Your start at a glance
- You need
- A Bb clarinet, reeds, cork grease, a swab and tonestro.
- Assembly
- Five parts, from bell to mouthpiece, with a little cork grease.
- First song
- Ten minutes: a band plays, and one or two notes are yours.
- First goal
- Clean note starts with the tongue.
Your plan for the first week
- Day 1: assemble and play
Grease the corks lightly, then join bell, lower joint, upper joint, barrel and mouthpiece with a gentle twist. Moisten the reed, center it on the mouthpiece with its tip in line with the mouthpiece tip, and fasten it gently with the ligature or reed cord. Then add one or two notes to your first song.
- Days 2 and 3: embouchure and angle
Rest your upper teeth on the mouthpiece, let your lower lip cover your lower teeth with the reed resting on it, and close your mouth around the mouthpiece without biting. Hold the clarinet so the bell points toward your knees, neither straight down nor straight ahead, and adjust the angle a little until the tone sounds full.
- Days 4 and 5: tongue each note
Keep the air flowing and touch the reed just below its tip with the tip of your tongue; the note starts when your tongue lets go, as in the syllable "tee". Start four notes in a row this way on one pitch, then on the next.
- Days 6 and 7: a whole song
Choose an easy song with few notes, such as Hot Cross Buns, and set it to 60 percent speed until every note starts cleanly. Move on when a step feels secure, at your own pace.
Beginner mistakes, and how to fix them
- Bending the bridge key
When you join the upper and lower joints, a small lever has to pass over its partner. Push them together carelessly and it bends, and the low notes stop sounding cleanly.
What helps: Hold the upper joint so your fingers press its rings; on most clarinets, that lifts the lever. Then line up the two levers and twist the joints together.
- Puffed cheeks
Air collecting in your cheeks loosens the embouchure, and the tone turns unsteady.
What helps: Shape your mouth as if saying "ee" and keep your cheeks flat. Check them in a mirror now and then.
- The thumb slipping off its hole
For the upper register, your left thumb has to cover its hole and press the register key at the same time. Beginners often slide the thumb off the hole, and a different note comes out.
What helps: Roll the thumb up slightly, so it touches the register key while still covering the hole. tonestro shows you right away when a different note sounded.
Easy songs for your first week
Choose songs with few notes. You'll find these among tonestro's 63 easy clarinet songs:
- Hot Cross Buns
- Where Did You Sleep Last Night
- Aquarium
- Happy Birthday
- Old MacDonald Had a Farm
- Ode to Joy
Beginner questions
Why do written G4 to Bb4 sound thinner than other notes?
These written notes sit at the top of the low register, and only a few holes are closed for them. That is why they often sound a little thinner than their neighbors, and that is normal. Where the next step lies: Is the clarinet hard to learn?
Why does my clarinet sound flat at first?
A cold clarinet plays flat until your breath has warmed it. If yours is wooden and cold, warm it in your hands for a few minutes before you play, so your warm breath doesn't hit cold wood.
Can I use saxophone reeds on a clarinet?
No. Clarinet reeds are narrower and cut for the clarinet mouthpiece; alto and tenor saxophone reeds are wider. German-system clarinets usually play German-cut reeds; what counts is that the reed fits your mouthpiece.
What is cork grease for?
It keeps the corks supple, so the parts slide together without force. A thin layer is enough.
Updated: