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

Some time next week I will be starting to play the clarinet (as a second instrument). I was wondering if you could give me some advise, since you seem to be a master of it. Also, if you have a copy of the Rhapsody in Blue. Typical of me, I must start with the hardest.

Hi there.. I'm honoured to be asked.

under what circumstances are you taking up playing the clarinet, exactly? (what sort of instrument are you playing on, for example?).. and what instrument do you already play? What sort of tuition are you getting (if any), and .. umm. yes, lots of questions.

I don't.. I play a lot more orchestral music than jazz (although I've played not an inconsiderable amount of jazz)..but I'm sure it can't be hard to find a copy, either online or in a good music shop.

I play piano. I am borrowing the instrument. I am fairly certain I will be getting some sort of instruction. As to the model, I have no idea. However, I would say it is the most common; I believe that that is the boehlm or some thing similar?

I don't play any jazz. This will be the only exception. I've tried on-line for free and my local library. I have one other oprtion which I hope to try within the month.

Next set of questions?

ok. *doth nod sagely*.. boehm is the keywork system of the clarinet; any clarinet (mostly) that you buy in the country will be keyed identically (small idiosyncracies such as extra keys here and there on expensive models notwithstanding). My guess is that if it's a beginner's instrument, it'll be something similar to a Buffet B12, a low-end Yamaha, or possibly a Bundy, depending on the origin of the instrument. They're all perfectly respectable instruments. .. one problem which newcomers have (and also, students who've been taught by peripatetic non-specialist teachers) is that their embouchure (the position of the mouth around and on the mouthpiece and reed) is .. ah .. incorrect, which doesn't do the player any favours. For the arcane arts of reed-care and embouchure-perfection, I would say that it is worth seeing a clarinet specialist teacher, if only just for these purposes (other, more logical, things are relatively easily self-taught). Choice of reeds also is something which is significant.. how much do you know about reeds?

ok. *nods*.. there is a fair amount of jazz for clarinet: Acker Bilk has certainly helped to popularise the instrument as a relatively well-known choice for jazz, and the instrument is used worldwide in jazz groups (not just the boehm system clarinet, which is by far the most common, either ((although germany use a different system, known as the auler system)): 'simple system' (less keywork: loosely, an ancester of the boehm clarinet) clarinets are still used for a lot of jazz playing).. there should be plenty of books of jazz music (particularly for beginners) alongside more complicated music such as Rhapsody in Blue (which a local music shop is less likely to stock, I think.. admittedly I haven't ever looked, because the piece just terrifies me.. but still. )

At all helpful? Any questions or comments yourself?

Indeed. I have been ding some research on this lovely instrument. It appears to me that the embouchure is not that hard to amster. Simply curl the bottom lip and make sure that there is no air vent that takes place. And don't tense yhour cheek muscles too much.

As for reeds, I know that there is a standard of 1-5 in rating, 5 being the hardest. So, I guess I'll try a 2 or 3. I like to challenge myself. Also, I'm pretty good with music. So, I don't think I'll be having too much trouble.

I hope that the clarinet is not of plastic. I'd be quite dissapointed, I must admit. I want a nice black gandilla (sp?) wood with silver keyes and pads &c. Speaking of which, do you think that leather is better or fish skin?

Why exactly does the Rhapsody in Blue scare you? And, how exactly does teh clarinet do a glissando? I've never understood that. Is there a particular way that, by pushing on a particular note-key and blowing harder you get glissandi?

, sorry if I am asking too many questions....

.. well, if you'd like to teach me, I've been playing for getting on for 8 years, and I'm still in search of a perfect embouchure. .. with regard to the reed, unless you have a very strange mouth, I would recommend that you start on a lower graded reed (1.5 is a more usual starting point). But it's your choice. The best starter reed, as far as I'm concerned, is a 1.5 strength vandoren reed, and whilst I'm not a clarinet teacher, I couldn't get a note out of higher-graded reeds when I started playing...

I have no idea as to how you're acquiring your clarinet, but my guess is that if it's being given to you, or if you're paying less than £500 ($750), you'll have a plastic instrument. Technically (accoustically), there's no difference between plastic and wood, but it's quite obvious to the ear that the advantage gleaned by a practiced player using a nicer instrument is considerable: indeed, wooden instruments are far easier to play, and many beginners could possibly benefit from starting on better quality instruments. Having said as much, there's a reason that they don't: a good wooden instrument will set you back a large amount of money.

