Foundationsfor

Clarinet

Ryan LeeWakefield

1Purpose ofthis Book

This book is the first in a series of method books for clarinet. It explains all the fundamental parts of music and the clarinet. This book can even be used before renting or buying a clarinet.

The other books in this series are used at the same time. Each book focuses on one aspect of music or the clarinet and compliments each other.

This series can also be used as a supplement for elementary band programs. A great thing about music is its universality. It doesn’t matter if you’re from America, Russia, England, or anywhere else, music uses the same principles and techniques.

Have fun learning to play the Clarinet!!!

2Table ofContents

How To Put The Clarinet Together ............. 3

Timetable For Learning The Clarinet........... 5

Musical Terms ............................................... 6

Clarinet Tone Production ............................ 9

Tonguing (How to start notes) .................. 13

Fingering Chart .......................................... 14

Technique and Posture ............................. 19Technique and Posture ............................. 19

Reading Music Notation ........................... 20

Where To Next ........................................... 29

Top Joint

Lower Joint Bell

Barrel

LigatureMouthpiece

Reed

3How to put the Clarinet Together

4

1. First, apply cork grease to every cork in order to facilitate sliding and twisting each part with cork into place. Do this each time you put your clarinet together until the corks become lubricated enough to no longer need new cork grease applied every time.

2. Take the reed out of its case and put it in your mouth to wet it.

3. Put the top and lower joints together. Make sure to 3. Put the top and lower joints together. Make sure to depress the second ring on the top joint in order to avoid damaging the two receivers at both ends. Line up the receivers evenly.

4. Put the bell on the end of the lower joint.

5. Put the mouthpiece into the narrower end of the 5. Put the mouthpiece into the narrower end of the barrel. If your not sure which end is which, the wrong end will be much too loose for the mouthpiece to fit snuggly.

6. Put the barrel with attached mouthpiece onto the top joint. Line up the flat table of the mouthpiece with the register key of the top joint.

7. Place the reed onto the table of the mouthpiece and 7. Place the reed onto the table of the mouthpiece and line up the tip of the reed with the tip of the mouthpiece.Then carefully slide the ligature over the reed and tighten the screw of the ligature. Do not cover the cut portion of the reed with the ligature.

How to put the Clarinet Together

5

Some aspects of learning the clarinet will take more time than others and require different types of effort.

One such aspect is strengthening the embouchure. One such aspect is strengthening the embouchure. Playing longtones for a few minutes each day for two weeks will give you a good start to developing your embouchure. Another aspect is fully covering the holes of the clarinet with the pads of your fingers. It is imperative that you practice the clarinet in front of a mirror to ensure you know where your fingers are moving.

Items such as notes, fingerings, key and time signatures, Items such as notes, fingerings, key and time signatures, and other parts of music theory can be learned through memorization (flash cards) and at your own pace. There are many different things like these to learn in music, so take your time and learn them when they become relevant.

Learning to play in time and with correct rhythm will Learning to play in time and with correct rhythm will require a different kind of focus all together. The best way to learn is through listening and imitation. Chances are you already have a good sense of rhythm and all you need to do is pair that sense with the related musical notation.

Learning music will require different types of intelligence Learning music will require different types of intelligence such as memorization, logic, physical tasks, and most important, listening.

As with all learning, have patience.

Timetable for Learningthe Clarinet

6Musical Terms and Definitions

Here’s a reference of basic terms and concepts that will help you learn music.

