Any Clarinetists on the board?

[Blackbird]

Just got a hold of this today at a price I couldn't pass up. I always wanted to learn a wind instrument and it looks like it might be clarinet.



I'm probably going to take a beginning woodwing class at the local community college in the fall - I don't think there are any summer classes - but I'm wondering if anyone has any pointers for me until then. Compared to a bass or guitar, this is a really convoluted interface. Thanks.

[canopener]

If you can read treble clef, you're halfway there. You have to practice regularly to get a good sound. I remember leaving my sax at school when I played for the junior high band and playing it twice a week: once during band practice/rehearsals and during sax only lessons. I always sounded like crap though the thing because it only left the case one day out of the week.

Think of reeds like strings, some need to be broken in, different guages may last longer, most will need to be replaced regularly, and some more than others. You will also need to clean it out regularly, and it should've came with some kind of cleaning cloth. If not, you could probably pick one up at a music store the next time you pick up some reeds.

[smperry]

Hey, did you get your Skagen yet? It's nice!

I dabble; saxophone is my primary wind instrument though (mostly alto but some baritone).

Try to make sound with the mouthpiece not attached to the rest of the instrument. Just so you get used to it...make sure the ligature keeps the reed in place but allows it to vibrate. Work on just the "holes" first, as they don't require as much change of your embouchure. And try to use the word embouchure in conversation at least once a day.

Marshall

[justateenpoet]

I played clarinet in elementary school and part of junior high...it can be fun, but practice is everything. The most important thing to work on is your "embrochure" (the interaction of your mouth and lips and the reed). It's hard to figure out, and books can only tell you so much...your class will be helpful in working on that.

Try and clean it about once a week. Otherwise you'll be shocked at what you brush out of there...unlike trumpets, clarinets don't have spit valves.

[tplyons]

I learned my woodwinds backwards... went from sax to clarinet to flute. They get harder and harder.

It's not hard to learn, just hard to learn well. Just remember that just like a bass, there are more than one way to get the same pitch. Remember all the alternate fingerings and when to use them.

[Blackbird]

Originally Posted by tplyons

Just remember that just like a bass, there are more than one way to get the same pitch. Remember all the alternate fingerings and when to use them.

Whoa, that piece of info alone is huge. Thanks.

Marshall, the Skagen arrived thursday or friday. I'm wearing it now. Nice is right!

[bassjus]

I dabble aswell in woodwinds. I have an alto sax which I've been trying to get better on(it's only beena couple of months) and I've got a clarinet. The clarinet is broken for the time being, so that's a major bummer. I find that I'll end up really practicing the sax for a couple weeks, which will make me forget about practicing bass(well I still do, just not nearly as much) But then it'll go the other way. Just make sure to still keep practicing bass.

[spudmaster34]

i am quite a bit better at sax, i started in 2nd grade (age 8-9) so i have had a lot more practice with it. reeds are verry important to your sound. think of them like strings, exept unlike strings, certain people cant use certain types. if most of the people who say they "dablle" tryed to use my mouthpiece, they couldnt get a sound, be sure to get reed with a low number, most saxists start on 2 but i dont know about clarinet as much. alternate fingerings are verry important, they can make a large difference in the skill level requirred to play a song.

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DO REPAIRS/ADJUSTMENTS YOURSELF
i would feel comfortable making a small truss rod adjustment on my bass, i would not dream of doing any such thing on my sax

[c-ba55]

I played clarinet all through school. Only when I learned bass did I start to understand theory and hear properly. Understanding theory makes playing easier because you can start to expect a lot of what is coming instead of being constantly surprised by an endless series of one note after the other. Going from bass to clarinet should be much easier. One thing I didn't really realize all through school was that you have to concentrate to play each note in tune. I guess that's why the parents always looked so horrified at the concerts.

[Munjibunga]

Use a clarinet, go to jail.

[d8g3jdh]

Originally Posted by Blackbird

Marshall, the Skagen arrived thursday or friday. I'm wearing it now. Nice is right!

