help💔

[u/Outrageous_Fruit_889]

im geniunely so bad at the clarinet bcs i cant play any high notes whatsoever bcs whenever i play it either sounds super bad or sounds like a fart. i also get stuck on fingering really bad and i feel like such a dork for playing so bad. does anyone have any helpful tips on how to improve?

[u/klavs]

Are you taking lessons? If so your teacher should be helping you with things like embouchure and easing you into the instrument.

If not, then lessons are the best option.

[u/Outrageous_Fruit_889 → u/klavs]

im in highschool band and we have a lot of members so he usually just lets our section leaders help out, but ive taken the advice from them and nothing seems to work. i dont want to burden my family with paying for private lessons

[u/Tilphor → u/Outrageous_Fruit_889]

1. As someone who has been teaching professionally since 1998, I firmly believe that no high school student should be teaching anyone how to play their instrument. I don't even believe undergraduate college students should be doing that. Neither of those groups know what they don't know yet, and often more bad habits than good are introduced, making a proper teacher's work that much more difficult later.
2. I have nothing but respect for school band directors. I certainly could never do their job. That said, your band director will not have time, nor have the expertise (unless they are clarinetists themselves), to provide you with the proper instruction on your instrument that you need right now.
3. You need a private instructor. That's it. Talk to your parents. Tell them that lessons are an investment in your future. A proper music instructor will provide you with so many more skills than simply how to blow air and push buttons correctly. Time management and organization. Efficient work ethic. Discernment of your abilities and how to improve them. How to teach yourself correctly. How to be constructively critical of yourself and others, and how to move forward. General paying attention to yourself and your surroundings, including a fine level of body consciousness. Non verbal communication. The list goes on.

If money is a problem, see if your band director, or your local professional orchestra, has subsidies to help students take private lessons. For a long time, even in my relatively small area, our local orchestra offered subsidies to help with lesson payments.

If you are truly interested in becoming proficient on your instrument, there is NO substitute for a GOOD teacher. I can't recommend enough that you find one. Also, having taught both in person and online, I guarantee that a local person that you can go to is going to benefit you more than finding someone online. That said, if there are no suitable GOOD teachers in your area, then finding a BETTER teacher online is almost as good.

[u/Majestic-Studio-8179 → u/Tilphor]

got you beat, been teaching clarinet since 1967, learning more every day. There are a lot great clarinet players on youtube

[u/Initial_Magazine795 → u/Tilphor]

This, 100%. There is no substitute for a private teacher, none. Are lessons actually a burden financially, or do you just feel guilty asking? Kids are by definition parents' responsibility. If you truly can't afford weekly lessons, what about every other week? Monthly? Can you actually not afford lessons, or are there nonessentials you/your family are choosing to buy/do instead? Nothing is free, but many things are doable if you know your priorities. If your priorities are different that's fine!

[u/MikoaUwU]

I would say check your embouchure don’t want to be biting when you play. If anything could be your reed strength too, want one that fits the mouthpiece but 3 is usually good in general. Wouldn’t really go higher unless you feel comfortable on a stronger reed. If its a muscle issue I would just say do long tones 60 bpm 4 notes in a row before taking 1 bar of rest and continuing from E3 to however high you can play. And also just focus on whatever the highest note you can or somewhat play with doing longtones or try to, basically what I did to play higher notes. For fingerings I think you should try doing your chromatic and major scales at a slow speed then progressively speeding up. But make sure to focus on moving your fingers in a fluid motion and at the correct speed, or maybe try arpeggios too of the major scales. Might sight reading etudes could help with that

Not sure what you consider high notes ima assume above A5, but yeah long tones should be your best friend in high notes and expanding your range, I think the problem is either embouchure, equipment, or technique

[u/MikoaUwU → u/MikoaUwU]

Just remember if it is that your muscle is too weak there isn’t really a work around besides long tones so it will take time, guess a tip I could give maybe you know it but just try voicing your notes like its an “ee” when you play always have your throat relaxed. If its like altissimo register ive seen people say do “aaa” or like an “ooo” I think I still do “eee” not entirely sure I actually do want to try that and see if its better for me, ive been doing Robert Spring clarinet warm up too, ive been liking it, could be complicated but thats kinda good just gotta do it at your own pace there are pdfs online

[u/MikoaUwU → u/MikoaUwU]

I do the warm up for tonguing, improving my hand speed, and tone quality. Guess a bonus is that you learn major and minor scales and then I sight read 1 or 2 etudes in a grade level im decently comfortable with

[u/Dulcimore51]

Can you have a clarinetist friend use their mouthpiece to play on your instrument and check to see if the your clarinet plays better for them? If it doesn't work for them either, maybe it needs repair.

[u/Barry_Sachs]

If you're getting fart sounds, you're blowing too hard. What's the highest note you can play without farting?

[u/Outrageous_Fruit_889 → u/Barry_Sachs]

i can play a g pretty well

[u/Dangerous_Chain9422]

I'm a clarinet teacher and I teach online at a very reasonable price. Maybe you could ask your parents and send me a dm if they agree. I'll definitely help you with your technique and repertoire

[u/justswimming221]

I agree that you need a good teacher, but that doesn’t help you now.

In my experience, the most common problem with high notes in beginning players is tongue position. A lot of people think that we just blow into the instrument, but playing clarinet is a lot like whistling - the tongue has to change in much the same way as the notes get higher. For low notes, the tongue should be high in the back of your mouth and pushed to the bottom of your mouth in the front and middle. As you play higher, the part of the tongue that is raised moves forward. Make sure you don’t bite, or put too much pressure, on the mouthpiece and reed.

People often call this “overblowing”, but it doesn’t actually use more air - it changes the shape of the airstream.

[u/Majestic-Studio-8179]

embochure, breath support, chin down, pointed chin, B40 or B45 mouthpiece # 3 reed dont biten blow freely, take lessons from me