Timbre- the quality of sound that refers to an instrument (sound of the flute, trumpet etc.) or the brightness/darkness/ warmth/shrillness of a sound, defined by the amplitude of each overtone of the fundamental tone; tone color

Overtones- a set of tones sounding above the Overtones- a set of tones sounding above the fundamental tone at specific ratios; the strength/amplitude of each overtone defines the timbre of the sound

Fundamental Tone- the strong, prime pitch of a sound

Pitch- the perceived highness or lowness of a sound

Tone- a single musical sound defined by pitch and Tone- a single musical sound defined by pitch and duration; a note

Articulation- the use of techniques to modify the attack/decay, connection, duration, dynamic, timbre, or pitch of individual notes creating interest, variety, and style

Phrasing- the ebb and flow of energy through a musical Phrasing- the ebb and flow of energy through a musical statement; techniques of articulation and dynamics direct the energy of the musical statement

7Dynamics- the softness (quietness) or loudness of a sound

Key- the series of tones forming any given major or minor tonality; tones which have harmonic relationships that are transposable to a higher or lower tonic note without changing those relationships. All other tones have a particular relation to the tonic note

Tonic- first note of a keyTonic- first note of a key

Interval- the distance between two tones in the musical alphabet

Melody- the distinct, memorable line in a piece of music, often sounds as the loudest part in a piece

Harmony- the relations of intervals sounding either Harmony- the relations of intervals sounding either simultanteously (vertical), in cadence (horizontal), or in combination. Also, the parts of music that sound under the melody; an accompanying line

Key Signature- pattern of sharps or flats that define a key in notation

Notation- written music

Musical Alphabet- A B C D E F G repeated higher and lower in Musical Alphabet- A B C D E F G repeated higher and lower in reverse order with half step sharp/flat notes in between; the series of keys on a piano/keyboard

8

Rhythm- the flow of notes through time, which have durations relative to a reference point and rate, often grouped together in units

Tempo- the rate of the beat, defined by a rate of beats per minute (bpm) as in 80 bpm, a word (Andante, Presto, ect) or by a conductor or band member (”1, 2, 1 2 3 4”)

Meter- the grouping of beats into a single unit, often Meter- the grouping of beats into a single unit, often characterized by strong and weak beats

Beat- the pulse of a piece of music; heartbeat, with even duration

Measure/Bar- one unit of the meter

Time Feel- the overall rhythmic sensation of a piece of music Time Feel- the overall rhythmic sensation of a piece of music usually described by vernacular terms (lively, morose, tight, funky, rocking, swinging, etc)

Groove- the danceable, head bopping aspect of a song defined by tempo and meter, often sounding as a pattern

Rubato- a time feel without a groove that can speed up or slow down as the musical phrasing dictates

9

Breath support is the first area of tone production on any woodwind instrument. Breath support means taking a deep, full breath each time you need one. You should breath from your stomach as opposed to your chest. You have a much larger capacity for air in your stomach than your chest and your abdominal, oblique, and lower back muscles will be able to force out air with more strength than the wheezing effect of your chest.strength than the wheezing effect of your chest.

To check if you are breathing from your stomach, lie flat on the floor or a bed and place a book on your stomach. When you breathe in, makes sure the book rises.

Breath Support

Sound is the most important aspect of the clarinet. In fact, the sound of any woodwind instrument is the reason why it exists at all. Developing a good sound is the first goal towards playing your instrument. These are the main aspects of clarinet tone production.

Clarinet ToneProduction

10

The larynx is the part of your throat you use to speak and sing. To find your larynx, yawn. In general for clarinet playing, the laynx should be kept in a “high singing” position. The high singing position is different for everyone. You will have to experiment with different pitches. The larynx comes into play with intonation and tone color. Your larynx position will remain the same for the majority of the clarinet’s range, except in the high register. of the clarinet’s range, except in the high register.

Larynx

The embouchure is the muscles surrounding your lips and refers to the way in which your lips fit around the mouthpiece. To form a clarinet embouchure, pull your bottom lip slightly over your bottom teeth and strech and point your chin downwards. Place your top teeth on top of the mouthpiece approximately a 1/4 inch in. Draw the corners of your mouth in firmly. As you play the clarinet day to day, you may find making small adjustments to day to day, you may find making small adjustments to your embouchure beneficial to your sound. However, keep the embouchure in the same position for the full range of the clarinet.