[NJL]

Pacman plays clarinet!

Bwah hahahaahhahahahah!!!!

I didn't even start this thread...

[Christopher]

I used to play clarinet in junior high and high school. I think it's the ideal single-reed to start out on, since the fingering system is a little more complicated than the ones for sax and flute; has a pretty huge range; and sounds pretty good, even at a beginner level.

If you've never played a wind instrument before, you may find initial progress to be frustratingly slow. Breath control will be a completely new skill to learn, and as justateenpoet notes, you have to work to build up your embochure, i.e. all of the hundreds of muscles around your mouth that will seal the mouthpiece properly and deliver the proper airflow. Don't overdo it - just like the muscles in your hand, overuse can lead to injury. As for reed selection, start with a 2 (softer reed). As your embochure and breath control improve, you might want to go on to a 3, then a 4 and then a 5.

Wind instruments are great for string and keyboard players to learn - phrasing and dynamics come more naturally on winds, I think.

[BassManPatsFan]

Originally Posted by Christopher

Wind instruments are great for string and keyboard players to learn - phrasing and dynamics come more naturally on winds, I think.

Great observation--I've run into many a guitarist who love writing prog-happy jazz tunes with absolutely no phrasing and no rests. The wind players usually give them an evil glare and throw the tune away.
Anyway, I play Bass Clarinet and I've been playing Clarinets for about 7 years. You've gotten some good advice so far. Once you get the basics down, I suggest buying some good exercise books. Since fingerings on wind instruments (Clarinet especially) can get somewhat confusing, it's really important to practice all the different fingerings for every note. My favorite book and probably the staple of the clarinet world would be the H. Klosé clarinet method which is basically a huge book full of good exercises and little diddies to improve your playing.
About the reeds, moving up in strengths is key to expanding your range (the higher the number, the better and cleaner the upper ranges come out), but never force yourself to move up. Once you feel comfortable with a 2 or 2.5 or whatever you start with, give yourself a couple months to settle in, then maybe move up to a 3. Over your clarinet playing career you can most certainly move your way comfortably up to a 4 or 5 strength reed, but remember there's no competetion, and you should move at your own pace.
For me, I play Bass Clarinet, where it actually helps to have a lower strength reed to enhance the lows of the instrument (I play 3s), so take my advice with a grain of salt.
Also, a neat fact about the clarinet (for you physics phans ), because it is a cylindrical tube that is closed at one end, it only has odd harmonics. When you hit the register on a clarinet, the third harmonic sounds, and it moves the note you're playing up a 12th. On saxophone, which is a conical tube with a closed end, all harmonics are present, so the register key sounds the second harmonic and hikes the note up an octave.
Enjoy.
-Alex

[d8g3jdh]

I played sax in earlier grades...will probably get back into it at some point...

Remember like a bass, the sound relies on you, not the instrument. Only difference is, instead of relying on your fingers for your tone, you have to rely on your mouth. Shape, position, etc. are very important. Posture is too, for air flow.

Have fun.

[WalterBush]

I played clarinet for years before picking up bass. I played Bass Clarinet later on, and that led to me playing bass guitar.

Keep your ears open and your embouchre firm. Your lips will determine whether or not you're in tune half the time, and are completely crucial in good tone. Expiriment with reeds, as suggested below, and remember to moisten them well before playing, since it cuts down on wear and helps your horn sound good immediately, rather than half an hour through your set.

[cheezewiz]

I played one in 6th grade. I even got to be Clarence and his Classical Clarinet in a local theater performance of Gypsy. There were chicks in bikinis in that show!

[Michael Jewels]

Wil, if you want to hear a master blow clarinet, check out Paquito D'Rivera. So good he's almost beyond description.
www.paquitodrivera.com

The Brazilian dreams CD is good, as is 100 years of Latin Love Songs. www.headsup.com/bios/rivera.html

Now I want a clarinet!

Mike