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The Complete Guide to Scales
Longtime readers of this blog probably know by now that I’m a scale fanatic. Scales are one of my absolute favorite things to practice, and I think that they are also one of the most beneficial elements of any well-balanced practice routine. I spend a lot of time with my students explaining what scales are and why they’re so important, and I wanted to create this guide to share this information with you, whether you’re a beginner or scale aficionado. First things first – what is a scale? You’ll probably encounter several different definitions, depending on which music theory book you reference. Basically, a scale is a group of notes…
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Friday Favorites: Articulation Exercises
Happy Friday! Another week, another opportunity for me to share some of my favorite clarinet-related things! This week, I’m sharing some of my favorite articulation exercises. Developing a polished articulation style (both quality and speed) is very important for clarinetists, and here are some of my favorite books to help you in this pursuit: Reginald Kell 17 Staccato Studies (also Clarinet Staccato from the Beginning) Gustave Langenus “Tonguing Study” from Book Three of Complete Method for the Clarinet (No. 11 – page 22) Robert Stark Daily Staccato Exercises Randall Cunningham Tongue Twisters Fernand Gillet Exercices Sur Les Gammes, Les Intervalles, et Le Staccato Pour Clarinette Reiner Wehle Clarinet Fundamentals 1: Sound and Articulation Avrahm Galper Tone, Technique, and Staccato…
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Friday Favorites: Scale Studies
Happy Friday! This week, I’m sharing a few of my favorite scale books. Since I’m somewhat of a scale fanatic, this was a bit difficult to narrow down! In my opinion, no practice session is complete without scale studies, and I’ve linked some of the scale books below to exercises, Boot Camps, and Digital Downloads that I’ve created as resources to help you learn these materials. Without further ado, here are my favorite scale books for clarinetists (listed in no particular order): Carl Baermann Complete Method for the Clarinet, Op. 63 (3rd Division) Pares Daily Exercises and Scales for Clarinet Emile Stiévenard Practical Study of the Scales B. Albert 24 Varied Scales and Exercises for Clarinet…
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Clarinet Care 101
Another school year is right around the corner! Whether you’re just beginning your clarinet journey or would like to review common clarinet care tips, I’ve got you covered! Welcome to Clarinet Care 101! Below, I’m covering basic clarinet care and maintenance, as well as answering some common questions. How often should I swab? I try to swab my clarinet about every 15-20 minutes. If your clarinet starts sounding spitty or you hear water in your keys (that annoying gurgling sound that always seems to interrupt a beautiful phrase), it’s time to swab. If you are breaking in a new clarinet, you should swab much more frequently. How often should I…
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How to achieve delicate attacks on clarinet
At first glance, the words “delicate attacks” might seem like an oxymoron (who decided to call them attacks in the first place?!). Despite the seeming contradiction, it is possible to play beautiful, delicate attacks on the clarinet across all registers. First things first – what is an attack? Simply put, attacks are the beginning of each note you play. Depending on the articulation you are using and the style of music you are playing, some attacks will be more emphatic (such as accented or marcato notes), while others should be more subtle (legato notes and lyrical passages). It’s important to develop a wide variety of styles for your attacks so…
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Your Clarinet Summer Glow Up Guide
Happy summer! (If we’re being pedantic, it doesn’t officially start until next week, but these high temperatures could have fooled me!) If you want to use your summer break for a major musical glow up, you’ve come to the right place! If you’re unfamiliar, a glow up is a positive transformation, whether it’s physical, mental, spiritual, and now…musical! There are tons of ways you can improve this summer to complete your clarinet glow up, and here are a few of my recommendations: Set goals. A glow up is all about feeling more confident with yourself, so in order to do that, you should make a list of goals or skills…
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Quick Fix Friday: Avoid Monotony During Repeated Notes
Happy Friday! Sometimes, a composer likes a note so much that they use it again…and again…and again…. These repeated note sequences can become monotonous if you’re not careful with your phrasing. Anytime you find repeated notes in your music, be sure to add variety through dynamics, pacing, articulation, or other interpretative devices to make these passages more musically compelling. Et voilà – this is an easy way to add some spice to your music! Happy practicing!
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Quick Fix Friday: Your Sound Imitates Your Air
Happy Friday! This week, I wanted to share something I constantly remind my students… Your sound is a direct reflection of your air. If there are dips, bumps, or inconsistencies in your air speed, pressure, or quantity, your sound will be affected. If there is a break in the air, there will be a break in the sound. If there is a waver in the air, there will be a waver in the sound. Think of it like this – when you stand in front of a mirror and raise your hand, your mirror image does the same. Your air and sound are mirror images, so be sure to always…
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The Musician’s Guide to Artist Residencies
Hello from Austria! If you’re subscribed to my newsletter, you know all about my Austrian adventures, including my recent and upcoming projects and performances. I’m currently in Krems an der Donau as an Artist-in-Residence Niederösterreich, where I am researching and performing the clarinet compositions of Ernst Krenek in collaboration with the Ernst Krenek Institut. I’m very thankful to have done artist residencies around the world, and I wanted to share my advice to help other musicians learn more about artist residencies. What is an artist residency? Simply put, an artist residency is an opportunity for artists (from a multitude of disciplines) to live, work, and collaborate in a designated space.…
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Band Directors: Quick Fixes to Help Improve Your Clarinet Section
Hats off to all the band directors out there! I truly respect what you do for music and music education. I think one instrument is challenging enough, and it’s amazing that you make all of them sound great together! Throughout the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with several band programs at the middle school, high school, and university levels. During these clinics, I’ve created the following list of quick fixes to help your clarinet section sound even more awesome than they do now: Ligature before reed. (This one is especially important for beginning band) From day one, train your clarinetists to always put on the ligature before placing…