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Clarinet Crafts: How to Make a Reed Graveyard
As clarinetists, we spend a lot of our time with reeds. Buying reeds, testing reeds, adjusting reeds, rotating reeds, chipping reeds, warping reeds, crying over reeds…it only seems fitting that we give our reeds the proper burial that they so deserve. I got the inspiration for this idea from my student Julia, who created a reed graveyard for her dearly departed reeds several years ago. If you’re looking to honor the life and legacy of your favorite reeds, here’s how you can make your very own reed graveyard. What you’ll need: Shallow box, box lid, or other container (I used a baking tray) Styrofoam, sand, rocks or other surface to…
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The Bizarre Deaths of Historical Clarinetists
(updated October 2022) You probably know by now that October is my favourite month. I love feeling the brisk chill in the air, indulging in sugary seasonal coffee drinks, and enjoying the magnificent foliage around me. But what I love most about October is Halloween – the scary stories, horror movies, and everything macabre. I have quite the lineup of all things spooky and clarinet-related, so gather ’round the virtual campfire as we celebrate Halloween, Jenny Clarinet style! Prepare to be spooked by the peculiar demises of these historical clarinetists: Harmonides (c. 4th century BC) – During the time of Alexander the Great, Harmonides was an aulos student of Timotheus. (It…
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Uhl Boot Camp
It’s been exactly one year since I launched my first boot camp on Jenny Clarinet! After the success of my Baermann Boot Camp from last October, I made my Kroepsch Boot Camp this past summer, and I even created a year-long boot camp for all you hard-core clarinetists out there! This time around, we’ll be tackling the notoriously difficult 48 Studies by Alfred Uhl. Treacherously technical and tonically tedious, these studies will be completed over the course of two months, focusing on one etude a day. I’ve never worked on the Uhl studies before, and a lot of my readers told me that they were planning to start working on them, so it looks…
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International Day of Baermann
Calling all clarinetists! Last October, I created the Baermann Boot Camp, a practice plan which allows you to complete Carl Baermann’s eponymous scale book in one month. Clarinetists from around the world bonded over torturous key signatures and those dreadful octaves, and we emerged stronger and more technically proficient after an intensive month of scales. A lot of people probably thought I was crazy for cramming so much music into just 31 days. Well, I’m about to share an even more ambitious idea. I’d like to introduce the inaugural International Day of Baermann on October 24, in honor of the 208th birthday of our patron saint of scales. To celebrate, we’ll be…
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The Beginner’s Guide to Orchestral Excerpts
If you’re a musician, you’ve probably crossed paths with a few orchestral excerpts throughout the years. For such short snippets of symphonic literature, you’d think excerpts would be more manageable and less stressful…but unfortunately, that’s not the case. For the uninitiated, what are orchestral excerpts and what’s the big deal? I remember my first experience with an orchestral excerpt. I was asked to record an excerpt from the Brahms 3rd Symphony for an audition in early high school. Having been raised as your typical band geek, I was well-versed in the ways of marching band tunes, patriotic pep songs, and other school band toe-tappers, but I had had little knowledge…
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Quick Fix Friday: No More Peekaboo Pinky
Today’s Quick Fix Friday concerns a fingering issue I see all the time with beginner clarinet players – the dreaded peekaboo pinky! Most clarinet and band method books begin clarinet students with easy fingerings involving only the left hand, such as bottom line E or open G. This is practical for ease of technique and response, but many beginning clarinet students are often unsure what to do with the right hand. As a result, they develop bad finger and hand position habits as they devise ways to hold the clarinet more comfortably. The most common offense I see is holding the pinky (especially on the right hand) behind the clarinet,…
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Moving to Montréal!
It’s crazy how seemingly innocuous decisions can impact your life. Take, for example, my decision to play the clarinet. I was a shy, bookish 10-year-old when I started band. I thought it would be a fun way to hang out with my friends and be exempt from gym. Little did I know that a chunk of grenadilla wood would change my life. Playing the clarinet has given me opportunities I never dreamed possible and introduced me to incredible people from around the world. Just three years ago, I moved to Paris and started this blog. During this time, I learned French, received a Master de musicologie, interprétation et patrimoine, studied…
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Happy 100th birthday Leonard Bernstein!
Long-time Jenny Clarinet readers know that Leonard Bernstein is my musical role model and one of my greatest sources of inspiration (even before it became in vogue to share the Lenny love for his 100th birthday). Fun fact: In 2010, I contacted the Norton A History of Western Music textbook because they had listed his birth year as 1916 instead of 1918. They fixed it in their next edition! A musical multi-hyphenate, Bernstein used art to spread joy, share knowledge, and remove barriers during his entire career. His tireless enthusiasm for music is refreshing, and I hope that these quotes inspire you as much as they do me! (Most…
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So You Want to Play an Auxiliary Clarinet?
One of the great things about the clarinet is that it has quite the extended family. From the mighty contra-bass clarinet to the wailing E-flat clarinet, there is a veritable orchestra of clarinets at our disposal. Although each clarinet uses basically the same fingerings and similar fundamentals, each auxiliary clarinet presents its own unique challenges. Here’s everything you need to known about playing an auxiliary clarinet: Why should you play an auxiliary clarinet? To become more marketable. More clarinets = more gigs. Your band director or ensemble conductor asked you to double or switch. Most importantly: because clarinets are cool and you want to learn an auxiliary clarinet! Which auxiliary…
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The Clarinetist’s College Packing List
It’s that time of year again – school bells are ringing, stores are advertising discounted school supplies, and college-bound musicians are preparing for their impending move. I’m preparing for my own upcoming move to Montreal, so I thought it would be nice to share my packing list for all my fellow clarinetists (because we all know that I have a slight obsession with making lists). Keep in mind that this list is just music-related products and is not comprehensive, so don’t forget to pack the essentials (you know, like clothes and stuff). clarinets – Bb, A, Eb, bass, plastic clarinet for marching band, or any other clarinets you may need…
