I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is no panacea to become a master clarinetist (or any other instrumentalist, for that matter). We all have to follow a healthy musical “diet” of scales, long tones, and repertoire to improve. We’ve all seen the gimmicky tabloid headlines promising instant results with zero time or effort (Lose 20 pounds overnight! Earn thousands from home! etc etc). These are certainly enticing, but true improvement (personal, mental, musical, physical, or otherwise) is the result of long-term dedication and commitment… Buuuttt……I’ve discovered a close-to-instant fix that I use and share with my students. This is for those times during practice sessions…

Raise your hand if you’ve ever experienced that awkward moment when you spend so much time practicing and preparing the notes that you forget about the rests….and miss your entrance. I think it’s safe to say that most of us have experienced this at some point during our musical careers. There is a quick and easy two-part solution: Study the score.  Don’t rest during your rests! It’s so easy to relax and lose concentration when we’re not playing (especially during super-long rests), but it’s important to continue your inner pulse. This is crucial, whether you are playing chamber music, band music, orchestral music, and even unaccompanied music (yes, rests are still important…

The title pretty much sums it up today’s quick fix, but let me elaborate. For whatever reason, musicians tend to get lazy with longer or sustained notes. Maybe you’re just glad to be done with the technical passage that came before. Maybe you’re dreaming of splurging on guacamole at Chipotle tonight (no judgement here). Whatever the reason, make sure that the dynamic of longer notes correlates to what comes before and after.  If you have a crescendo leading up to a whole note, maintain the volume – but don’t swell. By all means continue the intensity, but make a conscious and educated decision to swell on long notes. Just because…

What would you say if I told you that you can make your music sound more flowing, lyrical, and expressive with a quick mental adjustment? Think horizontally instead of vertically. Let me explain: A lot of times when musicians practice, we get bogged down by technical passages, individual notes, and the minutiae surrounding individual measures or even single beats. This is thinking vertically. We become so focused on perfecting each beat or measure that we may sometimes forget the larger musical picture. Even when we are “woodshedding” (working on the technical mechanics of a passage), we should always remember the larger music context. A classic example for clarinetists is the hated…

You practice your part diligently. You study the score and mark in all the other instrumental cues. You listen to several recordings. Yet your chamber music still feels…off. Simple fix? Maintain good eye contact and give good cues. This is an often-overlooked aspect of performing with other musicians. Many musicians are so used to performing under conductors that they are unfamiliar or uncomfortable leading others in smaller conductor-less ensembles. Accompanists and chamber musicians are not mind-readers (although wouldn’t that be amazing if they were?), so it is important to let others know your musical intentions. Practice giving good cues and nonverbal gestures to let your fellow musicians know where you want…