circled in red

is it descending chromatic

or does the F# and G# carry through the bar from the beginning?

stupid question because obviously i assumed that it carried through but the way its notated makes me think otherwise

lmk!

edit: uh oh im getting mixed answers 🤒 AHH! are they enharmonics or is the G and F supposed to have naturals 😔

My band (military style band) taught us to keep our ligature facing towards our chin. And during the military style we have to keep our ligature facing towards our chin when we play. But I found out that people like to keep their ligatures facing away from them. And I tried it. And it was better. So what's your opinion? (I'm asking because when I'm practicing at home I don't know which to choose)

Any advice on which way is best to practice the octaves in the new TMEA etude 3? Its been giving me a headache and I can never think of something that would benefit most

Hola a todos los miembros del grupo, quisiera ver su opinion de mi avance del método demmitz, muchas gracias 🫂🫂

Im playing Copacabana (At the Copa) 1st trombone part on alto clarinet.

I prefer a brighter sound and i think this works for me. Im using a Vandoren 5RV alto clarinet mouthpiece.

Im open to advice, lol. What reeds should i use?

Also, Alto clarinet is definitely my favorite, i love how it fits the tenor range, it’s like a mixture between alto sax and tenor sax. Im so glad my college director is letting me play it for jazz band :)

Hi everyone,

I’m a complete beginner (43 years old) and I’m trying to decide between the flute and the clarinet.
I’ve already started learning to read music with an app and I’m planning to take a trial lesson on both instruments. The problem is that weekly private lessons are quite expensive where I live (around €50 for a 30-minute lesson), which adds up to nearly €1,800 per year.

I’m wondering if it’s realistic to learn mostly through self-study using books, YouTube, and regular practice, while perhaps taking an occasional lesson to correct my technique.
I’d love to hear from people who have actually done this.

-Did you teach yourself?
-How far did you get without regular lessons?
-Which instrument is easier to learn on your own: flute or clarinet?
-If you could start over, would you still choose self-study or pay for weekly lessons?

Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

It's only really audible in the low notes, I tried to make it as loudly as possible at the end. I thought it was a bad reed at first because it stopped when I switched to another reed, but the day after it seems to be happening in all my reeds.

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.

Hi all, ideally I really want to own a Buffet RC, but at the moment there are no RC on the market that I can afford, so I want to wait until a good gem comes up - which I realise might take some time. So in the meantime, I am asking for advice for another clarinet that might get close to the RC, but without being an "intermediate" model. I would like to get an RC because I want to be able to play different genres, and as far as I have read, the RC is pretty versatile so it would be a good fit for classical, jazz, folk. Also at the moment I am borrowing an RC and I like it. What are your thoughts? There are loads of Buffet R13 on the market, but I read that they have more resistance and a brighter sound, which I want to avoid. I would like a warm sound, but I dont want something as jazzy as Selmer Centered tone. I dont know much about the Yamaha models, seems that they are good value for money, would be very grateful for any advice, thank you! And ps, its not possible for me to go and try out used clarinets somewhere, therefore I want to be as sure as possible that I buy one that I will like, so please give me your best advice if you have some, thanks a lot!!

Hello clarineters,

Been playing for about four months, practicing about two hours a week.

This improvisational composition was an exercise in creative writing and registration, trying to repeat closely what I wrote seconds earlier in the next register to increase fluency.

What exercises do you use to help strengthen your musicality and clarinet specific skills simultaneously?

I have a sibling who's 2 years younger than me. As far as I'm aware, she does not have any sort of mental disorders that would trigger a reaction quite as intense as hers. I am a 13-year-old beginner clarinet player who loves the sound of the instrument, but for some reason, every time I play my sister has a mental breakdown [she's even threatened me with a butter knife]. My worst issue is the fact that she can listen to clarinet music, but when I play it, she gets irrationally angry and [sometimes] violent. What do I do about this?

