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Music 733

ClarinetCourse Pack

Professor Kennen WhiteCentral Michigan University

MUS 733: Clarinet 1 Professor Kennen White

HISTORY OF THE CLARINET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

REGISTERS OF THE CLARINET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

MEMBERS OF THE CLARINET FAMILY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

ASSEMBLY OF THE CLARINET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

HOW TO HOLD THE CLARINET (RIGHT HAND). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

HAND POSITION AND FINGER MOTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0

EMBOUCHURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2

BREATHING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 4

FUNCTIONS OF THE TONGUE IN CLARINET PLAYING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8

ARTICULATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 9

HOW TO PRACTICE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0

RECORDINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 3

REEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 4

MOUTHPIECES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 7

LIGATURES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 8

BARREL JOINTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 9

INSTRUMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 0

INTONATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1

TONE PROBLEMS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 6

FINGERINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 6

CARE AND MAINTENANCE OF CLARINET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 6

CLARINET STUDY REPERTOIRE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 7

SELECTIVE REPERTOIRE LIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1

CLARINET RESOURCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 4

IMPORTANT CLARINET PLAYERS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 5


History of the clarinetThe forerunner to the clarinet (pre-1690) was the chalumeau, a simple

single reed instrument with no keys and a range of about an octave.In 1690 Johann Cristoph Denner of Nuremberg invented the clarinet by

adding a register key to the chalumeau. This expanded its range by allowing itto overblow the notes of the lower register by a twelfth.1 He also added twokeys to bridge the gap between the two registers. The clarinet was now aserious instrument, though it wasn't widely used until 100 years later, in thelatter part of the 18th century. The earliest repertoire that is commonlyperformed now is from about the time of Mozart.

The Classical period clarinet had three to five keys. Because of this, facilitywas limited and it was difficult to play in more than a handful of key signatures,so clarinets were built in different pitches (Bb, A, C, D, Eb) so that the performernever had to play in more than a few sharps or flats. The parts were transposedby the copyist so that the performer always used the same fingering for a noteon the page, regardless of its sounding pitch. This meant that the performercould play a clarinet pitched in any key and read and finger the notes the sameway. Thus, in a clarinet part, the note on the second line of the treble clef isalways called an open g and fingered the same, regardless of which clarinet it isplayed on. The sounding pitch will depend on the key of the instrument, but theplayer will always call it an open g and finger it the same. This system is veryconvenient for the performer because it means he or she can play any memberof the clarinet family without having to transpose.

In 1810, Ivan Mueller, a German clarinetist, developed a clarinet with 13keys, which made it possible to play in any key. The Bb clarinet became thestandard, although clarinets in A and C continued to be used, partly out oftradition, partly to facilitate technical passages, and partly for their different tonequalities. Modern players usually transpose C clarinet parts to Bb clarinet. Manymodern orchestral players transpose certain Bb or A clarinet passages to theother instrument when they feel it will sound better or be easier to play.

The modern clarinet is based on the principles developed by TheobaldBoehm (1794-1881) for the flute. These principles, which involve acousticallyideal size and placement of tone holes, were applied to the clarinet by Klosé (afamous French clarinetist) and Buffet (a famous French woodwind maker) bymeans of various mechanical innovations. The Boehm system clarinet wascompleted around 1850. Klosé traveled widely, performing and promoting hisnew instrument, which soon became very popular. To teach the new system, hewrote a method book that is still widely used.

The Boehm clarinet system (descended from French Klosé/Buffet designof the mid-1800’s) is used almost exclusively throughout the world, except inGermany and Austria, where descendants of the Mueller system clarinet areused. Adolph Sax modified the Mueller clarinet into an instrument that becamethe basis for the Albert System clarinet. The Albert system clarinet was played

1 The term overblow in musical acoustics simply means using the lips, oral cavity and wind stream tocause a fingering to produce one of its overtones rather than the fundamental note. On woodwindinstruments, a register key is opened and/or a slight modification of the fundamental fingering isfrequently used to facilitate the register change. The clarinet overblows to odd numbered partials only,because these are predominant in its timbre.


by German immigrants to the United States around the turn of the century andexisted along side the Boehm (French) system clarinets for awhile, before theBoehm system began to replace it. Old editions of the Rubank ElementaryMethod include a fingering chart for both Boehm and Albert system clarinets.

Albert system clarinets and their more modern descendants, the Oehler(German) and Wurlitzer (Austrian) clarinets are more complicated mechanicallythan Boehm clarinets. They have a different fingering system, different sizebore, and use mouthpieces and reeds that are a different size and shape thanFrench clarinets. They attempt to achieve superior tone quality and intonation,perhaps at the expense of technical facility and flexibility of tone.

The modern Boehm clarinet usually has 17 keys and 6 rings and is madeof grenadilla2 wood with keys made of nickle-silver alloy. Student instrumentsare sometimes made of plastic or another synthetic material. As a music teacherin the U.S. Boehm 17/6 clarinets are all that you are likely to deal with unless youhave an exchange student from Germany or Austria, or unless you come acrossa very old Albert system clarinet at an antique store or garage sale. Be awarethat some large music stores offer reeds for German clarinet mouthpieces andthese are not compatible with French style mouthpieces.

French Style Clarinets (Boehm)Widely used everywhere except Germany,Austria

German Style ClarinetsUse is mostly limited to Germany, Austria

Based on design of Klosé/Buffet, mid1800’s

Based on Albert system, which was basedon Mueller’s design, early 1800’s

Modern makers: Buffet, Leblanc, Yamaha,others

Modern makers: Oehler (German)Wurlitzer (Austrian) Yamaha, others

Associated with easier technique, flexibletone quality. 17 keys, 6 rings.

Associated with consistent, stable tonequality, good intonation. Differentmouthpieces, reeds, fingerings thanBoehm system

2 This is a somewhat general term used to refer to the wood from any of a number of tropical hardwood trees,usually grown in Africa.


Registers of the clarinetChalumeau

Low e to f# (first space)Name comes from predecessor to clarinet, which had no register key and

only played low notes.Throat tones

Open g, g#, a, Bb (within the staff)Least resonant notes on clarinet. Tendency to sound thin and weak.Very flexible in pitch.

ClarionB (third line) to high c. Fingerings correspond to the chalumeau register

(plus register key) but sound a 12th higher.High c is usually the highest note for beginners (1-2 yrs).

AltissimoHigh c# and above.High g is usually considered the highest note, but advanced repertoire

sometimes goes all the way to super high c (on the space above the 5thledger line).

Many alternate fingerings are available to control pitch, tone, and facility.

Members of the Clarinet FamilyEb clarinet-'piccolo' clarinet. Bright tone quality. Challenging to play in tune.Requires a good ear and well-developed embouchure and technique. Sometimesused in band. Frequently called for in orchestra, especially in 20th century. Clarinetchoir often calls for 2 Eb clarinets.

D clarinet-mostly obsolete. Called for in some pieces by Mahler, Stravinsky (Rite ofSpring) and Richard Strauss (Til Eulenspiegel). Usually transposed to Eb clarinet.

C clarinet-mostly obsolete. Called for occasionally in orchestral repertoire all theway through the late Romantic period. Usually transposed to Bb clarinet.Orchestral players must be able to transpose C clarinet parts to Bb clarinet (up awhole step) at sight.

Bb soprano clarinet- The standard clarinet. Most solo, chamber music and bandmusic is for Bb clarinet.

A clarinet-Used often in orchestra and for a significant number of solo and chamberpieces. Uses the same mouthpiece and fingerings as Bb clarinet. Has a slightly darkersound than Bb clarinet. Slightly harder to play in tone and with a consistent tonethroughout the registers than a Bb clarinet. Few high school players own their ownA clarinet. Music performance majors must own A clarinet.

Basset clarinet in A- (Very rare) This is an A clarinet with an extension down to lowC (written). Mozart wrote his Concerto and a few other important works for hisfriend Anton Stadler, who had one of these instruments. The instrument died outwith Stadler, but in recent years, most major manufacturers have begun makingthese instruments, although there is an extremely limited repertoire for them. Notto be confused with basset horn (below).

Basset Horn in F-Sounds a fourth lower than Bb clarinet. Goes down to written lowC. This instrument was fairly popular in the Classical and early Romantic periods,but never became a standard part of the orchestra. Mozart used it in severalimportant operas and chamber pieces. Mendelssohn wrote two charming Concert


Pieces for clarinet, bassett horn and piano. Richard Strauss included prominentbassett horn parts in several of his operas. Many large orchestras and universitiesown a pair of bassett horns for those occasions when they are needed.

Alto clarinet in Eb- Goes down to written Eb. Used only in band music and clarinetchoir music. Parts are often optional. Not used as much now as it was 20-50 yearsago.

Bass clarinet in Bb-One octave lower than Bb soprano clarinet. The bass clarinet is astandard member of the band and orchestra. Fairly delicate mechanism and mustbe in good mechanical condition to be played well. The standard range of bassclarinet is down to low Eb. Extended range models, which are larger, morecomplicated mechanically, and more expensive, are available down to low C forcertain important orchestral works from the early 20th century to modern times.The low C instrument is not needed for public school music programs. . Someschools start beginners on bass; others switch them later. Some students do betteron bass than on Bb, so a student who is not excelling on Bb clarinet after a few yearsmay benefit from switching to bass clarinet. It is not unusual for a high schoolstudent to play bass clarinet exclusively, but most universities require a student toaudition on Bb to major in music.

Contrabass clarinet in Eb-One octave lower than Alto clarinet. It is also called thecontra-alto clarinet. Some instruments made of wood, some of metal. Sometimesused in band and clarinet ensemble music. Lowest note varies by model (Eb, D, orC)

Contrabass clarinet in Bb- One octave lower than Bass clarinet. Sometimes used inband and clarinet ensemble music. Very large, heavy and expensive instrument.Often made of metal. Lowest note varies by model (Eb, D, or C). Sometimes used inband and clarinet ensemble music.

Contrabass clarinets and Contra-alto clarinets come in two styles, the straight design(which sometimes requires to performer to stand or sit on a tall stool to reach themouthpiece), and the more compact ‘paper clip’ design.

Most clarinet choir music calls for either a contra-alto or a contrabass clarinet.Usually both are not required.


Assembly of the clarinetSoak reed in mouth or water for about 60 seconds. This may be done while the

clarinet is being assembled.Apply cork grease to tenon corks if needed. This may need to be done often

with new clarinets (or corks), but on older instruments will only need to bedone occasionally.

Assemble from bottom to top to avoid damaging reed, mouthpiece.Bell, lower joint, upper joint, barrel, mouthpiece, ligature, reedGentle twisting motion, not a rocking motion.Avoid bending any keys. Important: when putting lower joint onto upper

joint, the rings on the upper joint should be depressed in order to raise theconnecting lever and avoid damaging its cork.

Proper alignment of the connecting lever (bridge key) from lower joint toupper joint is essential.

The ligature is placed on the mouthpiece so that screws are facing right. Withstandard ligatures this places the screws on the bottom; with invertedligatures this places the screws on top. The reed is carefully slid under theligature, thick end first, so that the flat part of the reed is against the flat partof the mouthpiece. The reed should be placed so that only a sliver of themouthpiece shows above the tip of the reed and the reed is centered left toright on the mouthpiece. Improper placement will impair tone quality. Theligature should be slid down so that it is slightly below the cut part of thereed and the screws tightened until moderately tight.

Disassemble the clarinet from the top down in order to protect the reed,ligature, and mouthpiece.

SwabbingThe clarinet should be swabbed at the end of a playing session and periodically

during a long session. Swabbing removes the moisture from the bore ofthe instrument. This is important in order to prevent wood instrumentsfrom cracking, to preserve the pads, to prevent water build-up in the toneholes (which causes a gurgling sound), and for hygienic reasons.

Advanced students can swab the entire instrument (minus mouthpiece) atonce. It should be swabbed from bottom to top (bell to barrel joint) inorder to avoid pulling the moisture down the instrument. The swab shouldbe carefully spread out before pulling it through the instrument in order toprevent it getting stuck. Younger students should swab each pieceindividually because of the danger of pulling the instrument apart if thetenon corks are loose. The mouthpiece should not be swabbed because ofthe danger of scratching or dropping it. It may be wiped clean with theswab or another soft cloth. Once a week it should be washed in warm,soapy water. Q-tips can be used to clean the inside of the mouthpiece.