Embouchure

Clarinet ToneProduction

11

The oral cavity involves your cheeks and tongue. In general, your cheeks should not be puffed out when playing the flute. They should be relaxed but firm. Your cheek muscles will come into play with your embouchure. Your tongue is used for articulation and the start of notes. It also comes into play with intonation and timbre. Experiment with high and low tongue positions using the “EE” sound in the word heel and the “OO” using the “EE” sound in the word heel and the “OO” sound in the word pool. For the most part, keep the tongue in a high position, as this will fix most intonation issues with the clarinet.

Oral Cavity

Clarinet ToneProduction

Take a drinking straw and blow through it using your abdominal, oblique, and lower back muscles. Blow against a piece of paper and try to make the paper horizontal as long as possible. Do this exercise for five minutes a day for two weeks when you start learning to play the clarinet.

Say for instance you’re learning the piano. You press a key, the sound comes out. Press it harder and then it will be louder. The flute, however, has many more variables to its sound. You could play a note on the clarinet and it could sound sharp, flat, or like a dying duck. In the next section, you will be learning tonguing on the clarinet and the fingerings of the clarinet and finally be able to apply clarinet tone production to music.

12Clarinet ToneProduction

Make a seal; close the opening

To stop a note with tonguing, simply place your tongue back on the tip of the reed before you stop the air pressure (blowing).

Tonguing is a way to start and stop notes on the clarinet. To start a note with tonguing, place your tongue on the tip of the reed, creating a seal between the reed and the tip of the mouthpiece. Next build up air pressure behind the reed and then release your tongue quickly

Tonguing13

14

The next couple of pages contains clarinet fingering diagrams and a fingering chart for the clarinet. The keys in black are to be pressed down and the blank ones are left open. The clarinet acts like a pipe that gets longer or shorter, making the pitch lower or higher. By changing fingerings you change the length of the pipe. The chart goes from the lowest note to the highest note.

These fingerings are nearly the same but produce drastically different notes. This is because the fingerings on the right use the register key. The register key causes the register of the clarinet to rise by a twelfth. This is unique to the clarinet among woodwinds, as other woodwind’s register keys rise by an octave.

Take a look at the following fingerings.

Introduction to Clarinet

Fingering Chart

15Clarinet

Fingering Diagram

16Clarinet

Fingering Diagram

RegisterKey

Left Index

Left Middle

Left Ring

Right Index

Right Ring

Side of Left Index

Side ofRight Index

Left Pinky

Right Pinky

LeftThumb

Right Middle

17

G G#/Ab A A#/Bb B C C#/Db

A#/Bb B C C#/Db D D#/Eb E F F#/Gb

E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab A

Clarinet FingeringChart

18

G

A#/Bb B C C#/Db D D#/Eb E F F#/Gb

C#/Db D D#/Eb E F F#/Gb G G#/Ab A

Clarinet FingeringChart

19

Here are some items to keep in mind when learning the clarinet.

1. Hold the clarinet as close to perpendicural to the floor as possible while keeping your head straight. This will create leverage on the reed which is necessary for correct intonation.

2. Despite the need to cover each hole with the pads of 2. Despite the need to cover each hole with the pads of the fingers, keep your fingers bent a little to facillitate use of the pinky fingers on all the necessary keys.

3. Sit or stand upright with your feet flat on the floor.

4. The knuckle of the right thumb should placed directly under the thumb hook. It is a great idea to buy a piece of foam to make the clarinet more comfortable to hold.

5. Find the smallest movements for switching between each 5. Find the smallest movements for switching between each fingering. In order to play fast and in rhythm, all unnecessary movement must be removed from your technique.

Technique& Posture

20Reading MusicNotation

Sometimes musicians will describe music notation as a foreign language, mostly because, if you learn how to read it, you will be able to play written music with any musician around the world. Music, written out or otherwise, doesn’t qualify as a language. If it did anyone could not only learn it but become a master of it before he turns three or four years old, just like someone’s native language. language.

