How To Play Clarinet: Do you have these 5 bad habits? (Here's how to fix them...)
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- čas přidán 16. 07. 2024
- Michelle Anderson, founder of Clarinet Mentors (www.learnclarinetnow.com), presents a clarinet lesson on five common bad habits that make it harder to play clarinet, and how to fix them. Please leave your comments below.
- Hudba
michelle anderson is the bob ross of the clarinet community
She is not a druggy person she doesn't do drugs
@@AmericanCitizens bob ross did drugs?!?
@@xxfisherxxdonut7858 No, of course not!
when she said to play like "hee" instead of "ah" i am not joking it helped me hit the high notes i had been struggling with! Thank you!
Oh my goodness gracious me same wow I am very glad I found this.
Wow! You are my saviour!! I'm a clarinet beginner. I have fixed my bad habits after watching your video!! I didn't know why always I have squake sound. But Now I know~ I will practice your way!! Many thanks!!
You're the best clarinet teacher
in the world... I learned a lot from
your videos... Thank you very much...
Wow. All of these helped me out a ton. Been playing for almost 11 years now, my band teachers rarely pointed out these little mistakes (aside from the mouthpiece thing). This made an incredible difference in my playing, thank you.
Michelle, you are the best clarinet teacher. Thanks for your time and your passion for teaching. Your enthusiasm is contagious
You are the best. I played in sixth grade. The clarinet went into storage. 50 years later I got the bug again. Had the instrument totally refurbished. With the tremendous help from you it is all coming back. Thank You...
This is so useful and clear. What a wonderful teacher. I am going to check all 5 bad habits and work oon them.
Thank you
Bingo! On all fronts. Thanks for the reminders. Great to be able to access these online summaries after lessons. Thanks Michelle.
Thank you so much! I'm in junior high and a first year for playing, and this is really helping me. Love these.
Thanks So much Michelle. I am one of those adults who started to learn the clarinet 18 months ago and love it. It just happens that I had a new teacher last week. He right away saw that I was making mistake #1. He also told me that my eyes had to move down the music page and not my head. Thank you for all your videos. Although I have a teacher, what you say often helps me to better understand what he taught me. You are a real gift to clarinet players!
How is it going?? :)
So glad I found this channel. I've been wanting to learn but haven't been able to find a teacher near me. So all I know is what my mother taught me on how to make the embouchure (she played in highschool), and a lot of trial and error to figure out scales. I've learned so much in the last 2 videos alone. Michelle is clearly a great teacher! :)
Hi meiichelle I think you explain it very well and simple and I will be returning / I played in high school and now I have a daughter who plays viola and as an insentive to her I practice while she does thank you for your love of sharing knowledge
Wonderful lesson, Michelle. You are a great teacher. Thank you!! 🌹🌹
I really like your Style of Demonstrating these vital information .. Your Videos Helps me a lot and my Colleagues also .. Thanks A lot Michelle Anderson ♥
Lots of helpful information. Thank you.
Thanks for this info I will definetly be looking for some of these mistakes I am probably making.Very very helpful.
So helpful. Thank you. We do forget the basics, even after years of playing. Merry Christmas, Michelle.
Thank you very much as I have been making some of those mistakes. Thank you for all your videos. Colyn
Great video! It is interesting to me that the value of having a good teacher when you start cannot be understated, which you will appreciate if you stop playing for decades and then suddenly pick it back up again. Secondly, the learning technique you mention for mistake number 5 is the EXACT same one used when learning a martial art. (We called it "single moving.") It's amazing to me how lessons learned in one area of life really do apply to other areas of life.
Double tonguing! Double tonguing! We want double tonguing lesson asap!
Davide Moschese double tonguing disables many parts
This was a lot of help! Thank you
Your experience is a treasure, thank you!
wow so many useful information in your videos! thank you!
I am an adult learning how to play the clarinet. I have learned so much from these videos! Thank you.
Great tips! I am guilty of all those bad habits! Thanks for the help! :D
You are really an amaizing teacher ! and for me, it's an english lesson too !!! PERFECT!!!! Thanks +++
When a note does not speak, it usually means that something is leaking. It is often our fingers, so check a mirror. However, on that B, you should be aware that the two keys on the bottom joint that come down together for that note are some of the most often out-of-adjustment keys on the instrument. You can check this by holding down the B key, and gently pressing each of those keys with your finger. If there is some give, it may be a mechanical problem. A good repairman can certainly help too!