How to hold the clarinet (Right hand)It is possible to play the clarinet for hours every day, without using a neckstrap

and with no pain. Many people do! However, quite a few students have troublesupporting the weight of the clarinet and as result develop strange habits with theright hand which interfere with smooth technique and eventually cause significantpain in the hand and arm. There is no reason for there to be any pain associated withplaying the clarinet. It is simply a matter of understanding some basic aspects of thestructures and mechanics involved in supporting the clarinet. Below is a discussion insome detail of the important factors involved in supporting the clarinet.Where to place the thumb on the clarinet

The thumb rest should lie on the right thumb, just to the side and to the right ofwhere the thumbnail meets the flesh. For many players, more of the weight will becoming from the left side of the thumbrest than from the right side (in other words,the thumb will support the thumb rest from a 10:00 position rather than a 9:00position). Some students will mistakenly put their thumbs too far around the clarinet(thumbrest to the right of the joint) in an attempt to get extra support. This isunnecessary and can cause undesirable compression of the wrist and limit themobility of the fingers.

The side of the thumb (not the back of the thumb) should contact the thumbrestfor maximum strength. You can demonstrate this by pressing with your fingeragainst the thumbnail side of the thumb and noticing how much muscular effort itrequires for the thumb to resist that pressure. Then rotate the thumb so that thepressure is on the inner side of the thumb and notice how the pressure is now resistedby the structure of the bones rather than by muscular tension.Structure of the thumb

It is important for students to understand the structure of the thumb. Manypeople have mis-mapped the thumb as beginning at the prominent second jointrather than all the way back at the wrist. If a student thinks this way, he or she islikely to use excessive muscular effort and tension to support the weight of theclarinet. It also greatly limits the mobility of the left thumb. The thumb actuallybegins all the way back at the wrist and it from this joint that the greatest range ofmovement is possible.Mechanics and structure of forearm

It is important for students to understand that the forearm is organized aroundthe ulna (the bone on the pinky side) rather than the radius (the bone on the thumbside). In pronation and supination (turning the hand over without moving the upperarm) the axis of rotation is the ulna (imagine a line from the pinky to the outside ofthe elbow). This may be easily seen by laying the forearm on a desk, palm facing up,and turning the hand over, keeping the pinky in place. Notice that as the pinky staysin place the thumb traces a large arc through the air. As this rotation occurs, theradius crosses over the stationary ulna. Students who attempt to rotate their forearmaround the thumb are at greater risk of injuring themselves (tendinitis, tennis elbow,golfer’s elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, repetitive motion syndrome, etc.) not justfrom playing the clarinet, but from a number of other activities including playing thepiano and using the computer.Neutral position of wrist

The neutral position of the hand has the pinky lined up with the outside of the


arm, and the thumb pointing slightly away from the hand. The wrist is mostly flat (inother words the back of the hand is in a line with the back of the forearm). This is theposition of maximum strength. Weight is transferred from the pinky to the ulna(outer bone of forearm), to the large upper arm bone and to the torso. Tounderstand this better, try or think about the following.• Hang from a bar. Notice that the strongest grip has most of the contact with the

bar on the pinky and ring finger. The thumb is not even necessary. Nowimagine how much more difficult it would be to support your weight with justthe thumb and forefinger.

• When babies go through the stage of gripping whatever they can reach (hair,clothing, a finger), notice that their surprising strength of grip is achieved mostlywith the pinky, ring finger, and middle finger.

• When swimming, maximum strength is obtained when the pinky is lined up withthe ulna (outer forearm bone).

• In martial arts, students are taught to escape from a grip on their forearm byrotating against the adversary’s thumb. This will always work, no matter thediscrepancy in size and strength.

• Notice the position of your hand when carrying a heavy suitcase.This anatomically neutral position of the wrist has minimal compression of the

eight bones that comprise the wrist, allowing for easy, pain-free movements of thedigits and no unwanted compression of the carpal tunnel, which is formed by thebones of the wrist. Through it pass the median nerve, blood vessels, and numeroustendons that control finger movement, so it is crucial that there be no compression ofthe carpal tunnel.

Students who have mis-mapped the forearm as being organized around theradius (thumb side) rather than the ulna (pinkie side) tend to think of neutral ashaving the thumb lined up with the radius. This compresses the wrist and the carpaltunnel and is not a good position to stay in for very long. Some computer keyboardstake this into account by being split in the middle (shaped like a flattened ‘v’) so thatthe anatomically neutral position of having the pinky in line with the outside of theforearm is easily achieved.

When the clarinet is held properly and the structure of the thumb, wrist and armis understood, the weight is transferred easily from the full length of the thumb,through the eight bones of the wrist to the ulna (pinkie side of forearm), to the upperarm, then to the torso.Ability of muscles to automatically adjust to weight

The body is very good at automatically adjusting to various weights or amountsof pressure. To demonstrate this, have a student hold a hand out, palm up andanother student push down, varying the pressure while the first student keepshis/her hand in place. Notice that the muscles adjust automatically to the variousamounts of pressure. However, if you have a preconceived idea of the amount offorce needed, it may be inaccurate. Think of the experience of lifting an empty boxthat you thought was full. Some students have the idea that the clarinet is very heavyand requires much effort to hold. They will tend to tense their wrists and arms andwork too hard.Additional support for the clarinet

Some students will find it more comfortable when seated to support some of the


weight of the clarinet with the bell between the knees or on top of one of the thighs.Although this should not be necessary, it is acceptable, especially when playing forvery long periods of time, as long as the head and upper body can be positioned in acomfortable and efficient manner.

If a student has pain, numbness, or some other difficulty with the right hand, aneckstrap may be used. This helps some students, although the danger is that it willcreate pain or tension in the neck, back, or shoulders. As neckstrap is best thought ofas a temporary solution until the injury is healed or a better way of holding theclarinet can be discovered. Perhaps a better (though more expensive and lessconvenient) answer is one of the various devices that rest on the floor or chair andsupport the weight of the clarinet at the bell.

For some students, an adjustable thumb rest may allow them to find the optimalposition for supporting the clarinet. Most advanced clarinets come with an adjustablethumb rest, but one can be added to any clarinet for less than $100. The Kooimanprofessional level thumb rest is a bit more expensive, but is highly adjustable andtransfers the weight to the base of the thumb.Some tips on preventing clarinet-related injury:

• Stretch the entire body before playing,• Warm-up gradually at beginning of playing session.• Strive for a relaxed comfortable playing position.• Cultivate whole body awareness when playing.• Notice your neck, shoulders, and back when playing• When repeating a passage, avoid tension.• Change position frequently when practicing.• Take frequent 30 second breaks to stretch and move around when practicing.

PainThe clarinet should not be played in pain. Any numbness, pain, or tingling in the

fingers, wrist, arms, or shoulders that lasts more than a few days should beinvestigated by a health care professional.


Hand Position and Finger Motion

Both handsFingers slightly curved (as if holding a grapefruit). The motion is from the

back knuckle. The middle knuckles maintain their curve and do not straighten(see exceptions below). The tips of the fingers slightly overlap the rings so thatthe fleshy pads of the fingers cover the holes.

Right Hand FingersFingers nearly perpendicular to body of instrument (but curved), maybe

slightly tilted toward the side keys (only if this can be done without compressingthe wrist). Fingers slightly curved (as though holding a grapefruit). The motionis from the back knuckle. The middle knuckles maintain their curve (seeexceptions below). The tips of the fingers slightly overlap the rings so that thefleshy pads of the fingers cover the holes. The little finger, when not in useshould lightly touch or hover over the low F key.

Left hand thumb1) Unlike the fingers, the thumb is flat when in playing position. The left thumb

should lie across the thumbhole at a 45° angle, lightly touching, but not pressing,the register key. The corner of the thumbnail should be aligned with the tip ofthe register key. The fleshy pad of the thumb should cover the hole. Formovements away from the hole it is important to move from the beginning ofthe thumb (where it joins with the wrist), not from the second knuckle.

2) Depressing the register key while closing the thumb ring (as on all notes abovethe throat tone register) is achieved by a very slight motion of the thumb(assuming the thumb is already overlapping the register key, as it should be). Itis important for beginners to learn proper thumb position (with the thumboverlapping the register key) from the very beginning or they will have a bigadjustment to make when the clarion notes are introduced.

3) To depress the register key and allow the thumbhole to open at the same time,as when playing throat tone Bb, a significant movement of the last knuckle (bythe thumbnail) is required. The thumb should go from being basically flat(normal playing position) to being cocked at almost a 90˚ angle for the throat Bb.This angle is necessary to allow air to escape from the thumbhole so the throatBb will have a clear tone. The thumb must not be allowed to merely slide up theregister key when playing throat Bb or technique will be greatly limited. Thismotion is not natural to all students, but is easily learned. It must be insistedupon as soon as the note is introduced. Students should practice the fingermotion initially without playing, so they can watch what happens.


Left Hand FingersThe little finger should lightly touch or hover over the low E key. The

remaining fingers should cover the tone holes at a slight oblique angleto the body of the clarinet.3 This will place the index finger over thethroat g# key and close to the throat A key. The tips of the fingersslightly overlap the holes so that the fleshy pads of the fingers coverthe holes. The fingers should be slightly curved, as though holding agrapefruit. This curve is maintained when the fingers are moved(except for the exceptions noted below).

Exceptions to the rule of keeping fingers curved:1) When playing throat tone G#, l.h. index finger will be straightened. This

minimizes wrist motion and keeps the other fingers better in position.2) Right hand side keys-r.h. index finger will be straightened to use the side

keys. This minimizes wrist motion and keeps the other fingers better in position.3) Throat tone A-Although the finger remains curved, a special motion is

required to get to this key. The l.h. index finger rolls to the key, contacting itwith the side of the knuckle. Almost all of this motion occurs at the joint wherethe finger connects to the metacarpals. This allows the rest of the hand to stay inneutral position (pinkie hovering over the low e key, thumb hovering nearthumbhole) and minimizes wrist rotation. This motion is not natural to allstudents, but is easily developed. It must be insisted upon as soon as the note isintroduced. Students should practice the finger motion initially without playing,so they can watch what happens. One teacher refers to the common mistakeswhen playing throat tone A as “five finger A” because the other fingers arestacked on top of the index finger and the thumb is pressing on the back of theclarinet, below the thumb hole. It is not unusual to see students play A this way,even in high school!

3 Students with very short fingers may have to modify this angle so that their ring finger and little finger can reachthe appropriate holes and keys.


EmbouchureThe term embouchure refers to the lips, teeth, muscles and jaw and their

position relative to the mouthpiece and reed. The clarinet embouchure is passiverather than active. In other words, it is not directly responsible for generating thetone, as it would be on a brass instrument. The clarinet embouchure simply allowsthe reed to vibrate and controls it to produce a beautiful tone. The clarinetembouchure must not move when articulating. The embouchure remains the samein all registers of the clarinet. There should not be a sense of the embouchurehaving to work harder to play high notes on the clarinet. There should be no visiblemotion of the embouchure when playing the clarinet.

ConceptsLike a rubber band stretched around mouthpieceLike a drawstring bag gathered inwardImagine smoking a cigarLips shaped as though saying "o."Lower lip has wrinkles, forms a cushion for the reedCorners inChin firm, flat and pointed down, as though applying lipstick. Not

bunched upAvoid the smile embouchure (corners pulled back). This

embouchure was taught in the past but is no longer widelyused. It tends to produce a brighter, harsher tone.

The embouchure should be formed before beginning a note andshould remain still while playing

DetailsFirst sounds are usually produced only on the mouthpiece (should

produce a concert C), or on the mouthpiece and barrel joint(should produce a concert F#). The mouthpiece-barrel is abetter choice, since it is easier to blow, easier for the student tohold, and easier for the teacher to see the embouchure.

A Procedure for Teaching Embouchure:Say "oh". Drop jaw until line separating lip from chin is directly in front of top

edge of teethInsert mouthpiece, allowing lower lip to be pushed over teeth. With many

people, this will put about half of the red part over the teeth, although thisvaries depending on the shape of the lips.

Upper teeth should be directly on mouthpiece, about 1/2" from the end of themouthpiece.

3/8" to 1/2" of the end of the reed should be clear of contact with the lip inorder to vibrate freely. This can be checked by feeling with the tongue.

Make sure the chin is firm and flat (as though applying chapstick) with a slightfeel of pulling downward

Corners should be pushing inwardMouthpiece should come out of mouth at an angle of 30° from the verticalThe clarinet should be centered on the body unless the student’s teeth are

significantly crooked.


The jaw should be in a natural, comfortable position, neither pushed forward,nor pulled back.

Variables for beginners:Amount of mouthpiece in mouthAmount of lower lip over teethAir speedFirmness of embouchure

It is crucial to insist on a flat chin for the first several years so that this habit iswell established. Be sure that the chin stays flat as high notes areintroduced. Many students begin bunching their chin and biting the reedwhen they first learn high notes. This is not necessary to play high notesand causes a thin, bright sound, sharp pitch and limits the dynamic range.

