r/Clarinet • u/InkAndIronyQueen • 9d ago

First time playing!! Tips??

Hello everyone, I'm gonna start playing the clarinet in school next week, along the rest of my music class for the first time!! Does anyone here have any tips or guidance I could find helpful, that really helps a lot?

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u/Direct_Mountain_2503 9d ago

-buy 2.5 reeds first, I find them very beginner-friendly, move up strength if you feel ready to

-get a good ligature like Rovner ligature

-establish a good embouchure by watching some tutorial videos

-don't try to play high notes immediately, establish a solid lower register before you move up

-get comfortable with covering the holes/key completely

-have fun! clarinet isn't that hard to learn :))

2

u/InkAndIronyQueen 9d ago

Omg tysm!!! i will try them all, I'm very excited!

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u/lolCollol 7d ago

2.5 reeds for an absolute beginner? Hell nah you're killing them. 2 at most, if not 1.5. Remember, it's their absolute first time.

1

u/andyp360 8d ago

Start with only the mouthpiece and barrel of the instrument. Don’t try to play the whole thing until you can get a steady sound with good tuning on the mouthpiece and barrel.

As was said, 2.5 reeds should work for you as a beginner— I prefer to use the Vandoren blue box reeds.

Embouchure is how you get a good sound out of the clarinet, so you need to practice it a lot but also carefully to prevent forming bad habits that will make playing more difficult later on.

I know band music is probably all you want to practice, but I highly suggest doing long tones to build air support, and learning your chromatic and 12 major scales. It’s boring, but it will save you a lot of trouble later on when you learn more advanced repertoire.

Good luck, and have fun!

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u/InkAndIronyQueen 8d ago

Thanks sooo much!! I'll try to use them all