Lets Play Clarinet Sample
Lets Play Clarinet Sample
Lets Play Clarinet Sample
Clarinet
by
Andrew Scott
Contents
Parts of the Clarinet .................... 3
Lesson 1
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Lesson 3
Lesson 4
Lesson 9 (continued)
Tied Down .................................................... 33
Lesson 2
Lesson 5
The Note F ....................................................... 18
The Dotted Half Note ...................................... 19
Lesson 6
The Note C ....................................................... 20
Satellite Song .............................................. 21
Lesson 7
The Note G ....................................................... 23
Lesson 8
The Lead-In ..................................................... 27
The Banks of the Ohio ..................................... 27
Lesson 9
The Note B ....................................................... 30
Six Note Bossa ................................................. 30
The Three Four Time Signature ...................... 31
Three in a Row ................................................. 31
Three to the Bar ............................................... 31
The Tie ............................................................. 32
Tied Up ............................................................ 32
Barcarolle ........................................................ 32
Lesson 10
Breathing and Blowing .................................... 34
Mary Ann ..................................................... 36
Lesson 11
The Eighth Note (Quaver) ............................... 37
Shave and a Haircut ........................................ 37
Micks Mexican Mix ........................................ 38
The Galway Piper ............................................ 39
Eight Enough ................................................... 39
Lesson 12
The Note A ....................................................... 40
The Volga Boatman ......................................... 41
Blues in A ..................................................... 41
Lesson 13
The Note Low G ............................................... 42
We Wish You a Merry Christmas ................... 43
Sweet Blues ...................................................... 43
A Bicycle Built for Two .................................... 44
Happy Birthday ............................................... 44
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Lesson 14
Lesson 15
O Susanna.................................................... 52
Lesson 16
Lesson 17
The Note Bb ..................................................... 55
F Major Scale ................................................... 55
Staccato ........................................................... 56
Tips............................................. 58
Musician Jokes ........................... 59
Glossary ..................................... 60
Fingering Index ........................ 61-63
Transposing Table ..................... 64
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ligature
mouthpiece
reed
cork
barrel
upper joint
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lower joint
bell
Lesson 1
Preparing the Reed
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The reed must be damp for it to vibrate properly. Some players soak their reeds
in a glass of water for a few minutes before playing, but you can usually get away
with holding the thin end in your mouth for about thirty seconds.
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Buzzing Sounds
When you can make a sound, vary it by tightening
and loosening your lips. You can hear this on
Track 2 of the CD.
Buzzing Sounds
Track 2
This track contains the sound of the reed and mouthpiece attached to the barrel.
The pitch is bent down and up as the player loosens and tightens her lips.
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After attaching the upper and middle joints. twist the upper joint gently
so that the finger holes on the front of the clarinet make a straight line.
Be careful to prevent any levers from becoming tangled.
Apply grease to the remaining cork on the the upper joint. Twist it
into the barrel. Line up the single hole at the back of the clarinet with
the reed side of the mouthpiece.
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Tonguing
Use your tongue to start and stop the
notes. As you play the note E, whisper the
word doo, several times.
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Tongued Notes
Track 3
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Thumb
Suppor
Supportt at
the Back
Right Thumb
here all the time.
F
ingering Diagram for the Note E
Fingering
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Back
of
Clarinet
Left Thumb
1st F
inger
Finger
of
Left Hand
3
4
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T
Left Hand
Above
the
Right Hand
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Car
e for Y
our Reeds
Care
Your
Reeds are fragile and delicate. It doesnt
take much to split one, making it useless.
They are also expensive.
As you play more, you will learn that some
reeds are much better than others.
Be very careful when you handle your
reeds not to touch the thin tip.
Keep your reeds safe in flat holder when
you are not playing your clarinet.
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Tips
Fingers which are not pressing a key closed should hover above their home keys,
ready to close the key when necessary.
Lesson 2
10
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A staff (plural: staves) is a set of five lines and four spaces upon which music can be written.
The lines and spaces are numbered from the bottom.
5th line
4th space
4th line
3rd space
3rd line
2nd space
2nd line
1st space
1st line
The T
Trreble Clef
The symbol at the left end of the staff is called a treble clef. Every line of clarinet music
has these clefs to show you how notes are named. There are other clefs, such as bass
and alto clefs, but for clarinet playing you only need to know this one.
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1st line
11
Lesson 2
The Note G
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G for Me
Tongue each note.