The top lip is actually important in the clarinet embouchure. The upper lipshould be slightly curled against the top teeth and there should be a feelingof pushing down on the mouthpiece with the upper lip. This helps preventbiting and gives a more resonant, darker tone.

Watching the embouchure in the mirror daily is very important for students ofall ages.

Double-lip embouchure refers to playing with the upper lip curled over the topteeth.

Although a small handful of great professionals play this way, it is not widelyused or recommended for students, because endurance is more difficult andit is rather uncomfortable until one gets used to it. Be sure that yourbeginners have their teeth on the mouthpiece. Occasionally, someonelearns to play with their upper lip curled over the teeth and the teacher doesnot notice it! Advanced players, however, may sometimes benefit frompracticing high notes for a few minutes each day with a double lipembouchure. This helps them learn to play without biting and with a moreopen oral cavity.


BreathingThere are several important things to know about breathing: the location of

the lungs, the skeletal and muscular structures involved in breathing, means ofcontrolling inhalation, means of controlling exhalation, and some problems with theway breathing is often taught to musicians. When reading the following, it wouldbe useful to have a good illustrated anatomy book, and a model of a skeletonavailable. To truly understand the structures and motion involved in breathing, youmay want to copy the relevant illustrations and put them in your clarinet case, tapethem to your music stand, refrigerator, bathroom mirror and anywhere else whereyou are likely to see them and think about them often.

The lungs are located in the thoracic cavity, which is about the upper third ofthe torso. “Some things to notice: the top of the lung is above the collarbone, thebottom at about the bottom of the sternum; the nipple is at about the widest part ofthe lung; the rib area that houses digestive organs is not continuous all around, butsports the inverted V that is the very handsome upper abdominal wall; thediaphragm is NOT the same as the upper abdominal wall…the bottom of the lung isat the same level as the bottom of the breast.4” This is much higher than mostpeople have their lungs mapped. Some people believe their lungs correspondroughly in size and position to the entire rib cage. This is not the case. Look in ananatomy book if you need convincing.

Many musicians, encouraged by their teachers, believe that when theybreathe deeply, air rushes into the abdominal cavity, perhaps as low as the bellybutton! This is clearly not possible. Later we will discuss why some teachers thinkthis is a useful image. The lungs are located high in the torso and are protected bythe shoulder blades in the back and by ribs, the sternum, and the collarbone in thesides and front.

One additional thing to know is that the lungs partially surround the weight-bearing portion of the spine. Many people think of their lungs as occupying thefront of their chest cavity and their weight-bearing spine in the very back. Thissimply is not true. The core of the spine is centrally located (think how hard itwould be to hold ourselves up if this were not so!) and the lungs partially surroundit.

“Every musician needs to know about the movement of the ribs in breathing.There are twenty-four ribs, each of which makes a joint with a process on a thoracicvertebra in back (every thoracic vertebra has ribs joined to it; the seven cervicalvertebrae above it do not; the five lumbar vertebrae below it do not). Twenty ofthe ribs attach to cartilage in front; four do not (they are called floating ribs, two oneach side, the lowest ribs). The ribs are wonderfully mobile bones, having joints onone end and springy cartilage on the other end. We breathe at the joints. Oninhalation all the ribs move up and out. On exhalation all the ribs move down andin. Physiologists call this movement the ribs’ excursion. Full rib excursion is ourgoal.5” The motion of the ribs in breathing may be compared to a bucket handle

4 How To Learn the Alexander Technique: A Manual for Students. Barbara Conable, William Conable. AndoverPress, P.O. Box 6838, Columbus, OH 43205. This book is a wonderful resource and is highly recommended.5 What Every Musician Needs to Know About the Body: The Practical Application of Body Mapping and theAlexander Technique to Making Music. Barbara Conable. Andover Press, P.O. Box 6838, Columbus, OH 43205.This book is a wonderful resource and is highly recommended. Very useful illustrations and an entertaining, non-technical style.


swinging out and up. The motion of the ribs is probably the most important thingto be aware of in breathing. If this motion is interfered with in any way, breathingwill not be as free, easy and deep as it could be.

Another aspect of the skeleton’s motion in breathing to be aware of is themotion of the spine. On inhalation it gathers slightly as the ribs rise. Duringexhalation the spine lengthens as the ribs descend. These motions are subtle andmay not be obvious to you at first, but they are important to proper breathing. Tobecome aware of the spine’s movement in breathing lie face down on a large pillowor two and you should be able to detect the slight gathering of the spine oninhalation and lengthening on exhalation. If a student interferes with this spinalmotion, whether because of having the wrong concept (wrongly thinking that thespine lengthens on inhalation), or by improper body position (excess rigidity orallowing downward pull to compress the spine and collapse the upper body), free,easy natural breathing will not occur.

The diaphragm is a large, flat muscle parallel to the floor and separating thethoracic (chest) cavity from the abdominal cavity. In its relaxed state it is domeshaped (visualize a tent). When it contracts, it flattens downward, creating an areaof low pressure in the lungs, which causes air to rush in. As the diaphragm contractsand flattens downward, it displaces some of the organs in the abdominal cavity,causing the abdomen to expand in the front, sides, back, and downwards (pressingon the pelvic floor). It is important to know that you can not directly feel themotion of your diaphragm or control it directly. It is similar to the heart muscle inthis regard. According to Barbara Conable, you are better off looking for themovement of breathing than the work of breathing. If the proper motion isoccurring you may be sure that your diaphragm is doing the right thing. If theproper motion is not happening, you need to figure out why and no amount oftrying to control your diaphragm is going to help you. While you cannot directlyfeel your diaphragm, you can certainly notice and enjoy the motion out and up(sideways) of the ribs, the slight gathering of the spine, and the expansion of theabdominal and pelvic cavities on inhalation. On exhalation you can notice thedownward motion of the ribs, the lengthening of the spine, and the return of theabdominal and pelvic cavities to their neutral position. Full breaths (if the body isfree and relaxed) will result in the abdomen expanding all around and down, andthe torso expanding all around as the ribs move out and up (like bucket handles).

There are many muscles involved in breathing, however you will breathebest if you simply work on achieving a free, relaxed body position with a dynamichead poised over a lengthened spine and be sure to allow the motion describedabove (ribs up and down like a bucket handle, natural expansion of abdominal andpelvic cavities, and spine gathering and lengthening). The intercostal musclesbetween the ribs (what you eat if you eat spare ribs) do much of the work of raisingand lowering the ribs. The muscles of the abdominal wall (actually more of acylinder than a wall) are involved as well, but not in an active, tense way. Oninhalation, the descending diaphragm pushes the viscera against the abdominal wallin all directions (assuming the muscles are relaxed and this motion is allowed, notresisted). On exhalation, again assuming the abdominal wall is not tense, themuscles will spring back to position as the diaphragm returns to its domed position.I hope it is clear from the above, that any tension in the muscles of the abdomen iscounterproductive to effective, easy, natural breathing. Some students resist theabdominal expansion that is part of natural breathing because they don’t want their


stomach to stick out. I don’t know what to say about that, except that the expansionis temporary, and is not unsightly, especially given the simultaneous motion of theribs and expansion of the thoracic cavity. Anyway, the abdominal expansion thatoccurs in normal breathing is more attractive than the tense appearance and soundsthat will result if it is resisted. Some students may have been told (wrongly, Ibelieve) or come to believe on their own that the stomach muscles need to be hardand firm when playing. This is not true. According to Barbara Conable “anytension in the abdominal wall will impede its movement and limit the ribs’ excursionand the diaphragm’s excursion, so abdominal tension must be weeded out likecrabgrass from a garden. Tensing the abdominal wall is…destructive to exhalationbecause tense muscles can’t spring back as the diaphragm returns to its domedposition. This loses a significant source of support and the movement of breathingbecomes chaotic rather than organized. Breathing loses its tide-like quality.6”

Only when it is necessary to use every last bit of air that you have access towill the abdominal muscles be used in an active way. When you get to a pointwhere you feel you have used all of your air, you still have the ability to get moreair by contracting your stomach muscles to push the diaphragm up higher than itsneutral, dome-shaped position and get a bit more air out of your lungs. You won’tusually have to do this; only for exceptionally long phrases. When possible, it is bestto avoid this situation by taking a bigger breath at the beginning of the phrase,because it disrupts the natural, tide-like quality of breathing that is possible inclarinet playing.

Breath support. I am not sure how useful this term is, at least the way it isoften used. Often when you hear the phrase “you need to use more breathsupport!” what is meant is something like “use more air” or “blow faster air” or“take a bigger breath.” If you look up support in the dictionary, notice that almostall of the meanings are passive rather than active. You see phrases such as “the actof supporting, upholding or sustaining” or “that which maintains or preserves fromfalling, yielding, sinking, giving way, or the like” or “to uphold by aid, back up;second.” So, quoting Barbara Conable, “What supports are available? For bearingyou up: for the whole of you—the floor, your bony structure, and your posturalreflexes; for your torso—your legs; for your thorax—your lumbar spine; for yourhead—your whole spine. What supports are available to aid or back up yourbreathing? The lengthening and gathering of your spine (BIG help); the resiliency ofthe abdominal wall (BIG help); the resiliency of the pelvic floor (BIG help) andengaging the deep musculature of the pelvis as you move into length onexhalation.”7

Breathing is a series of movements. Air is what is being moved; support isthe structure that allows and aids the movement of breathing to occur. As teachers,it is good to be clear about what we mean. If we want a student to take a biggerbreath, blow faster air, or play louder, we should tell them so directly rather thanuse the confusing phrase “use more breath support.”

In clarinet playing, it is necessary to match the amount of air taken in to theamount needed for the phrase. Although it is usually desirable to begin a phrase

6 What Every Musician Needs to Know About the Body: The Practical Application of Body Mapping and theAlexander Technique to Making Music. Barbara Conable.7 What Every Musician Needs to Know About the Body: The Practical Application of Body Mapping and theAlexander Technique to Making Music. Barbara Conable. Andover Press, P.O. Box 6838, Columbus, OH 43205.


with a full breath, there are times when that is too much air. In a piece with manyshort phrases with little time between them it is possible to accumulate too much air.If you never get rid of most of your air, stale air accumulates in the lungs, makingyou light-headed, increasing the heart rate and giving you a strong urge to breathe,even though the lungs are already full. Sometimes this phenomenon is worse whenwe are performing and slightly nervous. This can be avoided by matching air intaketo phrase length. Sometimes it is useful to find a place to exhale, so you can startwith fresh air. Talk to good oboe players about this. They do it all the time becauseplaying the oboe requires so little air.

Common instructions about breathing (and what is wrong with them):“Fill from the bottom up. Breathe low. Visualize air going into the stomach

area, Visualize putting water into a balloon.” I think what teachers are trying tocommunicate here is that it is natural for the abdominal cavity to expand outward inall directions when inhaling as a result of the downward movement of thediaphragm. This expansion should be allowed and not resisted. That much is trueand useful information. Dangers of these statements: may encourage overinvolvement of stomach muscles in inhalation, may cause the natural motion of theribs out and up on inhalation to be resisted. This is especially true for the waterballoon image. Gases do not behave like liquids, so this image does not give a truepicture of what happens in normal inhalation. If one tries to breathe according tothis image (filling a balloon with water) the result may be to emphasize theabdominal expansion (especially in the downward direction) and not allow the ribmovement out and up on inhalation, thereby losing access to part of the lungs’ aircapacity. Rather than try to trick students into breathing properly with these typesof images, it is better to acquaint them with the structure of the breathing apparatusand its movements and remind them that the outward expansion in all directions ofthe abdomen as well as the excursion of the ribs on inhalation is normal andessential and must not be inhibited or resisted in any way.

Another common teaching about breathing: “shoulders (or chest or sternum)must not move when breathing.” I think what teachers are getting at with thesestatements is 1) you should not try to breathe by hauling up your ribs and sternum(a spinal movement) or by raising your shoulders. 2) you should not hold yourbody in such a way that the shoulders interfere with the normal rib movement ofbreathing. Both of these things are true, however the instruction that students mustnot allow movement of the chest or shoulders in breathing is damaging because itprevents the full excursion of the ribs in breathing. In a person with good upperbody position, there will be a slight movement of the chest and ribs near the end ofa full inhalation. If a person has poor upper body position, the chest and shoulderswill have to move significantly to allow full motion of the ribs on exhalation. Thesolution to this situation is to correct the upper body position, not to tell the studentthey can’t move their upper body when breathing. Until they can learn a morecomfortable body position, the motion in the shoulders and chest is necessary intaking a deep breath.


