Clarinet Techniques

To all carinet players:

I know this has nothing to do with composing, but I have been playing the clarinet for about 8 1/2 years. Even after all my experience playing I can't play fast music very well.(or at least get it learned quickly enough) Is there a way I can get better at playing fast? I even practice playing quickly, but I don't see an improvement. In band we are going to play "Variants on A Mediaeval Tune" and I can't play some parts up to tempo. All my private teacher has told me to do is to keep praticing. It drives me nuts when I see people that don't practice and can play faster than me. There has got to be some clarinet exercise I can do.

Thanks for any help

I alwas practise fast passages with a metronome, start off slow, and increase the tempo when I can play it correctly until I have reached the desired tempo. It has a lot to do with talent, sight-reading skills, technique (small movements with the fingers), and a whole s*** load of practise. Remember; practising is the key to success!

I practise all fast parts slow first, then faster, and also try to fing alternative (faster) ways to play something. If i practice alot i learn a fast piece to perfection, sometimes i do the from-slow-to-fast thing eirik does, but not always.

Thanks guys,

That's what I do, but I have trouble getting it fast. I know I'm not talented in fast playing department, and that bothers me. My sight reading skills are also bad, but that's hard to fix.

You should buy a book on sight reading, or pick up one of your old clarinet etude books. Practise sight-reading the pieces. I'm sure you'll improve your sight-reading right away.

If you just can't do those fast passages, there are lots of tricks you can use to "cheat" them. Very fast cromatic ones, for example, are most often for the effect only, which means the first and the last tones are most important. What comes in between is not that important. You can also leave some tones out and just play the ones coming on the beat.

I'll admit I used those cheating techniques once in the Symphony Orchestra. My part doubled the principal clarinet part, so I let him play the passage, while I skipped the "unimportant" notes. Nobody noticed :thumbsup:

there are lots of tricks you can use to "cheat" them.

Don't worry, I know all the tricks...at least most of them...some of them... ok, a few...but I taught myself the tricks...well, my private teacher helped me with some...most of them...fine, I picked most of them up from other kids. :P Anyways, I use them amost everyday in band, but I try to use them less and less. :)

Hey, that old etudes book, I still use that old etudes book. They use it from IMEA anyways.

Thanks for the help everyone.

I know this is old, but I wanna say something on sightreading.

A lot of people think of sightreading as a skill that takes a long time to develop, but really its fairly easy (at least it was for me).

Just sightread out of books, about 10 mins or so a day. Focus, go over the basics (key signature, time signature, tempo, key changes, tempo changes, meter changes) before playing, and check for accidentals.

Also, study some basic rythms. If a particular one shows up a lot, memorize exactly how it goes. Also, memorize ones that give you trouble, and be able to recognize them.

Start by giving yourself a minute or so to look over it, but gradually decrease that time, and see if you make progress.

Also, learn different styles too. Sightread a few random pieces a day. Pick up an etude book, or a solo book, and just flip through and play a few pieces of different styles.

I begin every practice session by first, warming up with some scales and exercises, then sightreading a few etudes/chorales, both to develop technique and tone.

When it comes to playing fast, work on scales, and learn to play them by blazing through them, by gradually increasing speed until you are up to a good pace.

Also, work on chromatics. Play short chromatic passages, i.e (C, C#, D, D#, E) at high speeds, in short bursts, and continue up the scale until you can play the entire chromatic scale at a good speed.

Also, reduce the space between your fingertips and the keys when not being pressed as much as possible, and relax, it will make quick playing much easier.

Thats a really good tip. Thank you!