Clarinet For Dummies E-Book

David Etheridge

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 400

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2010

Beschreibung

Master the most popular woodwind Want to play the clarinet? No problem! This hands-on guide teaches you all the fundamental techniques you need to play this popular woodwind alone or in a group setting. Clarinet For Dummies gives you the ideal introduction to play clarinet. You?ll begin by learning how to properly hold a clarinet and move on to getting a consistent sound, reading music, and playing songs in a variety of styles, including classical, pop, and jazz. * Step-by-step instruction on finger placement, posture, and basic up-keep for the instrument * Tips on how to buy or rent a clarinet * Accompanying CD offers play-along recordings of every exercise featured in the book Whether you?ve never held a clarinet or are looking to brush up on skills from your youth, Clarinet For Dummies is packed with friendly, easy-to-follow instructions to have you playing this versatile instrument with ease! Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Leseprobe

Clarinet For Dummies®

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Conventions Used in This Book

What You’re Not to Read

Foolish Assumptions

How This Book Is Organized

Part I: Tuning Up with the Basics

Part II: And a One, and a Two, and a Three: Getting Started

Part III: Above and Beyond: Essential Intermediate Techniques

Part IV: The Part of Tens

Part V: Appendixes

Icons Used in This Book

Where to Go From Here

Part I: Tuning Up with the Basics

Chapter 1: So You Want to Play the Clarinet

Overcoming Tone Hole Anxiety

What’s with all the holes?

How ’bout all that metal?

Selecting a Clarinet and Putting it Together

Selecting a clarinet

Some assembly (and maintenance) required

Reading and Understanding Musical Notation

Getting Physical with Your Clarinet

Assuming the proper posture

Learning to breathe — correctly this time

Holding your mouth just right

Delivering fast air

Squeezing out notes by applying a little leverage

Getting your fingers into the action

Transitioning between notes: Slurring, tonguing, and more

Developing a Richer Tone

Recognizing the four ingredients of great tone

Playing loudly, softly, and in between

Adding some special effects: Vibrato, glisses, and bends

Cranking up your tongue and finger speed

Tweaking your clarinet into tune

Perfecting your reed

Mastering the Two P’s: Practice and Performance

Engaging in productive practice

Stepping up on stage

Chapter 2: Getting to Know the Clarinet

A Brief Lesson in Clarinet Anatomy

The business end of the clarinet: The mouthpiece, reed, and ligature

Pitching in to tune your clarinet: The barrel joint

Accommodating your left hand: The upper joint

Relying on your right hand: The lower joint

Ringing in at the far end: The bell

Exploring the Inner Workings of the Clarinet

Getting the vibrations going

Making notes

Grasping the Basic Concepts of Playing the Clarinet

Blowing some hot air

Using the mouth as a plumbing device: The embouchure

Using the clarinet as a lever (so to speak)

Fingering those notes

Appreciating Clarinet Diversity

Piccolo clarinet

E flat clarinet

Soprano clarinets

Basset horn

Alto clarinet

Bass clarinet

Contra bass clarinets

Exploring Two Unique Fingering Systems

The Boehm system

The Oehler system

Chapter 3: Picking the Right Clarinet for You

Looking at Clarinets for Beginners and Beyond

Shaking your piggybank: How much clarinet can you afford?

Starter-uppers (student models)

Step-up (intermediate) models

Conservatory or professional models with not-so-conservative price tags

Sorting Out Material Choices

Saving your pennies with a plastic model

Sticking with the classics: Wooden models

Checking out resin-made (greenline) clarinets

Checking Out the All-Important Mouthpiece

Evaluating mouthpiece characteristics

Getting started with a beginner mouthpiece

Stepping up to professional-quality mouthpieces

Comparing jazz to classical mouthpieces

Wading through the Reeds: The Tone Generators

Reed cuts: Numbers aren’t everything

Beginner reeds

Reeds for more advanced players

Saving Some Dough: Buying Used or Renting

Buying a used clarinet

Renting versus buying

Swapping Out the Barrel or Bell

Barrels: Tubular, dude!