Functions of the tongue in clarinet playingTip of tongue Middle of tongue Back of tongue (throat)Used for articulation Controls tone quality and

pitchControls registerNot usually consciouslycontrolled

Tip moves short distancevertically to articulate

High position (“eeh”) givesbest focus. Speeds up airand directs it toward tip ofreed

Tongue goes down (openthroat) for high notesTongue goes up (closedthroat) for low notes

The motion of the tip of the tongue will be discussed in the section onarticulation. The middle of the tongue has a lot to do with controlling the focus andtone quality and also affects the intonation. A high middle tongue (like saying “eeh”while keeping the throat relaxed) gives the best classical tone quality. Sax playersdoubling on clarinet and jazzers sometimes play with a lower middle tongue (likesaying “ah”) giving a more open, diffused sound.

The back of the tongue can be thought of as part of the throat region. This iswhere the register of the clarinet is determined, though it is not usually controlledconsciously. Lowering the back of the tongue (opening the throat) favors the upperregister. Raising the back of the tongue (closing the throat) favors the lowerregister. If you are playing in the correct register with a good sound, you don’thave to think about the back of your tongue; it is doing the right thing. Sometimes,however, it is necessary to control it directly.

An example of consciously controlling the back of the tongue is when tryingto control undertones. If you have trouble playing a high note (say high c) softlywithout the lower partial (thumb f) creeping into the sound (undertone), it probablymeans the back of the tongue is doing the wrong thing. If you are producing thelower partial, it means the back of the tongue is in the position that favors low notes(in other words, it is too high). Therefore, to correct for an undertone, you wouldconsciously keep the back of the tongue down (throat open). One way to do this isto think the syllables “eeh”, “a”, “oh”, “ah” during a diminuendo in the upperregister. This should counter the natural tendency of the tongue to creep into ahigher position as it relaxes during a diminuendo.

Another example of consciously using the back of the tongue would be in adownward slur from high b to 3rd line b. Many players tend to get a squeak, orhigher partial, when doing this slur loudly. This means the back of the tongue is toolow (throat too open). Therefore, to correct for this, you would think a syllable suchas “eeh” to keep the tongue high in the back. You could also have some one pressup with their thumb under your chin, close to your neck while you play the interval.This will give you the feel of keeping the back of the tongue up.


ArticulationProper understanding of the functions of the various regions of the tongue

is crucial to good clarinet articulation. Only the tip of the tongue is used inarticulating on clarinet and its motion should be mostly vertical. If themiddle of the tongue moves in articulation, the tone and pitch will changeand if the back of the tongue or throat move, squeaks are likely.

The embouchure must not move when tonguing. Likewise, the throatshould not move. Only the tip of the tongue moves in clarinetarticulation.

Clarinet tonguing is usually taught using the syllable “tah.” “Dah” or“Deeh” also work well and have the advantage of keeping the tonguemore relaxed. The top of the tip of the tongue contacts the reed justbelow the tip of the reed. The tongue should move no farther thannecessary and should remain as relaxed as possible when tonguing.

It is important to realize that what initiates the sound on clarinet is thetongue being withdrawn from the reed. Understanding the tongue as avalve that controls the flow of air to the reed is important. Sometimesstudents mistakenly think of the tongue as being like a mallet striking thereed. This can lead to harsh, inconsistent attacks and sometime squeaks.

Especially for initial attacks, it is important to have the embouchure set, thetongue already on the reed, and the air pressure behind the tongue. Thenthe tongue is simply released from the reed to start the sound. This is themost secure way to begin a note on clarinet:

1) Form embouchure2) Tongue on reed3) Air behind tongue4) Release tongue to begin note

In normal playing, the sound is ended with breath decay (stop blowing butdon’t close the throat) or in some cases by returning the tongue to thereed (staccatissimo, or clipped articulation).

To increase tonguing speed, daily practice with a metronome is useful.Practice 5 note bursts (four 16ths + a quarter note) on a single note, thenon five note scales. Then practice 9 note bursts (2 groups of 16ths + aquarter note). Keep track of your progress with the metronome.Keeping the tongue close to the reed and relaxed will help velocity.Generally, the faster you tongue, the longer the notes should be. Whenplaying fast there isn’t time to play very short notes. “Duh-duh-duh-duh-duh” works much better than “tat-tat-tat-tat-tat”. Some people find that itworks better in fast articulation to tongue very near the tip of the reed.Some even prefer to tongue with the underside of the tongue for veryrapid articulation.

Double Tonguing is possible but uncommon on clarinet. Flutter tonguing-tongue is sometimes called for in modern music and jazz styles. It isproduced either by fluttering the tip of the tongue, as in a rolled “r”, or bymaking a gargling sound with the soft palate. Either method isacceptable.


How to PracticeFew students love to practice. Understandably, they would rather perform in band orensembles than spend hours practicing alone. However, daily, individual practice isessential to musical development. Without daily, focused, intelligent, mindful, solitarypractice, students won't fully develop artistically or technically and won't have thecapacity to express what they feel musically. What we must do is make the practicetime as efficient and effective as possible so students progress noticeably. Then practicewill be enjoyable. As music teachers, one of the most important things you can do is toteach your students how to practice well. The practice skills and discipline they acquireon their instrument will serve them well in many areas of life. Here are some ideas forimproving practice skills.

Goals. Have short term and long term goals clearly established, preferably writtendown.Plan. Have a plan and goal for each practice session. Don't try to do too much at onetime. Try to improve a few things every day. Avoid merely playing throughsomething mindlessly. Football players don't have daily scrimmages, ballet dancersdon't dance entire ballets every day, and marathon runners don't run a marathon eachday. Practice selectively and intelligently. Be sure that you work daily on fundamentalskills.Be persistent. Large breakthroughs are rare. Incremental progress is your goal. Tryto move in the right direction each day and you will be amazed at the results.Be aware, however, that there will be plateaus. Don't get discouraged when you are ona plateau. Rather, enjoy it and keep practicing the right things, realizing that beforelong you will move to a new level.Analyze. Identify the problem areas. Isolate and focus on them. Practice slowly.Listen and analyze.Don't practice mistakes! Your body will remember them and they will become habit.If you make a mistake in a technical passage, divide it into small sections, slow waydown and play each section five times in a row with no mistakes. This is veryimportant. Even if you have to go very slowly to play it accurately, that is much betterthan practicing mistakes at a fast tempo. The most common error made by students ispracticing too fast!Stay relaxed. If you experience pain, numbness, or tingling in your hands or arms,take a break. Do not continue to play if you are in pain! It could lead to physicaldamage that is difficult to overcome.Pretend that you are a teacher and give yourself advice. It is amazing how often weknow what to do, but forget to do it until reminded by someone else. Be your ownpractice coach (in a supportive way). Avoid negative self-talk.


Daily Practice Routine-this will vary from person to person, but the general principlesbelow may apply to everyone.

Warm up. During this part of your practice, you gently warm up your lips,breathing, fingers and ears. Long tones are very useful for this.Reinforce. Reinforce and maintain the fundamental skills you already have.Scales, articulation studies, finger exercises, high note studies may be part of this.Time spent doing this is a good investment because it enables you to sight readbetter and learn new music more quickly.Improve/learn. During this time you work on any new pieces or skills that youare trying to learn. It is important to be focused and organized. Avoid simplyplaying through an entire piece, hoping it will eventually improve. Rather, useall of the skills mentioned on these pages (and any others you can think of) topractice efficiently.

More ideas:

Different rhythms-Practicing difficult patterns in different rhythms, articulations, andnote groupings are very efficient way to learn quickly.Overlapping groups-Practice a difficult passage in small units, always linking to thenext beat. Thus, a sixteenth note passage might be practiced in 5 note groups (4+1).Once two small units are perfect, combine them into one larger unit. This is also a goodway to review difficult passages before a performance.Movable fermata-Practice putting a fermata successively over each note of a difficultpassage. Often this will show which note is problematic in a passage and allow you tofocus on getting cleanly to that note.Forwards and backwards-Practice difficult passages in short groups forwards andbackwards. Always link to the next beat. Thus, a sixteenth note passage would bepracticed in 5 note groups (4+1). This should be done starting on each note of thepassage. The length of the groups can gradually be increased.Add a note-Play the first note of a difficult passage, then the first two notes, then thefirst three, etc. This technique may also be used starting from the last note of a passage.Write your own exercises-compose your own exercises based on what is difficult foryou in a given passage. Don't restrict yourself to the specific notes of the passage, buttry to strengthen whatever aspect of your technique is causing the problem.Analyze the structure of the phrase. Be able to play the 'skeleton' (main notes) of thephrase. Understand which notes are most important musically, and also which notesneed the most attention technically.Theory-Analyze a passage so you understand what is happening harmonically. Markchord progressions, scales, sequences, and any other patterns so you recognize them ata glance.Memorize difficult passages. Practice them mentally without your instrument.Record yourself. Practice with a tape recorder. Even if you don't have a high qualitymachine, this is useful for rhythmic accuracy.Keep a notebook of passages that you have found especially difficult in the past. Thiswill give you something productive to practice when you have extra time and will helpyou determine the parts of your technique that you especially need to strengthen.Imagination-Try to hear and visualize yourself playing the way you want to play. Itmay help at first to imitate the playing of someone you respect. Put into words the


qualities you are trying to achieve and stay focused on those qualities. Try not to beharsh and judgmental of yourself, but always strive to move in the right direction.Love the plateaus-Realize that you progress will not always be steady. Sometimes youwill be on a plateau for a while before a breakthrough occurs. Don't let this discourageyou. Continue to work and enjoy where you are.Several times each day. If you are trying to learn something quickly, it is a good ideato divide your practice time into several shorter sessions each day, rather than one longsession. Also, within a practice session, come back to a difficult passage several times,rather that doing it all at once. This will help avoid burnout, frustration, and tension.Practice without playing. 1) Finger a difficult passage without playing and observeyour fingers. This is often helpful. 2) Problematic passages should be memorized andmentally practiced (without the clarinet) many times each day. Most great musiciansand athletes are very good at this type of mental practicing and use it often.

Good luck and happy practicing!


RecordingsSome recommended clarinetists are Sabine Meyer, Paul Meyer (no

relation to Sabine Meyer), Eddie Daniels, Larry Combs, David Shifrin, John BruceYeh, Karl Leister, and Robert Marcellus. There are many other fine clarinetistswho would be inspiring for students to listen to for a basic concept of sound,style, and technique. For musical inspiration it is also good for students to hearto a wide variety of music including fine singers and violinists. Below are somerecommended recordings, but there are many other fine CD’s available.

Title Performer CDLabel Comments

Blues for SabineSabine Meyer,Eddie Daniels,others

EMIClassics

Three Pieces for Clarinet, Stravinsky; Sonata for TwoClarinets, Poulenc, and others

Chamber Musicof Carl Mariavon Weber forClarinet

David Shifrin, TheChamber MusicSociety of LincolnCenter

DelosDE3194

Quintet, Grand Duo, Seven Variation, op. 33, IntroTheme And Variation (Kuffner)

Cohler onClarinet Jonathan Cohler

OngakoRecords

Sonata in F, Brahms; Grand Duo Concertant, Weber;Adagio, Baermann/Wagner

Ebony Concerto John Bruce Yeh

ReferenceRecordings

Ebony Concerto, Igor Stravinsky; Hillandale Waltzes,Victor Babin, arr. for cl and wind ensemble; Derivationsfor Clarinet and Band, Morton Gould; Prelude, Fugueand Riffs, Leonard Bernstein; Concerto for Clarinet,Artie Shaw

French ClarinetArt Paul Meyer

DenonCO-79282

Saint-Saens: Sonata, Chausson: Andante et Allegro,Debussy: Petite Piece, Premiere Rhapsodie, Milhaud:Sonatine, Duo Concertant, Poulenc: Sonata, Honegger:Sonatine

Märchenbilder:SchumannClarinet Works

Paul MeyerDenonCO-75960

includes the Fantasiestücke and some transcriptions

Mozart W.A.,Concerto in A Robert Marcellus CBS The most popular recording of the Mozart Concerto.

Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell.

Mozart, BrahmsClarinetQuintets

Harold Wright,BSO ChamberPlayers

Philips4411492

Quintet for Clarinet and Strings, Brahms; Quintet forClarinet and Strings, Mozart.

OrchestralExcerpts forClarinet

Larry Combs Summit

Most standard audition excerpts are included. Combsdiscusses each excerpt before playing it.

StamitzConcertos, Johann& Carl

Sabine MeyerEMIClassics

Concertos #3 in Bb, 10 in Bb, 11 in Eb by Carl Stamitz;Concerto in Bb, Johann Stamitz


ReedsThe clarinet reed, along with the mouthpiece, is the critical piece of

equipment in determining tone quality. Even an advanced player won’t be ableto sound very good on an inferior reed. Advanced players spend a significantamount of time selecting and adjusting (and complaining about!) their reeds.Younger students will benefit from some simple training and advice about reedselection, adjustment and storage.

