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Don’t put this one thing in your clarinet case
To be fair, there are several things you probably shouldn’t put in your clarinet case – sticky food, beverages in non-leakproof containers, glitter… But there is one clarinet item you should be cautious about keeping in your clarinet case: A new mouthpiece! There are a few layers to this statement – you should not keep a new clarinet mouthpiece in…
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Quick Fix Friday: Lean into lower notes
Happy Friday! Have you ever seen a passage like the one below with large intervallic leaps? Passages like this can be difficult both technically and on a musical level. The tendency is for the higher notes to pop out, and there is often an imbalance in dynamics. The quick fix? Lean into the lower notes! When you have large intervallic…
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Around the World in Eighty Pieces – #4 Estonia
Welcome to my new series, Around the World in Eighty Pieces! I’m excited to combine my love of travelling and clarinet repertoire by sharing a clarinet composition I “discovered” in each country. This series is not meant to be a comprehensive overview of the clarinet music from each country; rather, this is an appetizer to ignite your curiosity to learn more…
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How to improve a spitty sound on the clarinet
Let’s be honest – not everything about the clarinet is as glamorous as it might seem. One not-so-glamorous aspect of playing the clarinet? Spit! Spit happens, especially to wind players. (At least clarinetists don’t have to worry about a spit valve!) Spitty sounds are caused by – you guessed it – a buildup of saliva on the reed and/or in…
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Quick Fix Friday: Don’t tune too soon!
Happy Friday! By now, you should know that I have a lot to say about tuning, but here’s a quick fix many musicians overlook… Tuning too soon! Several of my students have told me that they tune as soon as they assemble the clarinet. The majority of them will be flat, through no fault of their own. Why? If you…
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Around the World in Eighty Pieces – #3 Faroe Islands
Welcome to my new series, Around the World in Eighty Pieces! I’m excited to combine my love of travelling and clarinet repertoire by sharing a clarinet composition I “discovered” in each country. This series is not meant to be a comprehensive overview of the clarinet music from each country; rather, this is an appetizer to ignite your curiosity to learn more…
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Around the World in Eighty Pieces – #2 Denmark
Welcome to my new series, Around the World in Eighty Pieces! I’m excited to combine my love of travelling and clarinet repertoire by sharing a clarinet composition I “discovered” in each country. This series is not meant to be a comprehensive overview of the clarinet music from each country; rather, this is an appetizer to ignite your curiosity to learn more…
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The range and registers of the clarinet
Call me biased, but the clarinet is one of the most versatile instrument in terms of range, dynamics, and much more! Here’s an overview of the range and different registers of the clarinet First, let’s discuss the difference between range and registers. An instrument’s range includes the entire span of notes capable of being produced. A register is a smaller…
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Around the World in Eighty Pieces – #1 New Zealand
Welcome to the first post in my new series, Around the World in Eighty Pieces! I’m excited to combine my love of travelling and clarinet repertoire by sharing a piece I “discovered” in each country. This series is not meant to be a comprehensive overview of the clarinet music from each country; rather, this is an appetizer to ignite your…
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Introducing my new blog series – Around the World in Eighty Pieces
I’m so excited to introduce a new series here on Jenny Clarinet – Around the World in Eighty Pieces! It’s no secret that I love to travel. When I moved to Paris back in 2015, I took advantage of budget airlines (shoutout to RyanAir and Transavia!) to explore all over Europe. This ignited my passion for travelling, and along the…