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12
Dark Blue T
ongue
Tongue
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Two Beat G
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13
Lesson 3
The Note A
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Ask an Ant
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2
14
Cr
eepy Crawl
Creepy
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Tots in T
utus
Tutus
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Tip of My T
ongue
Tongue
15
Lesson 4
The Note F
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T
Two Beat F
George and F
Frred
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16
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17
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Yankee Doodle
18
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Mer
rily
Merrily
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Lesson 5
The Note E
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T
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20
Ellen and F
Frred Stomp
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Walk and T
alk
Talk
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Lesson 5
The Note D
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T
1
2
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21
22
Dan Likes a P
at
Pat
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FED Song
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23
Lesson 6
The Note C
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T
1
2
3
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24
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Twinkle, T
winkle Little Star
Twinkle
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25
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Mar
y Had a Little L
amb
Mary
Lamb
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26
Lesson 7
Ode to Joy
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Lightly Row
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Oats, P
eas, Beans
Peas,
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Lesson 8
The Note B
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T
1
2
3
2
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29
30
Mar
y Ann
Mary
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32
Lesson 9
The Note Low A
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T
1
2
3
1
2
C & A Exer
cise
Exercise
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ABC Song
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2
The V
olga Boatmen
Volga
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The Animals W
ent in T
wo by T
wo
Went
Two
Two
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Lesson 10
The Note Low G
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T
2
3
1
2
3
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Twinkle T
winkle Little Star - Key of G
Twinkle
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Lesson 11
We W
ish Y
ou a Mer
Wish
You
Merrry Christmas
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Happy Bir
thday
Birthday
Dotted Eighth Note
(or Dotted Quaver)
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Sixteenth Note
(or Semiquaver)
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The Slur
41
A slur is a curved line written over or below several notes. When a slur is applied to notes
it means that you play them smoothly. To do this, keep blowing as you change the
fingering for the different notes. Only tongue the first note of the group enclosed by the
slur.
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Slur Exercise 1
Slur Exercise 2
Track 31
Slur
Track 32
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Ode to Joy
Track 33
Ludwig van
Beethoven
Classical
Ludwig
vanStyle
Beethoven lived in Europe from 1770 to 1827. This piece is an an excerpt
from his 9th Symphony.
Lesson 13
42
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Low G Exercise
Track 63
Low G Exercise 2
Swing Jazz Style
Track 64
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Track 65
Waltz Style
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Sweet Blues
Jugband Style
Track 66
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Track 67
Waltz Style
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Happy Birthday
Gospel Style
Track 68
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Lesson 14
45
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Adding a dot after a quarter note increases its length to one and half beats.
quarter note
(or crotchet)
1 beat
2 3 4
Track 69
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2
2 3 4
Track 70
rest
half note
(or minim)
2 beats
rest
Track 71
Track 72
46
Cornpicking
Track 73
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Dreamy Waltz
Track 74
Dotted Ballad
Serena Style
Track 75
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Ode to Joy
Track 76
47
Gospel Style
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Lesson 15
48
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Track 77
Track 78
Track 79
Track 80
March Style
On the CD there are five beats to introduce this song.
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49
50 Lang Syne
Auld
Track 81
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Blues with A
Traditional Jazz Style
Track 81
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This song gives you good practice at taking breaths quickly between notes.
Blolivian Rhapsody
51
Track 81
Perro Style
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For Hes a Jolly Good Fellow
Old Style Waltz
Track 86
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O52Susanna
Track 82
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Lesson 16
53
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Low F Exercise 1
Track 82
Low F Exercise 2
Folk Style
Track 83
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Arpeggio
Pattern
Track 84
J. S. Bach Style
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Morning Has Broken
Folk Waltz Style
Track 85
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Lesson 17
The Note B Flat ((B
B b)
55
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B Exercise 1
Track 86
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The flat signs in bars 1 and 4 apply to all the Bs in those bars.
F Major Scale
Son-Montuno Style
Track 87
When the flat sign is written on the middle line at the beginning of the staff, it applies to
all the B notes in that staff, including Bs below the staff.
Staccato
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You have seen that a dot written after a note lengthens the
note (pages 19 and 45).
A dot written above or below a note means that you play
the note short and detached from other notes. This method
of playing is called staccato. It is the complete opposite of
playing legato, or smoothly.
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To play notes staccato, think of the letter d when you tongue the note, instead of the
syllable doo.
