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How to customize and set up a new clarinet
If you’re the proud owner of a new clarinet, congratulations! (Don’t worry if you’re still trying to choose a new clarinet – I’ve got you covered with some of my pro tips to help you select a new clarinet.) As you break in your new clarinet and familiarize yourself with the sound, feel, and tuning, I recommend having it set up and customized by a qualified repair tech. (If you’re looking how to assemble your clarinet, click here.) What does it mean to customize or set up your clarinet? Professional clarinets have remarkable consistency from one instrument to the next, but this also means that they will have to be…
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Pro tips to select a new clarinet
Buying a new clarinet is an exciting event, but it can also be overwhelming. There are so many different options available today, which is why I’m here to help! (This article is intended to help current clarinetists upgrade and select a new clarinet. If you’re buying your first clarinet, check out my complete guide to buying your first clarinet.) Here are my pro tips to help you select a new clarinet: Narrow it down Play-testing clarinets Making a decision Next steps Congratulations, you’ve selected a new clarinet! Here are a few more things you should do next: I hope this article helps you select a new clarinet!
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Better Breathing Guide for Clarinetists – Tips to Take Fewer, Better Breaths
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – I believe that air is the cause of the majority of issues clarinetists experience. Learning how to properly use our air is crucial to developing better sound, technique, phrasing and more on the clarinet. An essential part of using our air is learning how to take effective breaths when we are playing a piece of music. Here’s my advice to help you narrow it down so you can take fewer, better breaths: Where should I breathe? Please note that these are general breathing suggestions. Each piece of music is different and will benefit from different approaches to breathing. Be open-minded…
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The Relationship Between Breathing and Tuning: How to Use Breathing to Improve Clarinet Tuning
Let’s face it – the clarinet can be a bit…pitchy. If you’ve read my Complete Guide to Clarinet Tuning, you know that there are several factors which can affect clarinet tuning. I wanted to take a closer look at one of these which you can use to your advantage to help improve your clarinet tuning: Breathing! Any time you take a breath, the next note you play will be slightly sharper (compared to its pitch had you not taken the breath). Here’s how you can use this information to improve your clarinet tuning: And finally, here’s a bonus breathing tip: If there’s a delicate attack (especially at softer dynamics or…
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50 Adjectives to Describe Clarinet Tone
We all know that the clarinet is the best instrument (duh), but how do you describe the clarinet’s tone? Here are some of my favorite adjectives to describe clarinet tone which are more descriptive than “good.” These are great to compliment your friends, students, and colleagues. Note: Musical tone is subjective, and it can be difficult to match sound with words. As the famous quote goes, “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.” (Quote attributed to Martin Mull, although this has been contested.) There are no right or wrong ways to describe tone, and I hope these give you ideas to further your own sound concept. What are your…
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Cane vs. Synthetic Clarinet Reeds – What’s the Difference?
Let’s talk about one of the most frequently discussed clarinet topics – reeds. Reeds are an essential component to producing a sound on the clarinet, and there are many different brands, cuts, and varieties available in today’s market. Today, synthetic reeds are becoming more and more popular among all levels of players, from beginners to professionals. Here’s my complete guide to everything you need to know: Click here to skip to my opinions on synthetic reeds. What are cane reeds? Cane reeds are made from the Arundo donax cane, which can be found in different regions around the world. Many reed companies get their cane from the Mediterranean basin. (Fun…
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Quick Fix Friday: Ear-Training Tuning Tip
Happy Friday! This week, I wanted to share a quick tip I’ve been using to improve both my tuning and ear-training. A tuner is a helpful tool to have while practicing. However, sometimes musicians become too reliant on watching the tuner and reacting to what it says. Instead, use your tuner to help train your ears for good pitch/tuning and become a more active listener. The quick fix: Turn on your tuner and pick a note to tune. Close your eyes and sustain the note until you think you’re in tune. Open your eyes to see how close you were to being in tune. It’s that simple! This ear-training will…
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10 Quick Tips to Help Band Directors Improve Your Clarinet Section
Band directors are kind of like musical superheroes – they have to maintain a working knowledge of all common (and sometimes not-so-common) band instruments. Not only this, but they have to share it in an easy-to-understand format with multiple students every day. Let’s hear it for band directors! Although I’ve never been a band director, I’ve worked in hundreds of band classes around North America, specifically with woodwind and clarinet sections. I’d like to share a few quick tips with big payoffs to all the band directors out there to share with your clarinet sections: And here are a few bonus clarinet care tips to help avoid accidents and broken…
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Creating and performing the world’s first AI composition for clarinet and piano
I’ve become increasingly interested in the possibilities of artificial intelligence (AI) and the clarinet during the past few months. (ICYMI, you can read my previous blog posts here and here.) AI has taken the world by storm, and it seems like more fields are exploring the growing possibilities and potential this technology has. Don’t get me wrong – I still think machines will never replace the human thoughts, emotions, and intangible elements which combine to create music. However, when the Listasavn Føroya (National Gallery of the Faroe Islands) launched the first AI art exhibit last fall exploring what famous artists’ paintings would look like if they had visited the Faroe…
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What do rhythm and baking cookies have in common?
I’m a stickler for good rhythm (ask any of my students!), which is why I use a lot of teaching analogies to discuss rhythm. One of them is baking. As a self-proclaimed novice baker, I know just how important the measurements are to achieve the perfect consistency of cookie (preferably a bit chewy IMHO), or whatever else you’re trying to create. Rhythm is no different – if you mess up the “measurement” or ratio of each beat/measure, your rhythm is off. Let’s take one of the most commonly mistaken rhythms – the dotted eighth/sixteenth combo, as seen below: If we convert the rhythm to a ratio, the dotted eighth note…