How to Practise the Clarinet

Something that is often not addressed in lessons is the subject of what to do when the teacher has gone. Students are often unsure about the most efficient way to practise, and will often simply open their music book to the pieces they are working on and play through them a handful of times, worrying mostly about accurate notes and rhythms. Students of all ages and levels can fall into this trap easily! Learning the notes in a particular piece can certainly give one a sense of pleasure and accomplishment, but spending even a small amount of time mindfully focusing on technique can have a huge impact, not simply on the pieces you are currently practising, but on your learning and enjoyment of every piece you will learn in future. Here are some simple tips to make the most of your practice time!

Before you begin:

• For the clarinet, and all wind instruments, proper air support is the foundation of good technique. Take a moment before you start playing to focus on your breath. Place your hands at your waist and inhale deeply; you will feel your abdomen expand as the diaphragm pulls air into your lungs. Engage your abdominals as you push the air out. Try to stay relaxed, with your shoulders softly relaxed- they should not be moving dramatically when you breathe.
• If you are having trouble breathing in this manner, here is a great exercise. Lie down on your back, and place a hardcover book or similarly weighted object on your stomach, over your belly-button. Breathe in, and as you do push the book up towards the ceiling, expanding your abdomen. As you breathe out, pull the book down towards the floor, contracting your abdomen.

Warming up:

• Long tones are a fantastic way to begin playing. They can help you make dramatic improvements in tone, support and length of breath in just a few minutes per day. Take a full, deep breath and blow a single pitch (any note will do to begin). Hold the note as long as you can, right to the end of your breath. Focus on keeping the tone and pitch steady. When you are comfortable with this exercise you can add dynamic contrasts, beginning as softly as you can play, crescendoing to your maximum volume in the middle, and then decrescendoing again towards the end. Work to increase dynamic contrast and breath length, while still keeping pitch and tone steady and controlled.
• Scales are a fantastic way to continue your warm-up. As you play them, take a moment to check your tone and technique. Your fingers should be gently rounded, and held close to the instrument; make sure you are not pulling them far away from the keys, or straightening out your pinkies when you press keys. It is also important to be mindful of your tone; since scales often cover a fair amount of your range, this is a good opportunity to minimize differences in tone between ranges. This is especially important when crossing the break. Each note on the clarinet requires a slightly different embouchure and air speed, and familiarizing yourself via long tones and scales can have a huge impact on your sound.

Practicing a piece of music:

• A piece of music is much more than a series of notes in a rhythmic structure; dynamics, articulation, phrasing, tone, intonation and musicality are hugely important, but are often overlooked in favour of note accuracy. When learning the bare bones of the piece (notes and rhythm), it is important to include as many of the expressive indications as you can, as early as you can. It is much more difficult to add them in later, after you have learned to play the piece without them. If you are preparing for an exam or audition these expressive details can greatly impact your scores!
• Possibly the fastest way to improve your playing, once you have got the general idea of a piece, is to record yourself playing it and listen back. The difference in perception can be huge! For example, you may think when you are playing that you are making a huge crescendo from Piano to Forte, but find when you listen back that the difference in dynamic is barely noticeable. Expressive markings need to be exaggerated greatly from your perspective in order to be audible to an audience (or microphone), especially if it is far away. Intonation issues that you may not have noticed while playing can also become very clear when you listen back objectively.

If you follow these tips, and make careful note of any feedback from your tutor, your practise sessions should go smoothly and be very productive. Happy playing!