Staccato Exercise 1
Track 88
Orchestral Style
Staccato Exercise 2
Bossa Nova Style
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Track 89
Track 90
Orchestral Style
Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880) began his musical career as a cello player. This is part
of his most famous composition.
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Tips
General
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Clean and dry your clarinet by pulling a cloth through it after each practice session. Pay
particular attention to the mouthpiece and reed. You will need to take the reed off to clean
the mouthpiece properly. Failure to do this will result in a buildup of stale, green mould.
Do you really want that in your mouth next time you play?
If your mouthpiece has already reached the disgusting stage, merely soaking it in a basin
of warm soapy water will not work. Scrub it clean with an old toothbrush.
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Reeds
If your reeds become wrinkled after you moisten them in hot weather, you can iron them
flat with your thumb. Press the thin end against the flat part of your mouthpiece for about
half a minute, or until the reed regains its normal shape.
Reed Str
ength
Strength
The best reed to start playing the clarinet with is one that has a strength rating of 1 or
1. The lower the rating on the reed, the softer and more flexible it is, and the easier it
is to blow. Reeds with a higher number beome progressively stiffer and harder to blow but
produce a bigger volume of sound. Allow yourself plenty of time to build up your mouth
muscles before you consider changing to a reed with a higher rating.
Reed Quality
There is enormous variation in the quality of reeds. When you begin playing clarinet, you
will not be able to tell the difference between one reed and another. As you become more
experienced, you will begin to notice differences in the quality of sound that reeds produce,
and also how some reeds are easier to blow than others. The worst reeds are very difficult
to blow, produce a sound that is rough and feel downright stubborn to play. The best
reeds are easy to blow, produce a sweet sound and feel as though they enjoy being played.
Lesson
59
How to T
une the Clarinet
Tune
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You will need to be able tune the clarinet to make it sound at its best when you play with
other instruments or recordings.
You can do this by playing a note and then comparing it to a reference tone.
Step 1
Listen to Track 1 on the CD, following the music on the chart below.
Tuning
Track 1
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Step 2
Start Track 1 again. Play your E, then listen to the clarinet on the CD.
Step 3
Was your E at exactly the same pitch, or was it higher or lower?
Step 4
If your note sounds the same as the CD note, your clarinet is already in tune. Go to Step
7.
Step
60 5
If your note sounds lower than the CD, your saxophone is said to be flat. Raise its pitch
by pushing the mouthpiece further onto the cork, then repeat Steps 2 and 3.
Step 6
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If your note sounds higher than the CD, your saxophone is said to be sharp. Lower its
pitch by pulling the mouthpiece out along the cork, then repeat Steps 2 and 3.
Step 7
As a final check, play your A at the same time as the saxophone on the CD. If the two
notes are in tune they will sound like one instrument. If not, there will be a harsh, irritating
beating sound, somewhat like two blowflies sparring. Return to Steps 2 and 3.
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Tuning T
ips
Tips
1. Dont be too concerned if you cant tell whether you are sharp or flat. It can take
a long time before you hear the difference.
2. Hot weather makes the saxophone sharp. Cold weather will make it flat. You
will need to adjust your mouthpiece more on very hot or cold days.
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Fingering
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Glossary
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accidental - a sign indicating a note from outside a particular key. E.g., the natural sign
in bar 4 of Cuban Nights on page 46, or the flat sign in bar 1 of Staccato Blues on page
42.
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embouchur
e - the position of the lips and mouth when playing a brass or wind
embouchure
instrument.
key - a pitch that forms the tonal centre of a piece of music.
har
monize - to combine notes to produce a pleasant sounding blend.
harmonize
lick - a short musical phrase.
measur
e - same as bar.
measure
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riff - a short musical phrase, usually repeated or varied several times within a song.
sustain - to hold a note or chord for its full value.
syncopation - emphasis given to a normally unaccented beat.
transpose - to change music from one pitch or key to another.
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Transposing T
able
Table
The table below shows you which note you must play to sound the same as another
instrument, such as a guitar or piano, or another clarinet.
For example, if you are playing an A on the clarinet, the guitars note will be G, and the
alto saxophones note will be E.
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Alto
Concert
Sax, Instruments Saxophone
Clarinet
Also Tenor
Trumpet
# or E b
E
F
# or G b
# or A b
# or B b
# or D b
# or A b
A
e
b
l
# p
b
m
b a# b
S
# or G
G
# or E
E
# or D b A # or B b
C
# or B b
B
or D
D
or E
E
# or G b
G
# or A b