👏👍 Hi Michelle - I play both the Bb clarinet and alto saxophone. When first learning to play both instruments, I found playing notes in the lower register far easier to play on the clarinet than on the saxophone; and I found playing notes in the upper registers far easier to play on the saxophone than on the clarinet. BTW: The thumb rest (even with padding) on the clarinet was a real pain, but after a few months I built up a pain tolerance for it. There was no such problem with the saxophone thumb rest. 😉
This is so helpful
Thank you for the informative video.
Superb again, thanks!
Thank you so much.
Thank you for a good and useful Video
Omg!!!!!!!!! I always move my head down!!!!!
HI Michelle, thanks again for the great video.
I'm glad this was helpful to you. Good luck with your clarinet!
Your five approach for tone improvement was exceptionally good. I have been "playing" the clarinet since I was 12 and I am now 77. I have been making at least three of the five points you demonstrated for 65 years. Many thanks for your videos. They are much appreciated. Francis Castano
+Francis Castano I still catch myself falling into these habits from time to time. It is good to be mindful of them! I'm glad you are enjoying the videos.
Wow super helpful Thank you ! 😉
I played the clairinet in school but i missed the first day of band class and for years i didn't know about how to postition my mouth so my tone wasnt that good i didn't practice enough but i played up untill my senior year a few years later i stupidly traded my clairinet for a mandalin which i hardly played then many years later i bought a clairinet at a pawn shop i couldn't remember all the fingering for the notes so i bought a book to teach me then my roommate stole it i didn't have any desire to play untill i saw some videos imcluding yours about how to play the clairinet now i want to buy anothet one and try to get better at it your video has taught me more than when i was in band one fun thing was i got to play the contra base clairinet in my senior year
Brilliant ,thankyou!
Hi, I am picking up the clarinet after having put it away years and years (ok, decades) ago. These videos are perfect for me. A couple of sayings about Common Mistake #5 come to mind, each from a different musical mentor in the present and in the past. "Practice does not make perfect; practice makes permanent" is something our church organist says from time to time. Related to that is what my saxophone teacher used to advise many years ago: "Don't play anything faster than you can play it perfectly". Neither are likely original ideas, but are appropriate to this video.
Thanks, again!
Jay Lozier Thanks Jay. I love the organist comment. So true!
You are a superb teacher! Thank you for demonstrating good technique and where it falls short. There really is a narrow window for producing a good tone as you demonstrate. This is only the second of your videos that I've seen and it's great that you are so generous with your expertise creating these videos.
Thanks for the kind words!
Great lesson
Thanks SO much I just figured out mistake #1.
Have been playing cello for 4.5 yrs since my 70 birthday and started to look at learning the clarinet and stumbled upon this video. I am an electrical engineer by training and in the software business for 40 years. You are an excellent teacher clearly articulating details and technique that make all the difference in world! Where should I begin! I use Musescore to find accompaniment scores, usually piano which I then add the cello part from the treble clef main melody. I did that with Shostakovich Waltz #2, and would like to do that with clarinet.
You want to make sure you are aware of the basics of playing that help produce good habits. There are many CZcams resources for this. You may want to also try: www.5daybetterclarinet.com and clarinetmastery.com/p/beginner-or-returning-clarinet-training-resources. As far as music with a play-along accompaniment, I am guessing that you can transpose your cello music to clarinet in Musescore. I know that many people also use Smart Music, which lets you play along at any speed that you wish.
OK - good suggestion. I'll put it on the list (although I am a big proponent of learning how to single tongue really quickly, because I believe it is possible, and sounds better.
Very good perfect !!
Oml thank y oh so much this helped me so much
Hi Armond - I like to think of a "tee" or even a "tehee" sound when I articulate, because it keeps my tongue in a good position (HEEE). I have three videos here on CZcams specifically for improving high notes (Parts 1, 2 & 3). I recommend that you watch them in order. You may pick up something that really improves not only your range, but how easy it feels. If you pinch a lot, you can try focusing on bringing the corners of your mouth in more actively. That helps counter the biting. - Michelle
I am really that bad habit player .
FOT16 YEARS I didn't notice all these things.I hope I can fix something of it.
You make so many great videos thank you so much I really appreciate it
Jamar Lee of
theses advices are also good for saxophone players :)
looking down was my problem, I thank you immensely!
+Qwerty I'm glad this helped. That is a very common habit. It does take some diligence to fix, but it can make a big difference.