Being made from a natural product (cane from the arundo donax plant),reeds are affected by moisture, weather, saliva and the stress of being played.Clarinet reeds are not consistent, even within a box made by the samemanufacturer. The quality of the cane varies depending on the conditions inwhich it was grown and how it was aged after harvest. Traditionally, the bestcane was from the Var region of southern France, or from Spain, although latelysome fine reeds have been manufactured using cane from South America andAustralia. Beginner reeds, such as Rico, often use American cane.

There have been various attempts at making synthetic reeds. Mostly,these have not been satisfactory. The most successful (and most recent) are thesynthetic reeds made by Guy Legere (available over the Internet). Someprofessionals have begun using these as practice reeds, back-up reeds, or insituations where they are doubling and don’t have the time to work on reeds formultiple instruments. Synthetic reeds are much more expensive than cane reeds,but hold the promise of lasting much longer and being more consistent.

For the most part, clarinetists, unlike double reed players, do not maketheir own reeds, relying instead on commercial reeds. A handful (maybe 5-10%)of professionals do make their own reeds, starting either with tube cane (severalspecial tools are required for this), or commercial reed blanks, which look like areed with all the bark intact. Some make their reeds entirely by hand, using acombination of files, knives and sandpaper, and others use one of severalmachines (such as Reedual) that copy the dimensions of a model reed onto theblank. Usually, those using a machine will do the final finishing by hand, forgreater control. Although making reeds is fun and is an educational process,most students, even advanced ones, are better off using commercial reeds anddevoting the time saved to practicing. Those who do make their own reeds feelthat they have more control over the quality of the finished product and thathandmade reeds last longer than commercial reeds.

Clarinet reeds are graded according to their strength. The numbers rangefrom 1.5-5 (in half strengths from most makers). Lower numbers mean softerreeds and higher numbers mean harder reeds. A soft reed is one that requiresrelatively little embouchure strength and air pressure. A hard reed requires astronger embouchure and more air pressure.

The strength of a reed is a result of the dimensions of the reed and thequalities of that particular piece of cane. As a basic rule, clarinetists should playthe softest reed that allows them to get a beautiful tone at all dynamic levels overthe entire range of the instrument and to articulate clearly, rapidly, and easily.Some high school players play on reeds that are too soft, thereby limiting theirtone quality (thin, bright, buzzy, or shrill), dynamic range (can’t play loudenough), high notes, and intonation (flat when loud and flat in high register).Others mistakenly believe that hard reeds are always better, and end up unableto play softly with a clear tone, unable to articulate clearly, and have limited


endurance.Soft reed Thin, buzzy sound

Requires very little breath and embouchure pressureFlat when played loud, especially in throat tonesHigh notes flat or unable to be produced

Good reed Full attractive tone in all registers at all dynamicsNormal intonation in all registers at all dynamicsFairly easy to playFlexible tone and intonation

Hard reed Heavy, hard, coarse tone, especially in low registerRequires excessive breath and embouchure pressureDifficult to play softly with clear toneSharp when played softly

Important- A new reed which is slightly too hard will often be just rightafter it is broken in a played for a few days.

The dimensions of the mouthpiece affect how hard or soft a given reedfeels. [A mouthpiece with a large tip opening requires softer reeds and amouthpiece with a small tip opening needs harder reeds]. For example, a #4reed might be just right on one mouthpiece, yet be too hard on another.

Recommended reed strengthsBeginners- 2.5 (Rico, Lavoz or Vandoren). Some teachers start students

on #2 reeds, but I believe this is a mistake and that these reeds are too soft toallow proper muscle development. #2.5 is soft enough even for the untrainedmuscles of new embouchures

Intermediate- #2.5,3 or 3.5 (Rico, Lavoz, Mitchell Lurie or Vandoren).Advanced- #3,3.5 or 4 (Vandoren is most popular brand. Mitchell Lurie

premium is also an option for the less advanced)

Rico reeds are thought by some to be fine for beginners. Almost no onerecommends them for high school students. Vandoren reeds are the mostwidely used by advanced students and professionals. They are less consistentand more expensive than many other commercial reeds (such as Mitchell Lurieand LaVoz), but the good ones are much better and last longer. Mitchell LuriePremium and LaVoz might be good choices for the less advanced high schoolstudents, but the better players should use Vandoren. Vandoren reeds areavailable in three styles, Classique (blue box) and V-12 (silver box) and therecently introduced Rue L’Epic 56. The Classique design has been around for along time and is still used by some. They are less expensive than V-12. The V-12design has become very popular since it was introduced about 15 years ago. It ismade from a thicker piece of cane and hence has a steeper slope from the bark tothe tip. Although most players prefer V-12’s, it is really a matter of personalpreference, so students may want to experiment with both styles beforedeciding. The Rue L’Epic is even thicker than the V-12 and comes in a sealed box.

All players should store their reeds in a reed case to protect the reeds and


minimize warpage. Lavoz and Vito make inexpensive cases that hold 2 or 4reeds. The reeds are held against a flat, grooved surface (to prevent mold) withthe tip area protected. There are more expensive cases available, but they do notfunction any better than the less expensive ones. In the winter, many playersstore their reed cases in a sealed plastic bag (sometimes with a bit of orange peelor a moistened piece of sponge) to prevent the reeds from drying out toorapidly. The large change in humidity from being played to being stored inconditions of low humidity that are typical in winter causes reeds to warp.

A warped reed will not sit flat against the table of the mouthpiece andmay squeak, chirp, sound thin and buzzy, or vibrate unevenly, as though thereed is not balanced from side to side. It will also be inconsistent, depending onwhere it is placed on the mouthpiece. Proper storage is one way to preventwarpage. A reed that is properly broken in is less likely to warp.

To test for warpage, place the reed on a flat surface and notice if it can berocked back and forth, side to side. If so the back is warped and should beflattened. To flatten the back of a reed, place a piece of #400-800 Wet-or-Drysandpaper on a flat surface and sand the flat side of the reed. Take care not tosand under the tip area as this part is already very thin and anyway it does nothave to sit flat against the mouthpiece. The sanding motion should be in thedirection of the reed fibers, not sideways or in a circular motion. Some playersprefer to use a file or a reed knife to flatten the back of the reed.

Most clarinet teachers have a preferred method of breaking in new reedsand maintaining existing reeds with the idea that this adds to the longevity andconsistency of the reed. Some of these systems are quite complicated anddetailed. However, the most important aspects can be summarized quite simply.

I. Don’t play the reed much at firstA. Play new reeds a maximum of 2-5 minutes per day for the first several days,avoiding excessive high notes or articulation.B. Gradually increase playing timeC. Don’t waterlog the new reeds. They don’t need to be soaked for more than1-2 minutes before playing.

II. Take steps to ensure the back is flatA. After playing, dry reeds with flat side up for a minute or two.B. For first several days, after reed is thoroughly dry, lightly sand flat side ofreed (avoiding tip area) with #600 Wet-or-Dry sandpaper or scrape lightly withreed knife.C. Store reeds in proper reed cases. Use baggies if needed to prevent rapiddrying out in winter.D. If a reed isn’t going to be played for many days, it is a good idea to soak itevery several days, so it doesn’t get too dry.E. Avoid letting reed dry out on mouthpiece.

III. Seal the poresA. Some advocate rubbing new reeds with thumb or piece of paper from thebeginning of the cut toward the tip to seal the pores and prevent excessiveretention of moistureB. Some advocate polishing the back of the reed by vigorously rubbing the flatside of the reed on a piece of paper, the back of a sheet of sandpaper, or a veryfine sandpaper (#2000) to get the back absolutely smooth, hard and shiny. Thisis done after the reed is dried for the first several days. However, some feel that


this makes the reed sound overly bright.IV. Keep the reed clean

A. Some believe that saliva has an adverse effect on reeds and advocate alwayssoaking reeds in water, both before and after playing. The belief is that mineraldeposits from saliva build up on the reed and affect its vibrations. This may varyfrom person to person depending on the composition of the saliva.B. Old reeds that look dirty often benefit from being soaked in water, then verylightly scraped with a reed knife or fine sandpaper.C. Old reeds may also be cleaned by soaking them in a mild hydrogen peroxidesolution for several minutes, then lightly scraping them if needed.

V. Rotate among several reedsA. Try to have four usable reeds and rotate among them. This adds to thelongevity of the reeds and adds great piece of mind to the performer.B. Problem with using one good reed exclusively until it dies, then replacing it:as the reed deteriorates gradually over time, the player unconsciously adapts tothe declining reed without realizing it. When the reed finally dies, theembouchure, breath control, etc. have altered to compensate for the decliningreed. Now the player is not only desperate for a new reed, but his/her basicfundamentals are messed up from playing on a sub-standard reed.

MouthpiecesThe mouthpiece is critical in determining tone quality, intonation and

response. Some desirable characteristics in a mouthpiece are: beautiful soundthroughout all registers, wide dynamic range, easy tone production, accuratetuning, good response, and it should be easy to fit reeds to the mouthpiece.Mouthpieces are usually made of hard rubber or plastic. [Occasionallymouthpieces are made of glass, crystal, metal, or wood.] Plastic mouthpieces areassociated with beginner instruments and may be acceptable for the first coupleof years. All students who have played for more than a couple of years shouldhave a name brand hard rubber mouthpiece if at all possible. If the cost of ahard rubber mouthpiece is prohibitive, there are some plastic mouthpieces listedbelow that are acceptable.

Selecting a new mouthpiece.It is best if a student has the assistance of a private teacher or experienced

clarinetist in choosing a new mouthpiece. Mouthpieces vary significantly fromeach other, even within the same model line, so it is best to select from at leastthree mouthpieces if possible. Most of the mail order companies will sendmouthpieces on approval. When trying new mouthpieces, the student shouldhave several good reeds available, some a little soft and some a little hard andsome just right because every mouthpiece requires a different style reed. Themouthpieces should be evaluated for tone quality, intonation (use an electronictuner to check this), and response. Be sure to check the following:

Dynamic range-can you play very loud and very soft with good tonequality? Some mouthpieces do one but not the other.Range-can you easily play high notes with good sound and intonation?Response-is it easy to articulate? Do notes speak easily? Can you


articulate clearly at soft dynamic levels?Reeds-does it work well with several reeds? Can you easily adjust a reedfor it?

Mouthpieces cost anywhere from $30-$200 (most cost about $60).Some good hard rubber student mouthpieces are: Vandoren B45 (the

most widely used high school mouthpiece), B45 13; Larry Combs LC13, LC11;Gigliotti; Vandoren M13, 2RV, 5RV

Custom mouthpiece makers: James Pyne, Charles Bay, Robert Scott,Richard Hawkins, Clark Fobes. These mouthpieces are handmade. There are avariety of styles and facings available. In some cases, the maker will make themouthpiece specifically for the player, with the player’s input. Many of themalso reface commercial mouthpieces, greatly improving them.

Plastic mouthpieces: Clark Fobes, Richard Hawkins and David Hite all sellplastic mouthpieces that may be a good choice for those who can’t afford hardrubber mouthpieces.

It is not necessary for the entire section to play on the same type ofmouthpiece, although some band directors prefer this.

Note: the Buffet mouthpieces that come with Buffet clarinets are generallynot very good and should not be used.

LigaturesThe ligature effects clarinet tone quality and response. The differences

among ligatures that work properly and fit the mouthpiece/reed combinationare fairly subtle. Some ligatures give a darker sound, some a more brilliantsound. Some are more responsive and easier to articulate on than others. Thesedifferences are fairly subtle.

More important to the band director is the fact that a ligature that doesnot fit the mouthpiece properly, that is bent, or that is missing a screw, will havea significant negative impact on tone. The reed must be held firmly in place witheven pressure for it to vibrate properly. If it is possible to slide the reed fromside to side when the ligature is tightened, then the reed is not being held firmlyin place and will not vibrate properly. If the ligature is bent, it will pressunevenly on the reed, possibly causing the reed to warp, squeak or have a thintone. Metal ligatures that are missing a screw press unevenly on the reed,causing some of the above problems.

Ligatures may be metal or non-metal. Metal ligatures are thought to givea more brilliant sound, non-metal a darker sound. Non-metal ligatures areusually made of a rubbery fabric. Some fabric ligatures enclose a metal frame.

Ligatures may be standard (screws on bottom) or inverted (screws ontop). Inverted ligatures sometimes have only one screw.

The Rovner ligature is recommended because of its relatively low price,durability, and because it fits any mouthpiece and reed combination. Someplayers find the Rovner to be more forgiving of a warped reed than otherligatures.

