and education, so it's difficult to make specific suggestions for your particular situation. Can you read music? If you can, life will be so much easier for you because you can follow the well-established paths that so many others have trod on their way to developing the necessary skills.
The instrument you have bought is a first class choice as a learner instrument and will take you far. If you go to your local music shop you'll find a wide choice of books to start you on your way. One that I have found useful is the "Standards of Excellence" series. These will take you through the basics in a structured fashion. You will be playing simple childrens stuff for starters, and this is an essential part of the process. It will get your head and your fingers round the basic mechanics of playing simple stuff without having to worry too much about whether it sounds right.
If you aim too high in your choice of learner material it is more likely that you will be discouraged. Keeping it simple increases your likelyhood of success and keeps your motivation up. As WPD has said, the clarinet isn't an instrument that lends itself to self-teaching. There are just too many traps and pitfalls, and they are easily avoided with just a little help. Above all, don't skip the grunt work. Scales are boring, but knowing them will open up the world of the clarinet more than anything else I can think of.
Good luck, and don't hesitate to bring your queries to this forum. You'll get some answers and a sympathetic response.
Tony F.
Post Edited (2015-01-13 19:38)
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Author: Arunas
Date: 2015-01-13 16:55
Hey guys thanks for the replys, in response to both of them, some things to clarify:
As far as age goes i'm in my mid 20s. As far as musical knowledge, I'm accustomed with sheet music reading, various chord constructions and ways to ways to arpeggiate them, also some basic major, minor, harmonic minor, pentatonic, blues scales and their constructions.
About my goals... all I want to do is be proficient enough to play whatever is that I want, which means that i view this as a long term experience and any goals a I'll for myself will more than likely be replaced with harder ones along the way.
In reference to the smoke on the water, that's actually a pretty good idea, haha, will have to try it on the clarinet, the things I would ultimately like to learn on clarinet would be equivalent somewhat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFXvfBL4WkU
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2015-01-13 17:41
Arunas:
For better or worse, this example says to me that you want to "jam" with your clarinet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFXvfBL4WkU
Again, it's not my place to judge, but if I could make an analogy, perhaps right now you seek to be to clarinet what Ian Anderson http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Anderson
of Jethro Tull might be to flute.
(Full disclaimer: I am a classically trained clarinetist. I like Anderson. I like Jethro Tull. I have no idea of Anderson's degree of virtuosity on the flute, if any, or the genres he plays flute in outside of Jethro Tull. I do know her majesty has deemed him an order of chivalry, something I won't hold my breath waiting to happen to me.)
You'll likely need some basic private instruction, even from just an experienced player, like Tony said, to get going.
Popularize our beloved instrument with class in genres it's not normally associated with, and you'll be fine in my book. Become a famous rock clarinetist, but never effect The Who's former antics of breaking an instrument after a performance that could instead lighten up a child (of any age.)
Post Edited (2015-01-14 02:26)
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Author: MarkB2014
Date: 2015-01-13 23:50
Hi Arunas,
I started learning clarinet around 12 weeks ago, having heard and loved Mozart's famous clarinet concerto, so found myself in exactly your position. As a beginner myself, I have a few thoughts that may help you...
- I started with a clarinet teacher for 7 weeks, one lesson per week. It gave me a good start and I highly recommend seeking one out. At least for the first 4 weeks.
- I learned the standard grade 1 scales, F major, G major, A minor, in the lower register, with the arpeggios. I downloaded a free fingering chart to accomplish this.
- Each time I learned a scale, I composed a simple tune in that scale and wrote it down on sheet music. This avoids children's songs and gives a sense of accomplishment.
- After about 4-5 weeks, I worked on playing notes (any notes) over the break (starting from middle line B). I worked until I could play all notes up to the top of the middle register. This took a total of 10 weeks for me, playing every other day for 30mins. I practice scales every time I pick the instrument up and play some long notes too as a warm up, and to improve my tone.
- In my experience, beginner clarinet song books tend to have one or two melodies you like the sound of and quite a few you don't. I seek out simpler clarinet music on YouTube and music which may not be an immediate choice from my desired repertoire. For example, I learned 'Moon River' in the lower register at first, because I liked the melody and was familiar with how it should sound. I am 80% of the way through learning 'Main Umet' played by Emanuella Vitali, just a short song I found on YouTube. I do however play the song entirely in the lower register. This level of song can be accomplished after about 3 months, as a very rough (and variable) guide. My next song to learn will be 'Pavane', as found/played by Amy Dickson on Soprano Sax (YouTube). Thereafter it will be on to learning 'All of Me' by John Legend, in whatever scale/register I can manage. You can see how I jump genre. Note that a simple song can take me 2-3 weeks to learn to play, so it's a slow process!
- My next stage in scales will be the grade two scales, which include C major, D minor, F major, G major, A minor, played across two octaves. This necessitates playing over the break.
- I have found Clarinet Mentors to be exceptionally good as a source of instruction on YouTube. I have no affiliation, it's just a recommendation.
- I don't foresee myself playing high level beginner/low level intermediate classical for at least another 12 months, so my goals are to master most core scales, improve my tone, increase finger speed, and play songs I can manage. Final tip - keep your ear out for simple melodies you really like, played on any instrument, and then try to play them by ear if you can in the lower register. It's great fun.
Mark.
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Author: BflatNH
Date: 2015-01-14 06:58
A somewhat metaphysical comment. For some reason you picked up this strange device, and hopefully you feel better that you did. There are many different aspects of clarinet, and you must be good at all of them all at once. No, not really. If you can make progress on technique over other things, do that. If it is reading and interpretation and you can progress at that, then do that. If you have in mind a good tone and you can adjust yours to get closer to that, then do that. As you proceed, you will upgrade your equipment. Eventually you will do all those things, and more, but not all right now. So do what you can and make sure no one steals your joy for the clarinet. It called you, and you responded. Find your own 'board of directors' to advise you, and having a good first teacher is important. If you can't find a good teacher (or don't have the resources), go it alone for now and follow your calling. Everyone starts from somewhere. Good luck.
PS: That you like to play music not originally scored for clarinet may be a sign you are inclined to arranging & composition too. Doing that gives you more freedom of what and how to play.
Post Edited (2015-01-14 07:01)
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