Great points made here! I teach elementary instrumental music and these points will be really helpful for my students that I teach!
I'm glad this is helpful. I always look for these things when I am doing workshops in schools, since most people naturally fall into a few of these bad habits.
I just found you. This is SO helpful. Thanks very much.
Hi Rhonda. Thanks for the kind words. I hope you learn some helpful things from these videos!
Great tips --- and I play 100 pct jazz---a little better now thanks to you. Well done!
Thanks for the kind words Fred. I'm glad you are enjoying your clarinet.
Thankyou
Enjoyed your lessons and will look for the next one Thanks. Bill v ginkel
Thanks Bill! I'm glad you are enjoying these, and I hope your clarinet playing is going well.
what thickness of reed do you use?
One small point -- when explaining how our brains get conditioned to making the same mistake over and over, you say "right note, wrong note and then continue." What you are actually explaining is "wrong note, right note and then continue." The idea of reinforcing an incorrect sequence of notes, though, is very interesting and helpful.
Michelle, your lessons are so helpful. Thank you so much. I do have a question. After I have practiced for 30 minutes or so, I have a problem playing the B natural at the break. When I try playing the B natural at the break from a higher note, sometimes I get no sound or a very poor sound. I try to make sure I have all the holes covered, but it still won't come out. I have no problem playing the B natural at the break by it self. Can you give me any ideas about what I am doing wrong. Thanks.
AHHH WE PLAYED THAT DIVERTIMENTO FOR STATE SOLO AND ENSEMBLE!!
Number 1 bad habit is throating. I am so good a this that my past private instructor could not figure out what was wrong. We spent three months trying to get this habit in check. Now that I joined community band and jazz band. It is back.
Practicing at home, I worry about the correct notes, and don't really care about timing. One of those people who sounds much better in band than practicing. It drove my college professor crazy. He was my private instructor too.
I had five different instructors for my clarinet. Each taught me something new.
Wow. It was a huge difference when you changed the angle of your head, the angle of your tongue, and your other changes. I may need to check my habits while I play. I just have two questions.
1) Do we articulate with more of a "te" style of tounging?
2) I can only get up to a high E and my most of my upper register notes do not have a good tone quality. What videos should I watch in order to fix this issue? I know I pinch, but I do not really know how to fix that. I pinch so hard it hurts.
your video was very helpful. I have a question, on my thumb rest my thumb doesn't sit right. I was told to make a backwards c but my thumb just goes back to the same position I started at. How can I break that habit of bending my thumb under my thumb rest?
I agree with you on the last three points, but mainly on the first point I far from agree. The head down sounded much louder [hence better]; as the more up one looks, the more one's air flow will be cut off. Looking down there is actually MORE air flow, as other than restricted ! On the second point, my personal opinion is that the second one sounded better.
I have Belz Palsy and I am having difficulty with keeping my mouth in a round shape on the mouth piece. Do you have any suggestions for mouth exercises or what I can do to improve. I used to be first clarinet in middle school and then got the Belz Palsy in 1985 and couldn't form a circle for many many years. Once I could whistle again, I started trying to play the clarinet again.
If you rest your bell on your leg when you play, getting a thumb rest is a great idea so it won’t be as painful to balance.
Hi Michelle, I just bought a clarinet and have no idea how to play it. I get the teeth bit but where does the bottom lip go??I try and copy the guy from the children's thingy but all I get is a rushing sound.
Why am I watching this?!! I don't even play clarinet
I know right? I did the same thing.
Maddy M. I play the flute and I found myself watching a percussion master-class once!
WeAreEnglishCubers Lol! But I know some friends who play clarinet.
Brilliant!Thank You!
Maybe in a near future you will.
Great video. I am guilty as charged.:)
I play jazz & sometimes want the squawking sound & hold the clarinet high to work with a mic, yet much of what you demonstrated helps even my jazz styling. Please talk about corners of the mouth/smiling position to improve throat tones INTONATION. Thank you....
Hello! :) I've been watching some of your videos and you are an awesome teacher! I have a few questions to ask. I've been playing clarinet since I could start band (in 5th grade). I am now a junior in high school. Occasionally when I play I will do a couple of these bad habits. These habits will occur when I'm having my "off days" (I have asthma and can't always breathe as well as other days). I was just wondering if maybe you had some tips on helping me breathe correctly into my clarinet while on my "hard to breathe" days??
