h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I first started trying to play clarinet about fifty years ago and I still can't play the bloody thing. Do you think I should give up ?

If you really think it is a bloody thing maybe you should give up but if you enjoy tring to play and are not driving everyone else crazy I say "Keep it up!"

Have you had a teacher or are you trying to teach yourself? If trying to teach yourself let me know and I may be able to help a little.

Ythika

Hi Ythika,

I enjoy trying to play, joining in with jazz records, but I keep to the low register and try to keep my volume down to not louder than the record, to try to ensure my neighbours are not exposed to my feeble attempts. I live alone so there is no-one in the house to annoy. I can just about manage slow blues if I can work out the key, but my improvisations tend to be repetitious and distinctly limited. But yes, I do enjoy the odd blow - I wasn't being too serious when I asked if I should give up. Thanks for the offer to help, though. I suspect you play classical ?
I also have an alto sax which I hardly ever play because I have trouble keeping it quiet enough to satisfy my conscience. Unfortunately I live in terrace house so I have neighbours on both sides.
When I bought my first clarinet way back at the time of the traditional jazz revival I took lessons for something over a year until my teacher suffered a brain haemorrage on the night before one of my lessons. I could never help wondering if I shortened his life with my ineptitude. At that time I worked shifts in a lab on my own and was able to blow away to my heart's content, no doubt to the wonderment of passing cyclists and pedestrians who wondered what lunatic was stumbling up and down the chromatic scale in the early hours of the morning.
I gave it up for many years when I was married with a family but bought another when I found myself living on my own after retirement.
I hope you get clear of your physical problems and are able to play as you want to in the not too distant future.

I'm glad you are enjoying yourself because I think that is the whole point. You picked me when you guessed classical, I'm only now getting into the swing with jazz. My physical limitations aren't too bad anymore but I can't play as quickly as I used to or for as long. It's okay if I swap between E-flat and B-flat as the E-flat is so light it almost rests my wrist as I play. I am currently playing 1st with the band I'm in, which I had only done at a Junior level before. I don't play as well as I think I should but I guess that would improve if I practised more .
I've been very lucky with lessons my parents actually helped fund one of Aust's top players through her music course with my lessons. She was a fantastic teacher and we had so much fun. My teacher at school was learning from her at the same time. That seemed a bit odd as I had no idea of how good she really was at the time.