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The Complete Guide to Buying Your First A Clarinet
There comes a point in many clarinetists’ lives when your trusty B-flat isn’t enough anymore. Maybe you’re tired of transposing in orchestra (cool it with the A clarinet, Tchaikovsky!). Maybe you want to play the Mozart Concerto in the original key signature. Or maybe you’ve decided to continue your musical studies into college and beyond. Whatever the reason, owning an A clarinet is a requisite for any serious clarinetist. Many of the greatest masterworks of orchestral, chamber, and solo literature are written for the A clarinet. Professional clarinetists are expected to own and play on both B-flat and A clarinets for auditions, recitals, and performances. But when should you purchase an…
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Band Roadblocks: Reasons Why You’re Not Improving As Much As You Would Like
I’ll be the first to admit that I can be a bit…impatient. Maybe it’s my sense of millennial instant gratification, or maybe it’s just pent up creative energy – whatever the case, it can be frustrating in music. Improving your musical abilities takes time and effort, and it can be exasperating to feel like you’re putting in more than you’re getting out. This is especially true in band programs, where you’re side-by-side with musicians of all levels and it’s easy to compare yourself to others. Here are a few roadblocks which could be preventing you from reaching your potential: You don’t practice enough. Just like you have homework in math…
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The Clarinetist’s Guide to Braces
Braces can do wonders to help create the perfect smile, but let’s face it – they’re a real pain in the…mouth. The majority of people will have braces at some point in their life. A common age to get braces is during the preteen or early teen years, which is coincidentally around the time many clarinetists begin their musical journey! Fear not – braces don’t have to put an end to your clarinet career! Here’s everything you need to know about playing the clarinet with braces, whether you’ve already played for a while or are planning to start after you get braces. Can you play clarinet with braces? Yes, although…
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Alabama All State Audition Boot Camp for Clarinetists
Happy November! The air’s getting colder as marching band comes to a close for another season, which can only mean one thing… All State auditions are just around the corner! That’s right, it’s time to dust off those scales and polish those etudes, because auditions will be here before you know it! Lucky for you, I’ve created a free 8-week boot camp for clarinetists of all ages to prepare for their All State audition, whether it’s your first time or you have a few auditions under your belt. I’m a veteran of the Alabama All State Band system, having made 1st chair in the Red Band multiple times, and I…
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The Final Resting Places of Famous Composers
Longtime readers should know me well enough by now to know that I have an interest in the macabre. When I’m not practicing my clarinet, I enjoy reading Stephen King, listening to scary stories on YouTube, and exploring cemeteries. Last year, I visited the graves of famous clarinetists around the world. In addition to clarinetists’ graves, I also had the opportunity to pay my respects to famous composers. Here are a few of the composers’ graves I have visited: Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827). Wiener Zentralfriedhof – Vienna, Austria. Franz Schubert (1797-1828). Wiener Zentralfriedhof – Vienna, Austria. Richard Wagner (1813-1883). Wahnfried – Bayreuth, Germany. Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884). Vyšehrad Cemetery – Prague, Czech Republic. Johann Strauss…
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Chilling Clarinet Solos to Get in the Halloween Spirit
Updated October 19, 2025 As clarinetists, we are lucky to have a veritable treasure trove of repertoire at our disposal. Throughout the years, I’ve curated quite the music library, including all the standard repertoire and some quirky gems I’ve found along the way. I’m sure I’m not the only clarinetist who has purchased incidental music by title alone, and I’ve been waiting for the perfect opportunity to share some of my favorites with you. I love planning and performing themed recitals, and I’d like to share some Halloween repertoire inspiration with you. Even though I haven’t performed all of these pieces, I’ve read through them and chosen them based on…
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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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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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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…