SmartMusic. (2017). How to play the clarinet [Video]. YouTube. Web.
This video offers a solid enough foundation to give a beginner player a basic idea of how to handle the instrument. The author of the video begins by describing the assembly of the clarinet from its main components: mouthpiece, ligature, barrel, upper and lower bend, valves, and bell. Of fundamental importance is the synchronization between the long key of the clarinet, located on its back, and the direction of the fixed mouthpiece. Posture when playing a wind instrument has been described as relaxed and comfortable. The feet should be flat on the floor during the execution; the back should maintain a straight posture. This ensures an adequate and rhythmic flow of breathing.
The author of the video shows how exactly it is necessary to breathe, with force-releasing air with a diaphragm, contributing to an additionally opened pharynx pushing air out. The exhalation of the clarinetist must be tense and intensified in order to extract sound from the instrument (SmartMusic, 2017). As regards finger positions, the hole at the bottom of the register key must be closed with the thumb, and the three flaps below must be closed with the other three fingers, with the little finger set aside. This video tutorial seems to be practical to use because it allows one to quickly learn the basic bodily positions necessary for sound production.
Essential elements for the band: B Flat clarinet book 1. (1999). Hal Leonard.
This is an accompanying textbook for not only mastering the instrument but also creating independent melodic constructions. Compared to the previous video, this tutorial offers alternative fingerings for further improvement of playing technique, and not just the main one. A method is proposed for writing music as a response to a given musical phrase representing a melodic request. A variety of rhythmic patterns are covered in order to provide a basis for the future writing and improvisation of the clarinetist. The manual also offers arpeggios organized according to the Rubank method. It has been successful since the 1920s and is famous for its conservative approach to mastering the instrument, so it can be recommended to beginning students of classical philharmonics (Essential elements, 1999). The classical orientation of this textbook is manifested in the lack of concentration on jazz music or popular music of the 20th century.
Arpeggios on the Rubank scale are performed in a demanding manner toward the student. It is implied that the student must learn all the suggested fingerings before proceeding further since subsequently, the indication of finger numbers is not provided. The companion also contains duos that offer a collaborative learning model with a partner. In addition to compositions for learning and arpeggios, warm-up exercises are offered, which are recommended to be performed daily. Inter-octave spreads in the rank of two octaves are used in order to increase the flexibility of sound production. Exercises are also involved in the transition from note to another through intervals of different tonal lengths, which makes it possible to study and master the spread and progression of musical movement in the process of performance.
Lawson, C. (2000). The early clarinet: A practical guide. Cambridge University Press.
This textbook takes a historically oriented approach rooted in European culture and aims to provide insight into the history, purpose, and evolution of the use of the clarinet over the centuries. The properties of this musical instrument are placed in various historical contexts, from baroque music to romantic music, to early recordings of dance jazz music. Chapter 3 describes in detail the equipment from which a complete clarinet set is assembled, and describes its care and maintenance (Lawson, 2000). The methods used by music teachers of the 19th century are covered in the companion.
It should be noted that many Italian teachers were adherents of the position in which the player put the clarinet far ahead of them, which is currently considered to be the wrong basic way to handle the instrument. A description should be given of the embouchure method developed by Carl Baermann, who recommended placing the upper teeth on a mouthpiece covered in advance with a silver flap. The history of fingering in clarinet pedagogy is also described in detail – there were numerous disputes on this issue related to the inhomogeneity of the sound and the method of sound extraction in the clarinet. To smooth out distorted out-of-harmony notes, shading techniques are offered using lip-compression or fingering modifications.
Pino, D. (1998). The clarinet and clarinet playing. Dover Books.
David Pino in his book offers a universal guide to mastering the art of playing the clarinet. The author points out that each instrument and each mouthpiece has unique characteristics, despite the similarity of the face, window, and chamber (Pino, 1998). The book gives an exhaustive set of advice not only regarding the choice and configuration of the instrument but even for creating or customizing one’s own clarinet. Keeping this diversity in mind seems important to mastering the instrument and is similar to knowing the historical context given in the previous book. The author examines the essential elements of playing the instrument, from the composition and posture of the performer to the process of sound production.
Practically no scales and exercises are offered. However, recommendations are given regarding the interpretation of the played notebooks. The musician is recommended to develop independence in the interpretation of the work, to avoid literal reading if it is impossible to match it with his performance. The teacher takes into account the need to remain calm and relaxed during rehearsals, to pause between five-minute exercises to develop endurance. The pedagogy of this author is quite liberal and offers the student to independently transfer the acquired skills from one lesson to another, building on the basis of the previous one. A separate chapter is devoted to synchronization between tongue movements, breathing and fingering, which requires gradual practical mastery.
Stein, K. (1958). The art of clarinet playing. Summy-Brichard.
This book also focuses on tonguing as a process prior to producing sound when playing the clarinet. The shape of the embouchure largely determines the effectiveness of the position of the tongue during the playing process, whereas tonguing imparts the quality and purity of the reproduced tone. Stein (1958) notes that the technique of playing the clarinet requires a long time before mastering and points to the French school of musical pedagogy with its long and slow repetition, which produces automatism that does not require thinking afterward. The author points out the need for mental synchronization when performing a number of simultaneous automatic actions, from listening to the rhythm and breathing to predetermined movements of the tongue back and forth. The book turns out to be useful as a textbook presenting the technique of playing the clarinet in a complex and simultaneous form.
Davies, J., & Harris, P. (1988). The really easy clarinet book. Faber Music Limited.
This book is a collection of sheet music for the gradual mastery of the clarinet as a solo instrument. It can be a good practical help, in combination with the above sources, to give the basics of soloing practice on the instrument. The sheet book is comprised of small original etudes written by the authors, specially adapted to the needs of students. The melodic structures from the composition to the next undergo complications; the intervals become shorter, and the analysis of notes and the tempo of performance gradually increase (Davies & Harris, 1998). In addition to the notes to be played, the sheet of music includes other notations that need to be taken into account. Among examples of such notations are legato, which ensures the gliding of notes from one to another, and crescendo, that is, increasing the volume of the sound. Different tempos and performance instructions also develop the learner’s performative skills. The book presents a set of exercises designed to expand the possibilities and dynamics of clarinet performance in the process of mastering the instrument.
References
Davies, J., & Harris, P. (1988). The really easy clarinet book. Faber Music Limited.
Essential elements for the band: B Flat clarinet book 1. (1999). Hal Leonard.
Lawson, C. (2000). The early clarinet: A practical guide. Cambridge University Press.
Pino, D. (1998). The clarinet and clarinet playing. Dover Books.
SmartMusic. (2017). How to play the clarinet [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Stein, K. (1958). The art of clarinet playing. Summy-Brichard.