What written music really is, is a common practice code that has been solidified over time. Learning it requires memorization and building associations with the aural elements of music, aural meaning anything you hear. So let’s get started!

The staff is a five line grid on which notes are placed. When notes are placed on the staff, they are read left to right. Notes can be placed on a line or in a space. Now the clarinet only plays one note at a time but notes can be placed vertically in columns to form chords. The vertical placement of notes represents relative low to high pitches from bottom to top. To assign pitches to each line and space we use a clef.each line and space we use a clef.

Staff

21

Clef

The notes under the bottom line and above the top line are considered notes in a space. G and A are right beside each other because that’s where the musical alphabet repeats. If we need to write music above or below the given five lines, we can add short lines called ledger lines.

A B C A B C D E F

D E F G A B C D E F G

This clef is called the treble clef. It is the only clef clarinet music uses. It’s also called the G clef because the swirl at the bottom of the clef surrounds the note G. Actually, that’s all the treble clef does; it assigns the 2nd line from the bottom to the note G.

Since that note is assigned, we can figure out the rest of notes. Ascending line, space, line, space or descending follows the pattern ABDEFG repeated or GFEDCBA repeated respectively.

clarinet

clarinet

24

Rhythm is difficult to visualize. One of the best ways to learn rhythm is to deconstruct a familiar tune and assign terms to it. Here is a childern’s song, “Good Morning To You.” Sing it out loud.

You probably sang these notes twice as long as the others. So let’s notate that by using a different type of note.

So the empty note heads are twice as long as the filled ones.

Pay attention to the highlighted notes

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They sound like they belong together in a group. So let’s group them.

The black vertical lines are called barlines and each unit between the barlines are called measures. The double barline indicates the end of the song

There are a few more items dealing with rhythm. They are tempo, meter, beat, time signatures, and other rhythmic values.

Next take a look at these groups of highlighted notes.

26

The highlighted block at the top indicates the tempo. Tempo is a rate of beats per minute. This tempo marking means in the time of a minute, 112 beats will occur. So, if the tempo is 120 bpm, each beat equals half a second. In a tempo of 30 bpm, each beat equals two seconds.

The block to the right of the treble clef is a time The block to the right of the treble clef is a time signature. The time signature indicates the number of beats in a measure (top number) and the type of rhythmic value that is assigned to the beat (bottom number). So there are three beats in each measure and the quarter note (filled in note) “gets the beat.”

The first and last measures do not have 3 beats in them. The first and last measures do not have 3 beats in them. That’s because the melody actually starts one beat early and technically comes from the end of the tune. You could sing this tune over and over and that first note ends up being at the end. The first measure is usually called a “pick-up” measure, due to picking up the melody from the end of the song.

Now let’s examine all the relative rhythmic values.

Tempo: Quarter Note = 112 bpm

27Relative Rhythmic

Values

4

2

1

1/2

1/4

1/8

Number ofBeats if

1/4 Note = Beat

1

1/2

1/4

1/8

1/16

1/32

RelativeValue

Whole Note

Half Note

Quarter Note

Eighth Note

Sixteenth Note

Thirty-Second Note

Name of Note

Symbol

28Relative Rhythmic

Values

4

2

1

1/2

1/4

1/8

Number ofBeats if

1/4 Note = Beat

1

1/2

1/4

1/8

1/16

1/32

RelativeValue

Whole Rest

Half Rest

Quarter Rest

Eighth Rest

Sixteenth Rest

Thirty-Second Rest

Name of Rest

Symbol

29Where toNext

Tone Study Book- Learn all the ways to craft the sound of the clarinet

Rhythm Study Book- Learn rhythm the right way, by listening, not arithmetic

Theory Work Book- Master all the Theory Work Book- Master all the necessary music theory

Notation Reading Book- Learn to read music step by step

30

All of these books work in tandem to help you learn music and the clarinet.

Tone Rhythm

Theory

Notation Reading

Tone Rhy

thm Theor

y Notation Reading Tone R

hythm Theory N

otation Reading