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What do tuning and mind control have in common?
No, this isn’t the opening to some bad music theory joke (but it could be if you leave a good punchline in the comments!). Most musicians are probably familiar with “concert pitch,” A=440Hz. This is the tuning standard in many parts of the world (although some countries and ensembles do tune higher). But have you ever wondered how we settled on A=440 as the standard tuning pitch? I did, and my research led me to rumors of Illuminati involvement, mind control, and the vibration of the universe. Pretty deep stuff for something we bemoan at every rehearsal. Before we continue, I want to make it clear that I do not…
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Jenny Clarinet Halloween 🎃
I’ve gathered all my Halloween articles in one post to help you celebrate my favorite holiday all year long! Clarinet History & Mystery Unsolved mysteries of clarinet history Secret Societies in Clarinet History This former school is haunted by the ghost of a clarinetist Clarinet cryptograms: Are there hidden messages in our repertoire? The Curse of the Yellow Clarinet The Rumored Lost Masterworks of Clarinet Repertoire The Bizarre Deaths of Historical Clarinetists The musical medium who holds a clue to the missing Mozart clarinet concerto manuscript How this famous composer of clarinet music inspired the Phantom of the Opera Cursed Clarinet Repertoire The Clarinet Curse: Composers Who Died After Writing…
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Repertoire Recommendations: Autumn-Inspired 🍂
Happy autumn to all my northern hemisphere friends! You all know this is my favorite season, and if you’re looking for new repertoire recommendations (#reprecs) I’ve got you covered! Here are my favorite autumn-themed clarinet pieces: Thea Musgrave – Autumn Sonata – Concerto for Bass Clarinet and Orchestra Itaru Sakai – Journey of Leaf for clarinet octet Itamar Danziger – Autumn for clarinet and piano (from The Seasons’ Suite) Ayser Vancin – Autumn Song for clarinet and piano Bernice Petkere – Lullaby Of The Leaves for solo clarinet Percy Hall – Falling Leaves for clarinet trio Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – Autumn Song, arranged by Tōru Takemitsu Joseph Pappas Pappas – Autumn…
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Tips to create a well-rounded recital program
Call me nerdy (I think that ship has long sailed, seeing as I run a clarinet blog!), but I genuinely enjoy planning recital programs. I love coming up with themes, brainstorming repertoire, and thinking of ways to increase audience and community engagement for my performances. Here are a few tips to help you create a well-rounded recital program for your next concert: Begin with a good warm-up piece. Save all the pyrotechnics for later in the program – your first piece is a great opportunity to ease into your program, so select a piece that’s not too technically demanding so you can begin with confidence. Choose diverse repertoire. Make sure…
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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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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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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…