Bells that’ll make your ears ring

Tossing in a Few Accessories

Cleaning cloth

Reed case

Cork grease

Tuner

Metronome

Chapter 4: Grasping the Basics of Musical Notation

Reciting the Musical Alphabet

Staffs and clefs: Nothing but treble and bass

Simplifying staffs with ledger lines

Locating Notes on a Piano Keyboard

Pointing out the written notes

Identifying sharps and flats

Getting Keyed Up with Key Signatures

Making exceptions with accidentals

Tuning in to keys and scales

Grooving to the Rhythm

Recognizing a note’s value

Tying notes together

Humming a few bars with bar lines

Tuning in to the beat with time signatures

Accounting for triplets and dotted notes

Taking a breather with rests

Spicing Up the Music with Staccato, Accents, Slurs, and Tenutos

Barking out notes staccato style

Accenting notes for emPHAsis

Slurring your notes

Marking tenutos with a dash

Marking phrases with slurs

Reaching Beyond the Notes

Deciphering dynamic markings

Spotting crescendos and diminuendos

Learning Italian with tempo markings

Following repeat signs and roadmaps

Chapter 5: Assembling, Cleaning, and Caring for Your Clarinet

Assembling Your Clarinet

Assembly tips and tricks

Hands off! Places you should never touch

Attaching the bell to the lower joint

Attaching the lower joint to the upper joint

Attaching the barrel to the upper joint

Attaching the mouthpiece to the barrel

Attaching the reed to the mouthpiece

Cleaning and Storing Your Clarinet

Swabbing condensation

Cleaning the keys

Giving the mouthpiece a bath

Clarinet storage do’s and don’ts

Storing reeds

Protecting that reed and mouthpiece!

Maintaining and Repairing Your Clarinet

Maintaining a brand new clarinet

Taking care of any ol’ clarinet

Finding a good repair technician

Part II: And a One, and a Two, and a Three: Getting Started

Chapter 6: Getting Your Body, Lungs, and Lips in the Game

Taking a Stance: Great Posture for Great Breathing

Straightening your back

Keeping your chin up

Breathing for Your Clarinet

Breathing in . . . deeply

Breathing out . . . completely

Sounding Off with a Mini-Clarinet

Getting small

Giving your clarinet some lip: Proper embouchure

Playing that big band sound: Adjusting the leverage and air

Chapter 7: Playing Your First Notes

Letting Your Fingers Do the Talking

Double-checking your right thumb position

Getting your left hand in the act

Holding your fingers in the right positions

Making O’s and C’s

Don’t let your pinkies droop

Playing Your First Note on the Whole Clarinet

Launching Notes with Your Tongue

Adding More Notes to Your Repertoire

Gimme an F! Gimme a G!

Digging an F sharp and low B flat out of the final two tone holes

Getting all choked up with throat tones

Stringing all those notes together

Chapter 8: Heading Lower, Higher, and In Between

Playing the Pinky Notes

Exploring the low pinky notes

Aiming high: Playing the fifth line F and continuing upward to G, A, B, and C

Playing pinky notes in the staff

Changing Registers: A Tricky Transition

Playing from two places at once: The F sharp to A connection

Keeping the right hand down for register changes

Going Chromatic to Plug the Gaps

Higher chromatic notes for the clarion register

One final fingering

Putting it all together: The whole enchilada

Chapter 9: Playing Between the Notes: Slurring and Tonguing

Getting Connected with Articulation

Slurring to Smooth Transitions

Slurring smooth and steady

Adding accents and intensity crescendos

Mastering the Fine Art of Tonguing

Brushing up on the basics: Aiming for the tip rail

Starting notes: Going on the attack

Separating repeated notes and successive notes that change pitch

Tonguing for response

Tonguing to sing more: Legato tonguing

Adding space between notes staccato style

Mixing Articulation with Slurring and Tonguing

Chapter 10: Rising Above and Beyond High C

Producing the Altissimo Notes

Stepping up to a harder reed

Maintaining correct embouchure

Letting ’er rip with fast air

Meeting More Cousins: The Overtones

Fingering notes C3 sharp above the staff to F4 sharp

Opening one more vent hole for high G

Putting it all together

Improving Finger Coordination with Alternate Fingerings

Chromatic and trill fingerings

Short-skip fingerings

Wide-skip fingerings

Part III: Above and Beyond: Essential Intermediate Techniques

Chapter 11: Achieving a Great Clarinet Tone

The Four Essential Qualities of Great Tone

Producing Great Tone: Step by Step

Cranking up amplitude for increased response and fullness

Gaining leverage over pitch

Adding a dash of color

Focusing your sound

Playing Softly with Good Tone

Chapter 12: Shaking It Up with Vibrato, Glissandos, Bends, and Scoops

Exploring Vibrato’s Roots

Vibrato in jazz: A match made in heaven

Folksy vibrato

Classical vibrato

A contemporary take

Vibrato and you

Giving Your Clarinet a Pulse

Recognizing the two flavors of vibrato

Getting warmed up with jaw vibrato

Opting for glottal vibrato

Jazzing it up

Honoring tradition: Vibrato in classical clarinet

Going Gershwin with Glissandos

Scalar glisses

Smears (also known as slides)

