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25 Practice tips to level up your playing in 2025
Happy New Year! There’s something extra motivating about the change of calendars, and it’s a great time to evaluate ways you can improve and set goals for your future. One of the most impactful areas where you can unlock greater improvement is by examining your practice routine. I’ve written several articles about practice tips throughout the years, and here are 25 practice tips that will help you level up your playing in 2025 and beyond: What are your favorite practice tips? Leave a comment below! Happy practicing!
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The Music Critic Known as Corno di Bassetto
Love ’em or hate ’em, music critics have been around for most of music history. However, not all music critics use a pseudonym inspired by a member of the clarinet family! Irish music critic and multi-hyphenate George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) was a music critic in London for several years, where he used the pen name Corno di Bassetto. Bernard Shaw (his preferred name when he wasn’t using pen names) wrote for the Hornet and Star in London, where he attended musical performances and shared his opinions as Corno di Bassetto. According to this article, “…readers unversed in the language [of music] immediately assumed that the Star had acquired a sophisticated…
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25 Clarinet repertoire hidden gems to perform in 2025
Happy New Year! I hope 2025 brings you health, happiness, and lots of great music! Speaking of great music, the clarinet community is #blessed to have such a wide variety of repertoire. It’s no secret that I enjoy “collecting” lesser-known repertoire, so I wanted to share 25 of my favorite hidden gems in the clarinet repertoire. Here are 25 hidden gem clarinet pieces you should learn/perform in 2025: (pieces listed alphabetically by composer’s last name) These are some of my favorite hidden gems of the clarinet repertoire, and I’ve performed several of these. Leave a comment below with your favorites or recommendations!
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9 Mistakes Many Beginning Clarinetists Make
Learning the clarinet certainly takes a lot of trial and error (and many squeaks along the way!). Even though it can be challenging, it is musically rewarding across all styles and genres. If you are learning clarinet, be sure you’re not making any of these 9 mistakes common among beginning clarinetists: I hope these tips help you along your clarinet journey! Happy practicing!
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The Curious Clarinets of Benjamin Franklin
By now, you should know that there are several unsolved mysteries of clarinet history. One that has particularly intrigued me is a musical glitch in the matrix, involving none other than Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was an American multi-hyphenate – he was a diplomat, writer, scientist, and more. (He also had some witty quotes and one-liners!) Franklin wrote his autobiography (which he called his memoirs) between 1771 and 1790, the year of his death. Here’s a quote from his memoirs (page 194): While at Bethlehem, I inquir’d a little into the practice of the Moravians: some of them had accompaniedme, and all were very kind to me. I found…
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Musicians perish after performing this famous symphony
Trigger warning: death and suicide It’s October, which means it’s time for us to dive in to another story about the bizarre side of classical music. Today, I want to talk about a famous symphony (coincidentally written by one of my favorite composers), in which musicians die shortly after its performance. The symphony? Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 in b minor, Op. 74 “Pathétique“ This symphony was first performed in October 1893 in St. Petersburg, with Tchaikovsky conducting. It was Tchaikovsky’s final composition before his death just nine days later. Before his death, Tchaikovsky ominously stated, “Without exaggeration, I have put my whole soul into this work.” In one of Tchaikovsky’s…
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The Mystery of Benny Goodman’s Missing Clarinet
Clarinetists and non-clarinetists alike are undoubtedly familiar with the name and fame of Benny Goodman (1909-1986). As the “King of Swing,” he was known for hits such as “Sing, Sing, Sing,” and his musical influence was an inspiration for future generations of musicians. We all know I love a good clarinet mystery, so I was intrigued when I came across a newspaper article from 1955 mentioning a clarinet Benny Goodman was trying to track down. From the Star-News, July 21, 1955: “Missing Clarinet” Paul Marshburn, who has brought some musical shows to Wilmington, has a new ‘musical’ job at present. He is trying to locate a clarinet. Seems that Benny…
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Quick Fix Friday: Increase your air as you ascend
Happy Friday! This week’s quick fix is an easy way to improve your sound, especially as you ascend to new clarinet heights! The quick fix? Increase your air as you ascend! It’s always important to play while using enough air (both quantity and air speed). It’s even more important as we get higher on the clarinet. This goes back to basic sound production on the clarinet. The air causes the reed to vibrate, and faster vibrations/more vibrations per second = higher notes. This is why we need even faster air to produce quality higher notes. So, when you cross the break and start working your way towards the altissimo register,…
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Practice Hack to Build Better Transitions
Most musicians know that it’s not about how long you practice, but how well you practice. (quality over quantity!) Most musicians also know that it’s important to break pieces down into smaller section to gradually loop together. However, something I’m not sure most musicians know (or actively incorporate into their practice sessions) is effectively looping sections together. Enter one of my favorite simple practice hacks. When you are practicing a section of music, always end on the next downbeat. The problem with not looping to the next downbeat – Many musicians end on the last note of the measure or section they’re practicing. This overemphasizes weaker parts of the beat…
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ChatGPT roasts popular clarinet repertoire
If you’ve been on Instagram at all this week, you might have seen a new trend emerging, where users ask ChatGPT to roast their feed. The results have been pretty funny, so I decided to take it a step further and ask ChatGPT to roast popular pieces of clarinet repertoire. (Obligatory note to say that I love all of these pieces of music, and this blog is meant to be in good fun.) Here are the results: What other clarinet repertoire should ChatGPT roast? If you decide to ask, leave a comment with the result below!