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Quick Fix Friday: Prepare Your Page Turns
There is nothing worse than getting to a rehearsal (or heaven forbid, a CONCERT!) and realizing that you forgot about page turns. (Well, ok, maybe there are a few worse things. Like breaking your favorite reed or having to play upbeats for the rest of eternity, but I digress.) It’s all fine and dandy when you’re working on micro-sections in the practice room, but it’s a completely different story when you’re doing full run-throughs and realize that you have exactly 2.75 beats to turn the page. (Here’s looking at you, Tomasi Clarinet Concerto!) The quick fix? Prepare your page turns! Go through the entire piece (or pieces) and determine which…
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Books Every Musician Should Have on Their Bookshelf
Introducing: your summer reading list, classical musician edition! As a lifelong bookworm, I have never quite outgrown the excitement of creating summer reading lists. I enjoy reading all subjects and genres, but I am especially partial to books about music. One of the great things about being a musician is being an eternal student – there is no definitive end goal for musicians. Like my idol Leonard Bernstein, my “contact with music is a total embrace.” I immerse myself in learning as much as possible about music theory, history, performances, repertoire, composers, and any other subject I can read about. Knowledge is power, and reading music literature will make you…
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Quick Fix Friday: Open the Case!
I see you over there, pretending like you’ve diligently practiced every day all summer, telling yourself you’ll practice…later…maybe… There will never be a shortage of reasons not to practice, especially in the summer. (It’s too hot! I’m so tired! One more episode! I’ll do it after lunch! I forgot to order new reeds! I haven’t practiced in so long! I’ll sound terrible! I’ll do it tomorrow!) We’ve all been guilty of this at some time or another during our musical careers. Like anything else that matters, you have to make time to practice. I get that you’re covetous of your free time in the summer, but even 30 minutes a…
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The Complete Guide to Clarinet Resonance Fingerings
In my experience, one of the most neglected aspects of clarinet fundamentals among students is resonance fingerings. I get it – resonance fingerings may not seem as important as articulation, scales, posture, altissimo register, or other more obvious clarinet skills – but mastering resonance fingerings will allow you to maintain a mellifluous and symmetrical sound throughout the entire range of the clarinet. Your clarinet sound is your musical voice, so it’s important to develop all fundamentals necessary to produce a beautiful sound. Let’s start from the beginning. What are resonance fingerings? Resonance fingerings (which I have also heard called covered fingerings, shading, right hand down/RHD, and other names given by…
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Quick Fix Friday: More Air, Less Fingers
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is no panacea to become a master clarinetist (or any other instrumentalist, for that matter). We all have to follow a healthy musical “diet” of scales, long tones, and repertoire to improve. We’ve all seen the gimmicky tabloid headlines promising instant results with zero time or effort (Lose 20 pounds overnight! Earn thousands from home! etc etc). These are certainly enticing, but true improvement (personal, mental, musical, physical, or otherwise) is the result of long-term dedication and commitment… Buuuttt……I’ve discovered a close-to-instant fix that I use and share with my students. This is for those times during practice sessions…