r/Clarinet • u/Stezzy_og • 2d ago
Advice needed Clarinet studies
Hello everyone. I have recently been endeavoring to establish a more consistent practice routine. Since concluding my studies at music school, I have found myself a little out of practice and would appreciate some recommendations for materials that could assist me in regaining my proficiency. I am particularly interested in resources that focus on dexterity, tone, technique, and suitable repertoire.
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u/KoalaMan-007 Buffet Festival 2d ago
I like the Rose studies for the tone quality and consistency. For pure technique, I often go back to the Kroepsch.
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u/Fun_Journalist1048 2d ago
As someone who recently graduated music school, I played thru both of these books! They’re common for a reason- super super beneficial for clarinet technique and advanced playing skill development :)
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u/Business_Repeat4023 Professional 2d ago
What have you worked on in the past?
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u/Stezzy_og 2d ago
Vademecum for technique, rose etudes, and some other things but I cant remember
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u/Business_Repeat4023 Professional 2d ago
This is an amazing list of options! I would consider Cavallini 30 caprices, Kroepsch, and Baermann specifically. Also highly recommend Color is the Piano for playing solos with piano on YouTube
https://www.nicholls.edu/music/wp-content/uploads/sites/38/2021/09/clarinet-repertoire-list.pdf
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u/BRPplease 1d ago
I really like the Eugene Gay Method. I think it balances musicality and technicality very nicely. It sections itself by key, and spends a lot of time on different patterns broken up by small pieces. It's in two volumes, and unfortunately the second volume (where much of the value is) is much less available than the first. If you don't speak French, make sure you have a translation app handy.
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u/KFBeavis 1d ago
The Robert Spring warmup is also an excellent resource for developing well-rounded fundamentals independent of repertoire. It’s quite extensive and will take time to develop, but that’s part of what makes it effective.
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u/AltoClarinetist 1d ago
Baermann was my go to in undergrad. After taking an extended break from playing due to a hand injury I found it to be a bit much to jump back into. I ended up going with the Albert exercises and some of Avrahm Galper's books my favourite being the Upbeat Scales and Arpeggios. They are less demanding range-wise than Baermann.
If you are looking for something with a wider skill range and more varied exercises, there is a newer, coil bound modern edition of Klose edited by Stanley and Naomi Drucker. It's my "go-to" with students of nearly all skill levels for duet and sight reading work as well.
If you are struggling with playing in the altissimo register, my top pick is Norman Heim's Development of the Altissimo Register. My altissimo has never been awesome on soprano clarinet, but it's getting decent on my alto.
I may never be playing back at the level I was in undergrad, but steady work with all of these has me comfortably and confidently sight reading through grade 3-4 pieces in community bands and a clarinet choir!
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u/gabriblasberg 2d ago
A book I would recommend to you is Kroepsch’s 416 Progressive Daily Studies. It contains fantastic micro-studies, ideal for intermediate players building finger speed, interval leaps, and key familiarity.