Bending and Scooping Notes

Bending a note

Scooping a note

Chapter 13: Taking Your Fingers to the Next Level: Additional Fingerings

Preventing Pinky Entanglement

Adding Fullness and Resonance to the Throat Tones

Getting a feel for throat tones

Improving your throat tones

Letting Your Fingers Do the Climbing: Rising Above High G

Chapter 14: Turbo Tonguing and Faster Fingering

Gearing Up Your Tongue

Recognizing fast tonguing in musical notation

Maintaining constant air flow

Keeping your tongue relaxed

Grouping tongued notes, syllable style

Limbering Up for Faster Fingering

Pairing notes and fingerings instinctively

Gaining confidence at fast tempos

Undertaking strength training

Developing smooth finger coordination

Pulling it all together

Practicing your fast fingers technique

Chapter 15: Tuning Up for Proper Pitch

Grasping the Concept of Tuning to the Proper Pitch

Warming Up in the Bullpen

Warming the outside first: The ol’ armpit trick

Warming the inside with a low E

Tuning Your Clarinet: Two Methods

Tuning by ear

Using your tuner

Recognizing Your Clarinet’s Pitch Tendencies

Correcting general pitch tendencies

Letting your fingers do the work: Alternate fingerings for problem notes

Tackling Bigger Tuning Problems

Chapter 16: Heading to the Practice Studio

Building a Solid Foundation for Practice

Blocking out some quality time

Structuring your practice sessions

Practicing with a tiny audience

Having some fun, too!

Honing Your Skills and Technique with Exercises and Etudes

Learning by rote with exercises

Gaining concentrated practice with etudes

Sharpening Your Skills with Three More Practice Tips

Slowing down to get better faster

Practicing the opposite extreme

Playing beat-to-beat for fast passages

Additional Resources for Productive Practices

Chapter 17: Refining Your Reeds

Solving the Mystery of Reeds

Examining reed anatomy

Brushing up on reed physiology: Vibration

Recognizing the Necessity of Adjusting Even Good Reeds

Selecting the Most Talented Reeds to Tune Up

Diagnosing a Reed’s Shortcomings

Testing the top of the fulcrum to the tip of the reed

Testing the back of the fulcrum to the beginning of the cut

Confirming or refining your diagnosis . . . before you grab that knife!

Marking adjustments on your reed

Adjusting Your Reed: Scalpel, Please

Following a few simple precautions

Gathering essential tools and materials

Adjusting areas above the fulcrum

Adjusting areas below the back of the fulcrum

Adjusting overly soft reeds at the tip

Revitalizing old, warped reeds

Chapter 18: Gaining Expertise and Exposure through the Clarinet Community

Teaming Up with a Teacher

Sizing up qualities and qualifications

Knowing where to look

Checking recommendations and references

Playing Well with Others in an Ensemble

Considering a school band or orchestra

Exploring new horizons for older players

Checking out the local fare: Community concert bands and orchestras

Joining the choir . . . the clarinet choir

Auditioning for ensembles

Thinking Smaller: Duet Buddies and Accompanists

Finding duet buddies for duets, trios, and quartets

Finding pianists for accompaniment

Overcoming Performance Anxiety

Part IV: The Part of Tens

Chapter 19: Ten Insider Secrets to Great Clarinet Playing

Straighten Your Back

Expand and Control Your Breathing

Work Your Chops

Tongue the Tip of the Reed to the Tip Rail

Tongue Fast with the Letter “D”: Duh!