Metal ligatures Non-metal ligaturesMore brilliant sound? Will bend ifdropped.

Darker sound? Easier to find reeds for?More durable.


Bonade, Charles Bay, BG Tradition,Harrison,Vandoren Optimum

Rovner, BG Revelation, Eddie Daniels,Vandoren Fabric, Luyben

Standard ligatures Inverted ligaturesOther than the Bonade standard ligature,most good ligatures are inverted.

Claim better sound because pressure isdistributed more evenly around the reed.

Bonade standard, most inexpensive metalligatures.

Bonade inverted, most fabric ligatures,most fancy ligatures.

Barrel JointsSurprisingly, this part of the clarinet has a large effect on intonation (both

relative and absolute), tone quality and the overall resistance experienced by theplayer. The length of the barrel joint obviously determines the absolute pitch(longer is lower, shorter is sharper). The standard length for a Buffet R-13 Bbclarinet is 66 mm (sometimes called 660). Barrels are available from 64-68mm.Other than the length of the barrel, the dimensions of the inside bore are veryimportant and the material of which the barrel is constructed is of lesser importance(or not important at all, depending on whom one believes).

The inner taper of the clarinet barrel joint strongly affects the tone qualityand the relative intonation. Many players of Buffet R-13 clarinets (the most widelyused by pros and advanced students) prefer the Buffet Moenning barrel joint or theBuffet Chadash barrel joint over the standard Buffet barrel joint. Hans Moennigwas a very influential repairman active 1940’s through the 1960’s who developed areverse conical taper, which greatly improves some intonation problems and gives amore compact focused tone for many players. The Chadash barrel is a variation onthis. These barrels (Moennig and Chadash) cost around $100 and are a goodinvestment for the more advanced player. It is not a bad idea to purchase one ofthese barrels at the same time the student is moving up to an advanced instrument.They are not completely consistent, and respond differently on each instrument, sotesting several is advised.

If a student needs a new barrel and doesn’t want to spend the money for aMoennig or Chadash barrel, there are some synthetic barrels that may beacceptable. Robert Scott barrels are economical and tune very well. They are madeof Delrin. DEG makes a variety of metal barrel joints. The DEG Eddie DanielsAccubore Moennig Classic or Power is a feasible alternate to the more expensivewood barrels. It looks like wood, but is made of anodized aluminum, which makesit heavier than wood, a possible drawback for some.


InstrumentsBeginner Instruments: $300-$600. Made of plastic. Adequate for first several

years, but better players will want to upgrade. Yamaha and Vito are widely used. Ifa student buys a used instrument (or has a hand-me-down), be sure to have itcarefully checked by a repairperson. Only plastic instruments should be used formarching band.

Intermediate Instruments: $500-$1300. Made of wood. Similar in many waysto professional instruments. Selmer Signet, Buffet E-11, E-13, Yamaha (variousmodels), Leblanc (various models). Some teachers prefer to move the moreadvanced students directly to an advanced/pro instrument when possible.

Advanced/Pro Instruments: $2,000+ Made of wood. More attention todetail, higher quality control, more sophisticated design than intermediateinstruments. Advanced high school students, especially those who want to major inmusic need a top-level instrument. Buffet R-13 is by far the most widely used in US.Leblanc Opus, Concerto and Yamaha are also options. Leblanc has been gainingpopularity and has several prominent players endorsing their instruments. Buffetplayers cite beauty of tone as the advantage. Leblanc and Yamaha attempt to makean instrument with better intonation and more even tone and resistance.

A wood clarinet should be selected very carefully, with attention to tonequality, intonation and resistance. Ideally, a teacher should help the student selectthe instrument.

Advanced/pro instruments tend to retain fairly high resale value, which maybe a factor that some parents will want to consider. There is always a market forused Buffet R-13’s.

Eb clarinets- Buffet R-13 is most widely used. Leblanc and Yamaha alsomake Eb clarinets.

Alto clarinet- Buffet, Selmer, Yamaha, Leblanc.Bass clarinet- Selmer, Buffet, Yamaha, Leblanc. Range down to low Eb (as

opposed to low C) is appropriate for high school. Single register key vs. Doubleregister key. Single register key is associated with beginner level instruments.Simpler mechanically, but limits intonation and tone quality of certain notes. Doubleregister key is more complicated mechanically, but allows better tone andintonation. Selmer used to dominate professional level bass clarinets, but in the last10 years, Buffet Prestige has become more popular.

Contra-alto and Contrabass clarinets- Leblanc, Selmer.


IntonationIntonation on clarinet is affected by many factors. The equipment itself

(instrument, barrel joint, mouthpiece, and reed) has a very large role indetermining intonation, both absolute (overall pitch level) and relative (whetherthe instrument is in tune with itself). The way the instrument is played affectspitch. Factors include the embouchure, shape of the oral cavity, how the tongueis used in articulation, how the air is used, dynamic level (pitch tends to go flatwhen loud and sharp when soft, but the player can compensate for this) andfingerings chosen. Environmental conditions (temperature) also affectintonation.

Unfortunately, no clarinet has yet been designed which automaticallyallows the player to play every note in tune. There are certain tendencies onmost clarinets that can be summarized by saying the 12th at both ends of thetube are too wide. What this means is that the 12ths at the bottom of the tube(low e-b, f-c, f#-c#) tend to be flat for the low notes and slightly sharp for thehigh notes and likewise an octave higher for the short tube 12ths e-b and f-c.The notes in the throat tone register are very flexible in pitch and react stronglyto many of the factors that effect pitch (such as poor embouchure and dynamiclevel).

The obvious way for an instrument designer to alter the pitch of a note isto reposition the tone hole that controls the pitch of the note (the first open tonehole other than the register vent). Positioning a tone hole higher up theinstrument raises the pitch (because the tube is shorter) and positioning it lowerdown the instrument makes the pitch lower (because the tube is longer. Sincethe same tone hole determines the pitch for a low register note and the clarionnote a 12th higher (same fingering with register key added), any repositioning ofthe tone hole affects both the chalumeau note and the clarion note associatedwith that fingering.

For example, if the tone hole for low F is repositioned to bring that flatnote up to pitch, then the clarion C (which we have already discussed as beingslightly sharp) will be unacceptably sharp. Similarly, if the hole is positioned tolower the clarion C, then the low F, which was already flat, will be extremely flat.So, the position of the tone holes on the clarinet represents an attempt to find thebest compromise in terms of intonation.

Another design factor that affects the relative intonation on clarinet is thedesign of the bore of the instrument, especially in the barrel joint area. Althoughthe bore of the clarinet in general terms is described as being cylindrical, almostall clarinets are actually polycylindrical. This is an attempt to improve relativeintonation and also achieve the desired tone quality and resistance. Thedimensions of the bore of the barrel joint have a significant effect on intonation.The Moennig and Chadash barrels have already been discussed as improvingintonation (especially the sharpness on high B and C) and also improving tonequality for most players.

The clarinet must be in proper adjustment to play best in tune. Pads thatopen too far will cause the note control by that tone hole to be sharp. Pads notopening far enough will cause flatness.

The mouthpiece does have an effect on intonation. This varies frommodel to model. The difference in intonation among good mouthpieces is fairlysmall.


Reeds also affect intonation, although the effect is not very noticeable ifthe reed is good. An overly soft reed will tend to play flat, especially whenplayed loudly or in the upper register. An overly hard reed will tend to playsharp, especially when played softly. A hard reed may also be less flexible andnot easily allow minor adjustment of the pitch with the lips.

Embouchure affects intonation. In fact, this is the way minor adjustmentsto pitch are usually made. A firmer embouchure raises the pitch, while a looserembouchure lowers the pitch. Altering the pitch intentionally with theembouchure is called lipping up or lipping down. An embouchure that ischronically tight with the lip pressed hard into the reed and the chin scrunchedup rather than flat will cause the player to be sharp (also to have a thin, harsh,unresonant tone). Likewise, an embouchure that is too loose will cause a playerto play flat (and have a flabby, unfocused tone). A good embouchure, with thecorners in and the chin flat is the best starting point for playing in tune.

If the position of the oral cavity is such that the middle of the tongue isheld too low in the mouth when playing (as though saying “ah”) the pitch will betoo low, especially in the high register. Also, the tone will be unfocused. Theproper tongue position is the same as when you pronounce “eeh.” Inarticulation only the tip of the tongue should move. If the middle of the tonguemoves, the pitch will scoop out the beginning of the note.

A very important factor to be aware of is the effect of dynamics onclarinet intonation. When playing loudly, the pitch tends to go flat. This must becompensated for by keeping a firm embouchure, maintaining a high tongueposition (“eeh”) and not forcing too much air through the instrument. Whenplaying softly, the pitch tends to rise dramatically. This must be compensated forby keeping the chin flat, the jaw down, the corners in and maintaining adequatewind speed and pressure. Practicing long crescendos and diminuendos in frontof a tuner is the best way to get control of intonation at various dynamic levels.It is important to know that these tendencies are the opposite on flute.

Also important to understand is the effect of temperature on intonation.When it is cold, the pitch is lower and when warm the pitch is higher. Thesedifferences in pitch are substantial, not subtle. Since clarinets are made of wood(or plastic) they take longer to warm up to temperature than metal instruments.Every effort should be made to keep the clarinet warm before a performance orduring a long rest. Students should be taught that the pitch rises as theinstrument warms up. It is very common in high school solo and ensembleperformances to hear a clarinet player tune their instrument accurately and startoff in tune, but fail to compensate one or two minutes into the piece as their pitchbegins to. By the end of the piece, many players are quite sharp.

Many notes have several possible fingerings. The fingerings for a passagemay be chosen based on based on a combination of tone quality, intonation, andtechnical ease. It is common for students to add some or all right hand fingers(and sometimes the left hand middle finger and/or ring finger) to throat tones inorder to lower the pitch, improve the tone quality, and facilitate technique. Moststudents’ intonation will benefit from adding some fingers to the throat toneswhen playing softly. Adding the fingers lowers the pitch, helping to counter thetendency to go sharp when playing softly. Occasionally, additional keys will beopened to raise the pitch of a note. For example, if thumb f is extremely flat in agiven passage, the bottom side key may be opened to raise its pitch; however,


this should not be used as the standard fingering. The altissimo notes havemany possible fingerings, each with slightly different intonation, response andtone quality.

Summary of factors affecting clarinet intonation:

Louder=flatter Softer=sharper (a good player will compensate for thesetendencies)

(Effect of dynamics is the opposite on flute!)Cold=flatter Hot=sharper (a good player will compensate for these

tendencies)Adjusting intonation with embouchure:

Lipping up (limited)firmer embouchure

Lipping down (distorts tone)looser embouchure

Adjusting intonation with fingeringsopening tone holes usually raises pitch

thumb fclosing tone holes usually lowers pitch

throat tonesThroat tone resonance fingerings

lower pitchimproved soundsmoother technique (especially across break)

Flat pitch (possible causes)Reed too softToo much mouthpiece in mouthAngle of clarinet to body is too greatEmbouchure too looseInadequate air speedFailure to compensate with embouchure when playing loudBarrel too longMouthpiece faulty (not too likely with a standard mouthpiece)

Sharp pitch (possible causes)Reed too hardAngle with body too smallFailure to compensate with embouchure. when playing softEmbouchure too tightToo little mouthpiece in mouthBarrel too shortMouthpiece faulty (not likely with a standard mouthpiece)


Working on intonationAt an early age, clarinetists should be taught how to hear the difference

between playing a unison in tune and out of tune by hearing the beats that resultwhen the interval is out of tune. They may pair up and work on intonation ortune to the sound produced by an electronic piano or keyboard (find a soundwithout vibrato). Gradually, other perfect intervals (octave, 5th, 4th) may beintroduced. Until they have been playing for at least a year, they won’t haveadequate control of the embouchure muscles to make the subtle adjustments inpitch necessary to play well in tune, but they should at least be in the habit oflistening for intonation and knowing the difference in sound between playing intune and playing out of tune.

Older students should know about the factors affecting intonation andwhat they can do to control them. They should be taught the general tendenciesof various notes and registers and also should spend time with an electronictuner learning about the specific characteristics of their instrument. Playing longtones at various intervals over a drone pitch, whether from a keyboard or atuner, is an excellent study. Be sure that students learn to listen for melodicintervals as well as harmonic intervals. A student should be aware of intonationeven when playing an unaccompanied piece. The book Intonation Training forClarinetists by Larry Guy is an excellent resource for teachers or high schoolstudents. It contains much detailed information about clarinet tuning as well asexercises for improving intonation.