Personally, I use leather pads on both of the clarinets on which I play regularly. Of my two other instruments, one is discounted (It has original pads dating back to about 1820, and I have no intention of having the instrument overhauled, since almost every pad is servicable), and the other is part original buffet pads, part leather. (the last time I had the instrument serviced, I didn't have the money to have every pad replaced, and since most of the pads were in perfect condition, I opted only for the pads which were leaking and misshapen to be replaced.

Another thing to consider if you're considering getting a grenadilla clarinet is that there are several grades of grenadilla wood, and some of the cheaper clarinets made in wood aren't black: they're a lighter shade which has been dyed (this shouldn't technically make any difference to the sound, but bothers some people). Having said this, pads are another thing which "shouldn't" make any difference to tone, but being in ownership of three professional quality grenadilla clarinets (one of which I have to sell. ), I can testify to the fact that the instruments which have been the most recently serviced, have all-leather pads, and are in undyed grenadilla wood sound gorgeous when played properly. (not to suggest for a moment that I'm a good player).

I wouldn't be too dismayed if the sound you're making sounds less than the warm tone you might expect from the clarinet straight away, although depending on how musical you are (and how you take to the instrument), it's quite possible that you'll be making a respectable sound with a few months of practice. (Another key here, I think, is regular but not over-regular: especially if you're not used to playing a wind instrument, your lip may not cope with too much practice: the few weeks over the summer when I've been on tour and playing 8 or 9 hours a day killed my lip for at least a week afterwards).

The tone, timbre, and pitch of the note are all linked to the embouchure; the squeaks which you frequently hear eminating from novices are part of this: since there are only a finite number of keys on the instrument (and a larger finite number of notes in the instrument's range), you 'overblow' in order to pitch any given fingering up by a major 12th in order to play higher notes (this is where a good embouchure and a slightly harder reed, once you're prepared for one come in handy.) A good player may well be able to play the note without putting down the register key (which overblows the note), and once you enter the higher registers of the instrument, this becomes a necessity: there is a certain amount of embouchure change required in order to pitch certain notes (and sometimes specifically to certain notes on certain instruments, depending on a number of factors).

In addition - and this makes sense - in order to maintain a constant pitch on a held note, a constant embouchure is required. As you'll swiftly discover, a small change in embouchure affects tone and pitch greatly; it is for this reason that embouchure is quite so important. With regard to the glissando, this is accomplished for the beginning of rhapsody in blue by treating each note as a small segment of the overall effect: a looser embouchure flattens the note, and a tighter embouchure (to generalise) pitches it higher, so by causing each note to be a tone's worth of miniature glissando, and then moving onto the next note both by sliding the finger off the key (causing a gradual shortening of the tube of the air which the clarinet constitutes) and changing the embouchure, the overall glissando effect is accomplished.

No problem!

Hmmm. Well, you demoralize me slightly. Having only played a recorder (ugh) and having a fine embouchure (if you will) on that, I can't see how it can be so much more difficult. I am quite able to play it, having had extremally *minimal* lessons. So, I think I'll manage fairly well fairly soon. However, I often try too much. I will be trying it for the first time on Tuesday. Then, I'll buy my own mouth-piece and reed. So, I'll find out when I try it.

Ah. .. well, don't be demoralised. I mean, if someone as untalented as me can manage to play the clarinet to a not unrespectable standard, I'm sure that you'll be able to learn. However, if you could pick the instrument up overnight, we'd all be professional clarinettists. I'm just being realistic. .. it's far better to exceed your expectations than be disappointed, is it not, after all?

And you're always welcome to come and ask for advice if you wish.

What sort of reed and mouthpiece are you thinking of buying? (and how are you ascertaining your clarinet, exactly?)

I like to put un-realistic things upon myself.

The mouth piece I would like is completly unknown. As long as it matches the clarinet I borrow. I called up a music store, they told me that it was $40 Can. and that reeds were $2 Can.

completely unknown? what do you mean? *blinks*

(and how goes the playing?)

..sorry for the lateness, btw. Life's complicated, I'm in the process of packing up to move to university.. .. at least my clarinets are easy to pack. *sigh*

That's my way of saying I don't know what kind of mouth-piece to buy. I now know it is for a plastic (ich) yamaha.

As to the playing... I hope next week. But, I printed a fingering chart so I can memorize what I need to play for Rhapsody in Blue.

Say, I read that if I take a piece of music, score it in a bass clef and read it like a treble clef that it will be correct on the clrarinet. Is this true?

Right. I'm wondering if you can help me with the glissando. Sheet music is at http://www.smdj.com/~tohru/rhapsody_in_blue.eng.html thank you in advance.