Arch That Tongue: Hiss Like a Snake

Check Your Rhythmic Pulse

Develop Sneaky Fingers

Play in Tune and on Pitch — Always

Exaggerate the Opposites During Practice

Chapter 20: Ten (Plus) Clarinetists You Gotta Hear

Alessandro Carbonare

Eddie Daniels

Buddy Defranco

Stanley Drucker

Giora Feidman

Jon Manasse

Paul Meyer

Sabine Meyer

Ricardo Morales

Paulo Sergio Santos

Richard Stoltzman

Part V: Appendixes

Appendix A: Fingering Charts

Appendix B: About the CD

Audio CD players

Computer CD-ROM drives

Clarinet For Dummies®

by David Etheridge

with Joe Kraynak

Clarinet For Dummies®

Published byWiley Publishing, Inc.111 River St.Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Manufactured in the United States of America

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About the Author

David Etheridge is David Ross Boyd Professor of Clarinet, Chair of the Woodwind Area, and a member of the Oklahoma Woodwind Quintet at the University of Oklahoma School of Music. He is also in demand as a recitalist and clinician across the United States and Europe. Etheridge is a former member of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, having performed with them as both Principal Clarinetist and as a member of the clarinet section. Prior to his 35-year tenure at the University of Oklahoma, he served on the faculty of the Crane School of Music in Potsdam, New York, for 9 years. He holds degrees from the University of Colorado and the Eastman School of Music, where he completed his Doctor of Musical Arts in clarinet performance as a student of Stanley Hasty. Etheridge serves regularly on the faculty of the International Clarinet Camp in Hungary. He is also the founder of the internationally acclaimed University of Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium, which is now in its 35th year. His most recent publications include A Practical Approach to the Clarinet for Beginning Clarinetists, A Practical Approach to the Clarinet for Intermediate Clarinetists, the Revised Edition of a Practical Approach to the Clarinet for Advanced Clarinetists, and Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto: The Performers’ View. In addition to his David Ross Boyd Distinguished Professorship, his awards include the Amoco Foundation Award for Good Teaching and the University of Oklahoma Regents Award for Superior Teaching.

Dedication

To my wonderful wife, Cheryl, the love of my life, for her steadfast support of my career over the years and countless hours of assistance on this book. Also, to my parents, Eileen Etheridge and Ellis Etheridge, for the sacrifices they made to make my first clarinet lessons possible, and to my superb teachers, Jack Stevens, Richard Culver, Val P. Henrich, Jerry Neil Smith, and Stanley Hasty for instilling in me a love of teaching.

Author’s Acknowledgments

Thanks to acquisitions editor Michael Lewis, who chose me to author this book and ironed out all the preliminary details to make this book possible.

Tim Gallan, my project editor, deserves a loud cheer for serving as a gifted and patient collaborator and editor — shuffling chapters back and forth, shepherding the text and graphics through production, making sure any technical issues were properly resolved, and serving as the unofficial quality control manager. Christy Pingleton and Krista Hansing, copy editors, earn editor of the year awards for ferreting out my typos, misspellings, grammatical errors, and other language foe paws (or is it faux pas?), in addition to assisting Tim as reader advocate. I also tip my hat to the production crew for doing such an outstanding job of transforming an enormous hodgepodge of text, photos, music, and fingering charts into such an attractive bound book.

I owe very special thanks to wizard wordsmith Joe Kraynak for asking questions to clarify challenging concepts and helping me capture in written form how I actually teach clarinet to eager beginners. I could not have completed this project without his excellent collaboration.

Also, many thanks to Carolyn Rossow for her superb photography; to Jessi Rodgriquez for her excellent modeling: to Patrick Conlon for his terrific music copying; to Leon Smith for his patience and expertise in engineering and recording the CD; to Matt Stock, Christina Giacona, Dr. Brad Benson, and Annette Luyben for their research assistance; to Jim and Kyle Pyne for their assistance with mouthpiece information; and to Glenn Kantor, Dr. Julianne Kirk, and Dr. Michael Raiber for carefully proofreading the manuscript and offering valuable input of their own.

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Introduction

The clarinet is a remarkable instrument. With a single reed and only seven tone holes and 17 keys, a typical clarinet can play 48 notes — a pitch range greater than any of its fellow woodwind instruments. Of course, if you do the math, this can get downright scary. Ten fingers, 17 keys, seven holes, 48 notes — they all add up to the fact that, in order to play the clarinet, you need to blow in precisely the right manner while engaging your fingers in some incredibly challenging acrobatics.

Fear not. With a decent clarinet; a good, well-adjusted reed; this book; and a reasonable amount of persistence and practice; you’ll soon be tooting your own horn about the amazing progress you’ve made in such a brief period of time.