Tom Parchman

July 17, 2024

• Air Control (breathing, respiration, how the air is used)

  • Stream of air, like a blowing out a candle

  • Tension is the antithesis to playing

• Pulse

  • Tap your toe at first (it can go away after solid)

  • Add metronome

• Tongue position (tonguing and sound)

  • High and arched tongue placement to create high air pressure/speed

  • "Hee" vocalization; cool air

  • Tip of tongue, tip of reed

  • High notes take a lot of speed to make reed vibrate correctly.  Doubles each octave

• Mouthpiece

  • Size, opening, facing length

  • Size, opening, facing length

  • Mouthpieces that come with the instrument are not good

  • Great starting mouthpieces: 

    • Pyne, Clark Fobes (San Francisco), Brad Behn (acrylic mouthpiece for $50)

• Reeds

  • Strength

    • 2.5 or 3

  • Brands

    • Rico Royal, D'Addario, Vandoren

  • Shape

    • Gently bend reed to make sure it can be at or a small sliver below the mouthpiece

  • Density of cane

    • Vandoren are more dense (can play high)

    • Rico is less dense

  • Reeds need to be rotated during playing

  • Breaking them in:

    • Unify the cane/seal off the reed by polishing the reed with paper

    • Soak in water for 5 minutes a day for 5 days

    • Long tones for 5 minutes (mid range, mid volume)

• B-R-E-A-K

  • There is no such thing

  • Why is it a challenge?

    • Poor airflow

    • Poor instrument condition

    • Poor technique

• Resonance finger

  • Throat tones, most of the other fingers are down

• Instrument

  • Buffet Premium Student Bb Clarinet

• Equipment

  • Mouthpiece patch on all students (medium to thin)

  • Brad Behn (mouthpiece patch roll)

  • Metronome

  • Reed holder

  • Music Stand

  • Ligatures - must hold the reed firmly, should not be able to move side to side

    • 2 basic types

      • Regular

      • Inverted (doesn't hit chin)

    • Materials

      • Metal, leather (but it slides)

• Instrument Upgrades

  • Serio (Chinese clarinet)

• Putting your instrument together

  • Put case on the floor

  • Lower joint in left hand, bell on with twisting motion

  • Upper joint twist on 

  • Barrel

  • Mouthpiece

  • Reed/ligature

    • Take apart in reverse

• Starting a new clarinetist

  • Barrel and mouthpiece

  • Embouchure

    • Red part of the lip covers the bottom teeth

    • Place mouthpiece in the mouth

    • Top teeth to touch

    • Top lip does the work and holds the embouchure

    • Blow across the reed, almost touching chin

    • Embouchure is stationary; it is set

  • Angle

    • Toward the floor

  • Hand Position

    • Fingers are curved

    • Pick up from large knuckle

    • Play on the pad of the finger

  • Left hand Thumb is at 2 o'clock

  • Home base / Guide Position = B left, C right

  • Adjustable thumb rest ($5)

  • Fingerings

    • Scale dependent (what precedes and comes after)

    • Fingers alternate; don't slide

    • F# trill fingering (don't use as chromatic)

    • Eb is always side zip, not trill fingering

  • Sound production

    • Firm, not tight

    • Tension is evil

  • Tonguing / Articulation

    • Tip of tongue, tip of reed

    • Chin should be still; no change in pitch/timbre

    • Legato first, then staccato

    • Start and stop the sound with the tongue

    • Long vs short notes

    • High notes

    • Multiple articulations (16ths at 120)

• Literature

  • The Clarinet Institute

  • https://tomplay.com

• Maintenance/Cleaning 

  • Mouthpiece (lemon juice, and then rinse in warm water)

• Hearing Protection

  • 85 dB is the threshold (check on iPhone app - National Institution of Occupation Safety and Health - NIOSH)

  • Entymotic