Hi Jenna, I think that training your self to breath and blow with by consciously activating your ab muscles will help on a good day and a bad day. Try the exercises in this video, which make you more aware of the muscles involved: czcams.com/video/Eb4_HOwsEhE/video.html
Thanks! :)
Thank you very much for this video. It has helped me immensely as a sax player trying to clean up my clarinet technique. I'm finding that my voicing for clarinet is just not right. When I make the 'eeee' shape, I move to the altissimo register far too easily. (Squeak city, particularly when articulating.)
Moving out to what feels like the very tip of the mouthpiece and making the 'hey' shape allows me to stay out of the squeak zone far more consistently, but even so, when I'm articulating, I feel the middle of the tongue falling, and can hear the difference in tone. Clearly, I need to work on articulation much more. Any additional thoughts would be appreciated.
+Jeffery Hogan It is more challenging to keep the tongue in position when you are tonguing. I think one of the best ways to train is simply to have the mouthpiece in your mouth, embouchure formed, and then speak "TEEEE" several times. It keeps the tongue high, but it will touch the reed in the same way that it does in tonguing.
+Clarinet Mentors (Michelle Anderson) Very much appreciate your responses. After some more experimentation, I've discovered that my squeaks (unintentional register changes) happen because I'm reverting to saxophone voicings. Specifically when I articulate, my tongue is moving from 'ee' to 'ooo' (through 'eu', 'uo', etc). Physically, this feels like the back-middle of my tongue is rolling down.
The note will return once I'm all the way to 'oo', but doesn't sound nearly as good. Hope this description is helpful to others who come across this. I'll work on the exercise you recommend. Thank you again.
Cool.
I found that playing the saxophone has helped me amazingly with the clarinet. Playing the saxophone has helped me keep a full sound with the clarinet. The main problems I have are the huge jumps. I have 6 months experience with the clarinet so far and I am playing Mozart's famous Clarinet Conerto for a solo in competition. Do you have any recommendations on hesitations on those jumps? Like from A on staff to C on staff to D on staff/
+Samuel Hollman An obvious difference between clarinet and saxophone is that your fingers need to cover the holes quickly and fully on the clarinet when you are moving between notes. Some videos that I have that might give you ideas include: arm/wrist position: czcams.com/video/fjGGQP8bsEU/video.html
czcams.com/video/cN8iu2mxZWQ/video.html
left thumb position: czcams.com/video/-bItdikinm4/video.html
right hand position: czcams.com/video/vyVfMI5Na70/video.html
left hand position: czcams.com/video/ZPtr_S04pGg/video.html
faster fingers : czcams.com/video/85oHSM1LcFI/video.html
You can also go to www.fasterclarinetfingers.com/getstarted for a series of clarinet technic videos.
+Clarinet Mentors (Michelle Anderson) Thank you, this should help. I have 1 week to get this all down so I am practicing 5 hours a day on the clarinet and I hope to get everything down. :)
5 hours a day? geez those cheeks must hurt
OMG i know how to play music from you love it
Hi Michelle what song is this id like to figure it out,?
Thank you so much for making this video! I am guilty as charged! :) One question... when I play the clarion range, especially G, A, B, C, I can hear an undertone at the beginning of each note, especially while tonguing. What might be causing it and how do I avoid it?
Hi Jimmy, that is really common when there is not quite enough support for the the notes. It can indicate either that your air is a bit wimpy (which tends to happen more while tonguing) or that your reed is too soft. Check out my "high notes videos" for more specifics about these two things.
Dear Sister...I am a 42 year old man and started learning music when I was 5 years old...I started my voyage in the world of music as a carnatic classical vocalist...When I was 10 years old I started to play the flute...in fact started my experiments with the flute..'cause ive never formally tried to be trained to be a flutist attending classes..I applied what ever I learned in by vocal classes on to the flute and within two years could perform full fledged as a flutist..Five years ago I happened to buy a basic Bb claronet and tried the same exercise as with the flute..Ive been trying hard and hard but nothing much has happened..its been a week since now that ive been watching your vedios and many such other vedios that are available on youtube and I am able to play simple starters that ive learnt...
What's the moral of this long story or rather biography of mine...??..I am learning and getting better day on day watching your vedios...Each time I watch your vedios, I more and more get this feeling of overwhelming gratitude to you gushing out off my soul and my heart bersts out of tears...tears of that devine closeness to you..we may be away seven oceans from each other..we may be two different beings living in two different continents...but the reason why I started this note addressing you as Sister was because we are siblings...siblings of the same mother..."MUSIC"...