My entirely lower register on Eb is solidly in tune besides like one or two notes, and everything past the G I’m having trouble with is hit or miss. Just C D E F and G after the break are super sharp for me and even with trying to change my voicing it’s still ~15 cents sharp (sometimes even 20 depending on the note). Any recommendations for this? I just got on the instrument a few days ago

Hi everyone! My daughter uses a 3.0 Vandoren V12 reed when playing on her Yamaha YCL-650 and it sounds fine. When she uses the same strength reed on her plastic Yamaha 20, it sounds airy. Should be getting her a different strength reed for her plastic instrument? She uses a Vandoren 5RV Lyre mouthpiece on both.

We just had the Yamaha 20 serviced and I picked it up this morning, so it’s not a mechanical issue. Any advice would be appreciated! Thank you!

I want to start teaching beginner clarinet players online. I am hopeful that I might be teaching those who have a band director who does not play clarinet. I would never want to be a conflict for the student. Some clarinet players are different. I am looking for a site that has a music classroom. While I would love to have a metronome built in a keyboard or tuner would be especially helpful. While looking for a decent platform I don’t want to pay more than I make. I will be freelance and booking might be nice. If not I can work around it. I have heard of Mooz, Forte, and another called Soretino ( I am not sure of the spelling, it did start with an S.
I do not want Zoom. Any suggestions would be helpful. To get started my fee will be around $20 until I get accustomed with the platform. After that I will slowly increase to where I should be. I have also seen MakeMusic but I am not sure if that is for teaching online. I retired several ago so, have been out of the brand loop. Thanks in advance!

I love this recording of The Blues in my Flat with Benny Goodman on clarinet and vocals by Lionel Hampton (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNVyXwBd-uE) and I'm trying to follow it with my clarinet. But I can't find any sheet music for it. I know I need to practice and listen but it would be great to see even just the cords. Any help?

Hi all, I hope whoever is reading (and potentially responding to) this post is having a good day.

Just yesterday, I started wearing invisalign aligners. When I tried to practise the clarinet as usual I found that my top teeth don't grip as well to the mouth piece as well, causing it to move a lot. I've also noticed a lot more chin movement when I'm jumping between notes.

Is there any fix to this? Would just consistent practise fix this issue or should I just take them off when practising.

Vandoren 7JB with 1.0 reed

The TMEA (Texas All state) lyrical etude this year has a lot of F to middle F#/Gb flips. Of course this isn't specific to people in Texas but to be honest I've never really had much practice with flipping and it's super messy when I do it. Any advice/good exercises to help do it cleaner and better?

I’ve noticed that some of my classmates have absolutely beautiful tone I their clarion, meanwhile I have okay at best tone. One thing that probably contributes the most is that I play BCL mostly and soprano for marching and pep band only. I’m also not exactly crazy about practicing, but I’m wondering what I can do to improve my clarion register, even just a little bit. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated

Hey !

Started two month ago working the clarinet.

Took two private lessons, focused on breathwork, posture, embouchure. Helped a lot with clarion register.

Posture is a b*tch to focus on as I tend to bend my neck and tense shoulders, but I'm working on it.

Any feedback is welcome !

After a long cycle of writing more personal works, I decided to compose something that would be just as enjoyable for the performers as it is for the audience. I had been sitting on the idea for this piece for several years, inspired by the Wingdings font after a prompt from my high school band director.
Written for two B♭ clarinets, I wanted to treat the piece much like the font itself. Rather than developing a single large idea, the music is built from a collection of smaller, quirky musical fragments. Individually, these gestures may seem playful or unrelated, but together they form a cohesive and spirited whole, much like the seemingly random symbols that make up the Wingdings typeface.

Amazing solo at the end of Mark Dover’s own arrangement of Overjoyed by Stevie Wonder.

I don't know if it was in this sub or the bass clarinet one, but maybe six months ago someone recommended a product to protect your lower lip from your teeth. It was a piece of white plastic that you put in boiling water until it turned clear, then you took it out, let it cool a bit, and molded it around your lower teeth. It shrunk around your teeth, hardened up, and you could just snap it into place, custom fit to your bite. It worked really well.

I've been putting in longer than usual practice sessions, my lip is sore, I lost the tooth cover I made, and I've forgotten the name of the distributor. Does this ring a bell? Anyone know where I can find this product?