Working with an electronic tunerTuners are very valuable in improving intonation, but they must be

properly used. You must be very aware of the effect of temperature onintonation. A student may work very hard to play every note in tune with atuner in a cold room, but they must realize it will be very different when they goto a rehearsal or performance in a hot room. It is best at first to use the tuneronly when the player is warmed up, has a good reed, and the room is areasonable temperature. Slow intervals (perhaps whole note octaves) should beplayed and the tuner should not be looked at until the note has been played for afew beats. Then the player should move the note in the right direction byloosening or firming the embouchure. It is not necessary to get each note all theway to “0” on the tuner at first. It is more important to move a bit in the rightdirection. The player should attempt to hear the next note before playing it.

Another thing to be aware of with tuners is that some ensembles playsharper that A=440. When working with the tuner, you should determine whatpitch your ensemble plays at, then practice tuning to that pitch. It is possible topractice tuning every note to a tuner set to A=440, then sound flat in band ororchestra. Pianos, however, are not usually sharp, and do not change pitch withtemperature as wind instruments do, so a student may have to approachintonation differently when playing a solo with piano than when playing inband.

The ear will accept a slight amount of sharpness more easily than thesame amount of flatness, especially in the upper register. Also, it is easier to lipdown slightly on clarinet than it is to lip up. Therefore, it is better to be slightlyhigh to the tuner on high notes than to be slightly low. This is true in ensemblesand to a lesser degree with piano.

Tuners are based on a tempered scale, in which all semitones are the same


distance apart. This is how pianos are tuned. However, instrumental and vocalmusic usually sounds better when “just intonation” is followed. This involvestuning intervals to correspond to the ratios of the overtone series, which israther different than tempered intonation. This means that the same note maybe tuned differently depending on what part of the chord it is. Doing this allowschords to resonate and ring because the upper voices are in tune with theovertones generated by the lower voices. Vocal ensembles do this, usuallyinstinctively. A barbershop quartet would sound horrible if it tried to tune eachnote of a chord with an electronic tuner.

The most important interval to be aware of in just intonation is the Major3rd. To tune with the overtone series, a M3 must be played 10-14 cents (1/100 ofa semitone) lower than the tuner indicates. A minor third should be 10-14 centshigher than the tuner indicates. A P5 needs to be very slightly wider than thetuner indicates.

When playing in band or ensembles, using the principles of just intonation(especially lowering the M3) can make intonation sound much better. Ideally thestudents should understand which chord member they are playing and knowwhich way to adjust it for the best intonation. Even if all members of the groupdon’t have the theory background to do this, the group will benefit from thedirector carefully tuning prominent chords according to the principles of justintonation. Usually, when tuning chords the roots are tuned from the bottomup, then the 5ths from the bottom up, then the 3rd is added. Obviously whenplaying with a piano or other fixed pitch instrument, tempered tuning (as on atuner) should be followed.

Pulling out to lower pitch: Clarinets are usually tuned to 3rd space C(band) or 3rd line B (orchestra). If the tuning note is sharp, the barrel joint isusually pulled out. However, if the barrel needs to be pulled out very much, itcan cause problems with relative intonation. Here is the reason. When a throattone is played, only about 8 inches of the clarinet is used. When a 3rd line be isplayed, the entire length of the clarinet (26.5”) is used. Obviously, pulling a givenamount will have a proportionally greater effect on the short tube notes than thelong tube notes. What will happen is the throat tones will get too flat before thelonger tube notes come down to pitch. For this reason, it is sometimes necessaryto also slightly pull the middle joint (which doesn’t affect the notes above it).However, pulling out too far in the middle can make it hard to keep the bridgekey aligned. When tuning the clarinet, it is a good idea to tune the 3rd space C or3rd line B by pulling the barrel joint. Then check the open G to make sure it is notflat. If it is, push the barrel in to tune the open G and tune the C (or B) by pullingat the middle. Some recommend tuning the open G first, but it is not as secureand stable a note to tune to as 3rd space C or 3rd line B, so it is probably best tostart with one of those notes.

Some players like to use a tuning ring to take up the empty space createdwhen the barrel joint is pulled. Use of a tuning ring seems to keep the pitch ofthe throat tones up somewhat when pulling out the barrel joint.

If certain notes are especially out of tune on a particular instrument, agood repairperson can sometimes improve things by undercutting the toneholes (enlarging the underside where they enter the bore of the clarinet) or byputting tape in the upper half of the tone hole. Obviously, this should only beattempted by someone who knows what he or she is doing.


Tone ProblemsWorn reed-very common among students. First thing to checkSmall, muffled tone- too much pressure with lower jaw; too little reed in

mouth, lack of breath supportFlabby tone-loose embouchure, soft reed, low tongue positionSqueaking- finger not covering hole; leaky pad(s); adjusting screw (throat

A) in wrong position, bad reed; faulty articulation; bad mouthpiece

FingeringsGeneral rules for deciding on fingerings:

Never slide or glide the fingers from key to key or key to holeunless absolutely necessary (which is not very often).

Keep the motion in one hand where practical.Throat tones- Keep right hand fingers down on throat tones

when they are preceded or followed by notes that use right handfingers.

Care and Maintenance of ClarinetOil bore of wooden clarinets only when new or not at all - careful of padsOil mechanism occasionally with key oil, wiping excess oil off with clean

clothShine keys with soft cloth only. NO SILVER POLISHDirt in tone holes-clean with pipe cleaner, razor brush, or Q-tipAdjusting screw for throat A- make sure there is a small amount of playLoose tenon rings-danger of crackingLoose tenon corks-plumber's Teflon tape or dental floss until they can be

replacedClean register vent tube with pipe cleaner about twice yearly, or when

throat Bb is especially stuffyClean mouthpiece at least once a week with warm (not hot) soapy water.

Do not use cloths or swabs on the inside of the mouthpiece as they could scratchthe mouthpiece.

Swab the clarinet before putting it in the case. Beginners are usuallytaught to disassemble the clarinet before swabbing, which is a good idea becauseit prevents their pulling the clarinet apart accidentally if the tenon corks areloose. Never swab the mouthpiece because it is too likely to get scratched ordamaged.


Clarinet Study Repertoire(* indicates a source that is especially important or useful for the high school clarinetist

or teacher)

Standard Method BooksKlose, H., Celebrated Method for the Clarinet,, revised and enlarged by Bellison (Fischer).

Complete, or Parts I and II separately. The most widely used clarinet method.Good material, but it isn't arranged in order of difficulty, and a student probablyneeds a teacher to get full benefit from it.

Baermann, Carl, Complete Method for Clarinet, Parts I,II,III, IV, and V (various editions).Baermann was a famous 19th century German clarinetist whose father was also acelebrated clarinetist. Part III is an important work for the advanced player. Itcontains scale and chord patterns covering the full range of the instrument.

*Gower, WM. and Voxman, H. Rubank Advanced Method for Clarinet, Vol. 1,2.Excellent material for the advancing high school player. Also useful as review forcollege freshmen. Includes etudes and duets in difficult keys, some good mixedarticulation studies, and an excellent treatment of trills and turns. Neglects theupper register.

Study Material*Albert, J.B., Twenty-four Varied Scales and Exercises (Fischer), Contains scale and chord

patterns written out in each key. Very good for younger students trying tomaster the patterns because it is easy to read and doesn't go into the upperregister very much.

Allen, Chris. Progressive Studies for Clarinet, Book II. The Associated Board of the RoyalSchools of Music. Good introduction to asymmetric meters.

Burke, Kelly. Clarinet Warm-Ups; Materials For The Contemporary Clarinetist. (DornPublications: Medfield, Massachusetts, 1995) Highly recommended. Covers howand why to warm-up, establishing a daily routine, mental preparations, stretchingexercises, breathing exercises. Has exercises covering long tones, intonation,articulation basic finger motion, difficult finger passages crossing the break, basicscale and chord patterns (extended range), advanced and contemporary scaleforms and contemporary performance techniques. Also includes an annotatedbibliography of study materials

Cavallini, E., 30 Caprices (various editions, but the Ricordi is the easiest to read.Southern publishes an edition that is inexpensive and includes some other Italianetudes as well). Important for the advanced player.

Clarke, H.L. Technical Studies for the Cornet. Carl Fischer. Though published for cornet,these make excellent finger studies for clarinet. Short scale and chord passages aretransposed into every key.

Dufresne, Gaston, and Voisin, Roger Develop Sight Reading. edited by Charles Colin,(Charles Colin: New York, 1972

*Hite, David (editor) Melodious and Progressive Studies vols. I and II (Southern Music)Very important etudes for younger students who have outgrown Rubank but arenot quite ready for Rose and other advanced etudes. Volume I contains short,intermediate etudes drawn from the works of 19th century composers andteachers such as Dont and Gambaro. It also has the scales, scale patterns and


arpeggios written out. Volume II consists of slightly longer and more difficultetudes, suitable for moderately advanced high school students and young collegestudents.

*Hite, David (editor) Artistic Studies vols. I,II,III (Southern Music). Volume I containsthe Rose 40 Studies, 32 Etudes, and 9 Caprices. Volume II contains 32 etudes byBaermann. Volume III contains the Cavallini 30 Caprices, and 16 other Italianstudies. Volume I and III (Rose and Cavallini) are especially good values. Theycontain historical information about the etudes and have a glossary of foreignterms.

Kroepsch, Fritz. 416 Progressive Daily Studies for the Clarinet (4 vols.) Carl Fischer: NewYork, 1946. Very short etudes (1-4 lines) in each of the major and minor keys.Starts with C major and a minor and progresses through all the keys. Written in atonal style, with advanced complicated patterns of non-harmonic tones, these areexcellent for perfecting the technique. They are also very good for improving thesight reading

Lewin, Gordon. Clarinet Folk-Weave: Ten unaccompanied pieces, mixing traditional and jazz,for the more accomplished player. The Associated Board of the Royal Schools ofMusic, London, 1993. Lots of fun. Excellent supplemental material. Includes jazz,klezmer, flamenca, and samba styles. Moderate difficulty.

Polatschek, V., Advanced Studies (G. Schirmer) Many of these are based on an excerptfrom a famous composer including Bach, Beethoven, Shostakovitch and Smetana.

*Rhoads, William, editor. Advanced Studies From the Works of Julius Weissenborn (altoand bass clarinet). Southern Music. Although intended for alto or bass, these areexcellent study material for Bb clarinet as well. Adapted from bassoon works ofWeissenborn.

*Rhoads, William, editor. 18 Selected studies for Alto and Bass Clarinets. Southern Music.Although intended for alto or bass, these are excellent study material for Bbclarinet as well. Adapted from Lazarus, Rose, Capelle and others.

*Rose, C., 32 Studies, 40 Studies (2 vols.). Published separately by Fischer and others.Southern music publishes all 72 of these etudes (and more) in one inexpensivevolume (Artistic and Expressive Studies, Bk 2), edited by David Hite, that alsoincludes historical information about many of the etudes. These etudes are animportant part of the clarinet repertoire and should introduced when the studenthas reached the moderately advanced high school level.

Voxman, H. Classical Studies (Rubank) Based on works by Bach and Handel.*Voxman, H. Rubank Advanced Method for Clarinet (2 vols.) Very good for high school

students or as review for college students. Includes ornamentation, trill fingerings,articulation, duets, and etudes in difficult keys. Does not cover altissimo registervery well.

*Voxman, H. Selected Studies (Rubank) Similar in difficulty to the Rose 32 Etudes.Contains one or more etudes in each key. Includes some of the Rose etudes aswell as others. Very good for advanced high school or young college students.

Gates, E., Odd Meter Etudes (Sam Fox) Good for sight reading practice, or to introduceadvanced meters. There is also Odd Meter Duets by the same composer.

Stubbins, W., 22 Etudes for Clarinet (George Wahr) Etudes in the styles of Bach, HandelDont, Fiorillo and Paganini


Contemporary TechniquesCaravan, R., Preliminary Exercises and Etudes in Contemporary Techniques for the Clarinet

(ethos Publications)Rehfeld, Philip. New Directions for Clarinet. University of California Press. Very

thorough. Includes a multiphonic fingering chart. Recently updated.Sigel, A., The Twentieth Century Clarinetist (Belwin-Mills)

Books, Journals, and ArticlesBonade, Daniel. Clarinetist's Compendium. LeblancBruser, Madeline. The Art of Practicing: A Guide to Making Music From the Heart. Bell

Tower (Random House), New York. 1997Brymer, Jack. Clarinet. Schirmer Books.*The Clarinet. Journal of the International Clarinet Association. Many useful articles and

features for clarinetists and teachers. Published quarterly.* Guy, Larry. Selection, Adjustment, and Care of Single Reeds. Rivernote Press, 36

Hudson Ave. Stony Point, NY 10980, 914-947-2956.*Guy, Larry. Embouchure Building for Clarinetists. Rivernote Press, 36 Hudson Ave.