It therefore becomes my duty rather to express my gratitude to you for helping me to be a better me day on day...
Because I Believe that musicians are special children of lord the almighty and not all humans are born with this legacy..we are more fortunate as lord the almighty has bestowed upon us this boon...of being a MUSICIAN
THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT HAS HELPED ME...LOVE YOU SOOO MUCH...GOD BLESS!!
What is piece you played called?
It is Mozart Flute Duet - I'm sorry, I don't have the exact K number. It appears in many woodwind duet books.
61/5000
I can play bass notes, but I can not play sharp notes, please what hapend. tanks
hai Michelle im stil Learning clarinet sound i have one question do you now any moutpieces brand that Plays better in tune than others i have tryed vandoren Yamaha jody jazz dont cear about the sound but how well it Plays in tune i now before that i must learn to play in tune my self at the moutpiece 440 on the tuner before i can tune the clarinet but do you have aney advice thanks anyway being kind answering Peoples questions
The mouthpiece alone won't affect pitch, but Vandoren does make some great mouthpieces, and some are designed to tune higher or lower than others. Most people choose a mouthpiece that responds easily, with the tone they like, and then they fine tune things with the barrel. This video may help: czcams.com/video/UJoedGEF2YI/video.html
Can you do a video on how to stop air from escaping your mouth
Regarding mistakes, as a drummer, I think of rudiment practice as teaching my muscles. If I make mistakes over and over, then I'm teaching my muscles how to make mistakes over and over....which is bad. It's better to play something correctly, even if you have to play it very slowly and methodically. Speed comes from doing this correctly over and over. Then you're only teaching your muscles the correct method, and not doing damage by teaching them the wrong way.
I do all of these. Thank you so much! I'll practicing not to do them. :)
Este como el resto de videos publicados me resultan interesantes, pero hay un problema que es la dificultad para traducirlos al español.
i have a question, when i play c sharp it does not sound right, its like it has spit stuck or something, please help me it didnt ever sound like that before. it sounds like spit vibrating or something.
Hi Mike. It is quite possible that there is something stuck in the tone hole under the key (lint, dust, cork grease...). You can try blasting air through it to blow it out. If that doesn't work, you may need to have the key removed and clean out the tone hole. It is also possible that the key has been bent so it is not opening fully. This would also inhibit air flow. If it is just one note, there is usually something partially blocking the hole.
I used to play the clarinet. I miss those days. Sigh.
My habits are not arching my tongue and breathing through my nose. I'm trying hard to fix it
I recommend that you do a very short exercise every day (1 - 5 minutes) where this is your complete focus. It starts to train your body and brain, and eventually it will feel normal. I hope you are enjoying your clarinet.
How do you play B notes?
autumn Hayley There are many good fingering charts which will show you the fingering. The key is to have your hands in a good position so that you can cover all of the holes. This is tricky at first. This video might help: czcams.com/video/85oHSM1LcFI/video.html.
i´m not speak english very well, could you repeat me the name of themelody mozart you play, please =)
Hi - the music is the Kegalstaat Trio by Mozart, which is a trio for clarinet, viola, and piano. That is a recording from a performance I had with the West Coast Chamber Music society in a live concert. It is fun to perform that piece!
Clarinet Mentors (Michelle Anderson)
thank you! its a great helpful video =)
I can play my AR region think u
my first mistake was bying Yamaha 250 clarinet every one says bye the buffet b12 it is better for students as saxophone player i have maney bad habits on the clarinet i can play the sax well but clarinet i sound like an donkey
Hi Ted - clarinet donkeys can be tamed! One big difference is that the clarinet needs a higher tongue position internally than saxophone to sound good. Imagine you are saying "hee" when you play. Going from Hee to Haw will definitely reveal your inner donkey! Yamaha student clarinets are fine in my opinion. If you upgrade anything, you may want to start with a better mouthpiece. This has a huge impact upon tone quality.
4:30
thank you!! you are beautiful btw
Number 5 is the single biggest impediment I ever knew as a teacher. 55 years ago I remember William Reveille bragging that his students never played anything until they could play it perfectly. Then he showed us how. That made a huge impression and I developed my own system years later as a H.S. band director suitable for their level. You’ve got to be smarter than your lizard brain.
@7:15 someone needs to make a dumbstep out of "I FOUND MY TOUNGING TO BE HARDER"
These were all my mistakes lol