Stony Point, NY 10980, 914-947-2956.*Guy, Larry. Intonation Training for Clarinetists. Rivernote Press, 36 Hudson Ave. Stony

Point, NY 10980 , 914-947-2956.Heim, Norman. A Handbook for Clarinet Performance. Kendor Music, Inc. 1970.Heim, Norman. Clarinet Literature in Outline. Norcat Music Press, 1984.Heim, Norman. Ornamentation for the Clarinetist. Norcat Music Press, 1993.The Instrumentalist. Monthly magazines with articles of interest to instrumental music

educatorsLawson, Colin, ed. The Cambridge Companion to the Clarinet. Cambridge University

Press, 1995. Very thorough. Each chapter is written by an excerpt in the topicbeing covered.

Mazzeo, Rosario. The Clarinet:Excellence and Artistry. Alfred Publishing Co.Pascucci, Vito. Care and Minor Repairs of the Clarinet for Band Directors. LeblancPino, David. The Clarinet and Clarinet Playing. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1980. Long out

of print, but available in many libraries. Contains much useful information.*Ridenour, Thomas. Clarinet Fingerings. Available directly from the author

(www.ridenourclarinetproducts.com). Very thorough, especially in its treatmentof altissimo fingerings. Does not include trill fingerings.

*Ridenour, Thomas. The Educators Guide to the Clarinet: A Complete Guide to Teaching andLearning the Clarinet. 2nd Edition. Available directly from the author(www.ridenourclarinetproducts.com). ISBN 0-9717979-0-0. Detailed, thorough.The author is a bit wordy, but covers the material very well. This is a valuableresource.

Sadie, Stanley. The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments (3 vols.). MacmillanPublishers.

Sadie, Stanley. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. (20 vols.). MacmillanPublishers. Excellent resource. Detailed biographies and bibliographies.

Stein, Keith. The Art of Clarinet Playing. Summy Birchard.Thurston, Frederick. Clarinet Technique.: London: Oxford University Press, 1977, 4th

ed 1985.Weston, Pamela. The Clarinet Teacher's Companion. London: Robert Hale, 1976, ISBN 0-

7091-5482-8.


Weston, Pamela. Clarinet Virtuosi of the Past , More Clarinet Virtuosi of the Past. andClarinet Virtuosi of Today London. Very useful. Informative and entertaining.Well researched.

*Westphal, Frederic. Guide to Teaching Woodwinds 5th Edition. Wm. C. BrownPublishers. Surprisingly good. Easy to understand. Includes useful trill fingeringchart and a section on reeds and mouthpieces.

Woodwind Anthology Volume 2. The Instrumentalist Publishing Co. 1992. Acompendium of articles from The Instrumentalist.


SELECTIVE REPERTOIRE LISTThe following list contains many of the important pieces in the clarinet repertoire. Any well-roundedclarinet player should be familiar with most of these solos. Many of them are too hard for most highschool clarinetists to perform (although they may want to study them). The pieces marked with anasterisk are appropriate for advanced high school students to perform.

Early ConcertiCrusell, Bernard Concerto in F Minor, Op. 5Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus *Concerto in A Major, K.622Pokorny, Franz Xavier Concerto in Eb

Concerto in BbRossini, Gioachino Introduction, Theme & VariationsRössler, Franz Anton (Rossetti) *Concerto in EbSpohr, Louis Concerto no. 1 in C minor, Op.26Stamitz, Johann *Concerto in Bb MajorStamitz, Karl *Concerto in Eb MajorTartini, Giuseppe *ConcertinoWeber, Carl Maria von *Concerto No. 1 in F Min, Op. 73

*Concerto No. 2 in Eb Maj,.Op. 74*Concertino, Op. 26Fantasia and Rondo, Op. 34

Later Concerti Copland, Aaron ConcertoDebussy, Claude Premier RhapsodieNielsen, Carl Concerto

Sonatas with Piano Arnold, Malcom *Sonatina, Op. 29 (Lengnick)Bernstein, Leonard Sonata (Warner Bros.)Brahms, Johannes Sonata, Op. 120, no. 1

Sonata, Op. 120, no. 2Hindemith, Paul Sonata (Schott)Martinu, Bohuslav SonatinaMilhaud, Darius Duo ConcertantePoulenc, Francis *Sonata (Chester)Saint-Saëns, Camille *Sonata, Op. 167 (Durand)Szalowski, Antoni *SonatinaWanhall, Johann Baptist *SonataWeber, Carl Maria von Grand Duo Concertante, Op.48

Clarinet with pianoBabin, Victor Hillandale WaltzesBaermann, Carl *AdagioBassi, Luigi Fantaisie from RigolettoBerg, Alban Vier Stücke, Op. 5 (Universal Edition)Cahuzac, Louis Variations sur un air du Pays D'ocCavallini, Ernesto *Adagio and TarantellaFinzi, Gerald *Five Bagatelles (Boosey and Hawkes)Gade, Niels Fantasy Pieces, Op. 43 (Kalmus, Hansen)


Hurlstone, William Four Characteristic PiecesJeanjean, Paul *Arabesques

*Variations on Carnival of VeniceLefebvre, Charles *Fantaisie-CapriceLutoslawski, Witold Dance PreludesMessager, André *Solo de Concours (Southern) Mouquet Jules *Solo de ConcoursMuczynski, Robert Time Pieces (Presser)Pierné, Gabriel *Canzonetta, Op. 19Rabaud, Henri *Solo de Concours (Southern) Schumann, Robert Fantasiestücke, Op. 73Vaughan Williams, Ralph *Six Studies in English FolksongWeber, Carl Maria von Variations, Op. 33

Fantasia and Rondo (Carl Fischer)Widor, Charles-Marie Introduction and Rondo, Op. 72

Clarinet alone Adler, Samuel *Harobed (1972) (Southern)Denisov, Edison SonataDonizetti, Gaetano StudyGiron, Arsenio Three Bagatelles (Southern Music)Jacob, Gordon Five PiecesKarg-Elert, Sigfrid Sonate, Op. 110Martino, Donald A Set for ClarinetMessian, Oliver Abime des OiseauxOkamura, Koh *Two Pieces ( 1988) (Southern)Osborne, Willson *Rhapsody (1954) (Peters)Persichetti, Vincent Parable for Solo Clarinet, Op. 126 (1974) Elkan-Vogel)Piazolla, Astor Tango EtudesRiepe, Russell Three Studies on FlightRozsa, Miklos Sonatina, Op. 27Shroyer, Ronald It's Either a Song or a Dance (1987) (Southern)Smith, William O. Five PiecesStravinsky, Igor Three PiecesWebster, Michael Five PiecesWhittenberg, Charles Three Pieces for Clarinet Alone, Op. 29 (1963) McGinnis &Marx)

Collections Masterworks for Clarinet and Piano by Weber, Schumann, Mendelssohn, and Brahms . (edited by Simon)

Schirmer. Good value with much standard repertoire.Sixteen Grands Solo de Concert for Clarinet and Piano (edited by Bonade) Southern Music CompanyRecital Clarinetist . (edited by Armato) Carl Fischer.*Concert and Contest Collection (ed. Voxman) Rubank, inc. This collection is a very good value for the

high school clarinetist. Widely used, it has a good selection of repertoire, ranging in difficultyfrom moderately easy (9th grade level) to fairly difficult. The clarinet and piano books may bepurchased separately.


Two clarinets Amsden, Arthur Celebrated Practice DuetsBach, Carl Philipp Emanuel *Duet for Two ClarinetsBower, Bugs Bop Duets (Charles Colin)Cavallini, Ernesto Two Grand DuetsCrusell, Bernhard *Three Progressive Clarinet Duets (Hinrichsen) Hite, David, editor *Seven Grand Concert Duets (Southern Music)Hovhaness, Alan *Sonata for two clarinets. (peermusic classical)Kiraly, Laszlo Hungarian Folk Songs (Editio Musica Budapest)Lazarus, H. Three Grand Artistic Duets Cavallini (C. Fischer)Mozart (ed. Drucker) *Duets vol. II (International Music)Poulenc, Francis Sonata for Clarinet in Bb and ATelemann (ed. Kell) *6 Canonic Sonatas (International Music)Voxman, H. (editor) *Selected Duets for Clarinet Vol.I,II (Rubank)


Clarinet Resources

• Eble Music Co. Music (good staff)PO Box 2570Iowa City, IA 52240-2570(319) 338-0313

• International Clarinet Association Publishes The Clarinet (magazine)c/o So RheeP.O. Box 1310Lyons, CO 80540 USA801-867-4336 phone212-457-6124 [email protected]

• International Music Suppliers Supplies, instrumentsP.O. Box 357Mt. Prospect, IL 60056. 800-762-1116

• Jeanné Tools, supplies, equipment, sheet music.PO Box 32758 CatalogMinneapolis, MN 55432. 800-831-7691

• Luyben Music Music. Good web-site. Thorough4318 Main Street catalogueKansas, City, MO 64111-1987800-2-Luyben, 816-753-7111

• Muncy Winds Instruments, supplies, repairs, musicPO Box 1274 Fast service. Knowledgeable staff.Boone, NC 28607. 800-333-6415 Cataloghttp://www.muncywinds.com/home.php

• Southern Music Music, supplies. Good web-site1-800-284-5443, FAX 210-223-4537email [email protected]

• Frederic Weiner Instruments, supplies, recordings1325 2nd AveNew Hyde Park, NY 11040. 800-622-CORK

• The Woodwind Instruments, supplies, recordings19880 State Line Rd.South Bend, IN 46637. 800-348-5003


Important Clarinet PlayersThe following is a brief list of some of the famous clarinet players you should be awareof. The ones listed in bold face are especially recommended for their fine recordings.

American Symphony PlayersLarry Combs- principal in Chicago SymphonyJohn Bruce Yeh, Greg Smith, J. Lawrie Bloom- assistant principal, second clarinet and

bass clarinet (respectively) in Chicago SymphonyRicardo Morales- principal in Philadelphia Orchestra (Metropolitan Opera before that)Stanley Drucker- principal in New York Philharmonic for over 50 years!Frank Cohen- principal in Cleveland OrchestraWilliam Hudgins- principal in Boston SymphonyGeorge Silfies- retired principal in St. Louis SymphonyLaura Ardan- principal in Atlanta SymphonyRichie Hawley- principal in Cincinnati SymphonyMichelle Zukovsky- co-principal in LA PhilharmonicLorin Levee- co-principal in LA PhilharmonicTod Levy- principal in Milwaukee SymphonyBurt Hara- principal in Minnesota OrchestraLoren Kitt- principal in National SymphonyMichael Rusinek- principal in Pittsburgh SymphonyJoaquin Valdepeñas- principal in Toronto SymphonyBil Jackson- principal in Colorado SymphonyGreg Raden- principal in Dallas SymphonySteven Barta- principal in Baltimore SymphonyClark Brody- formerly principal in Chicago Symphony

American Symphony Players (deceased)Robert Marcellus- formerly principal in Cleveland OrchestraAnthony Gigliotti- formerly principal in Philadelphia OrchestraHarold Wright- formerly principal in Boston Symphony

Michigan ClarinetistsNathan Williams- Interlochen Arts AcademyFred Ormand- The University of MichiganDeborah Chodaki- The University of MichiganElsa Ludwig-Verdher Michigan State UniversityCaroline Hartig- Michigan State UniversityBradley Wong- Western Michigan UniversityKimberly Cole- Eastern Michigan UniversityKennen White- Central Michigan UniversityTed Oien- principal in Detroit SymphonySuzanna Dennis Bratton- principal in Grand Rapids Symphony

International Recording ArtistsThea King- English


Emma Johnson- EnglishAnthony Pay- EnglishGuy DePlus- FrenchGuy Daingain- FrenchPaul Meyer- FrenchSharon Kam- IsraeliKarl Leister- GermanSabine Mayer- GermanRichard Stolzman- American soloistDavid Shifrin- soloistEddie Daniels- jazz, classical

TeachersHoward Klug- Indiana UniversityEli Eban- Indiana UniversityYehuda Gilad- University of Southern CaliforniaKelly Burke- University of North Carolina GreensboroJulie DeRoache- DePaul University, LeBlanc artistFrank Kowalski- Florida State UniversityRobert Spring- Arizona State UniversityRichard Hawkins- Oberlin Conservatory

CMU Clarinet ProfessorsKennen White 1994-Margaret Donague 1992-1994. University of Miami, Florida.Linda Bartley 1987-1992James Heffernan 1982-87. U.S. Army Field Band, concertmaster; Kalamos QuartetEdgar Ross 1966-81

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