Clarinet Handbook

Clarinet
Handbook
Clarinet
Instrument Assembly:
(Put reed in mouth so its wet when the clarinet is assembled.)
Put lower joint and bell together.
o Twisting motion.
o Left hand on lower joint, wrapped around the lower half where there is less
metal.
Put upper joint and lower joint together.
o Watch out for the bridge keys!
o Left hand wrapped around upper joint with fingers over the tone holes to lift
the bridge key up.
o Right hand on lower half of the lower joint.
o Twist in small motions to prevent bridge key damage.
Put barrel on the upper joint-twist.*
Put mouthpiece on the barrel-twist.
o Have the ligature and reed off.
Put ligature on mouthpiece paying attention to which way the screws face depending
on what kind of ligature it is.**
Reed assembly:
o Slide the [wet] reed down (flat side down) between the mouthpiece and the
ligature. Line it up so that the tip of the reed doesn't go above the tip of the
mouthpiece. Test: Press the reed down, there should be a thin black line seen
through the reed at the top if assembled correctly.
o If the mouthpiece has lines on it, slide the ligature down until the top of the
ligature is below the top line of the mouthpiece. If the mouthpiece doesn't have
lines, slide the ligature down to the point where the top of the ligature is about
2mm below where the slant changes on the back of the mouthpiece. The
ligature screws should be tightened securely enough to keep the reed from
slipping, but not so tight that they are difficult to unfasten.
Disassemble the clarinet backwards from the assembly process.
*For younger students, its often helpful to assemble the reed/ligature/
mouthpiece/barrel and then connect that to the rest of the clarinet body. This way they
can see the reed lining up with the mouthpiece as the clarinet might be too tall.
**For younger students, the reed should go on after the ligature has been put on the
mouthpiece to prevent chipping the reed. This process may change after the clarinetist
gains experience.
Embouchure:
Put clarinet mouthpiece in mouth so the reed is the side nearest the tongue.
The top teeth will touch the mouthpiece about 1-1.5cms from the tip.*
Roll the bottom lip over the bottom teeth so that your teeth are just past the main
meaty part of the lip (aka not too much) and the chin should be snug/pointed.
o Say Hey sonny! like an old person that has no teeth.
o Pretend like youre putting on lipstick and this will flatten the chin and
prevent problems later on.
Close lips around the mouthpiece, taking in about of the reed, to form a tight seal so
that no air escapes except into the mouthpiece but dont squeeze too hard.
Common errors:
o Squeezing too much which causes squeaking.
o Puffing the cheeks out.
o Rolling the top lip over the top teeth.
o Smiling too much and breaking the seal which allows air to escape around
the mouthpiece which creates a hissing sound.
*Experimentation is always welcome to find what placement works best for each
individual player.
Hand position:
Always keep hands/fingers curved and relaxed.

Left hand on top, with thumb on the hole on the back of the clarinet. The pointer,
middle, and ring finger will go over the top 3 tone holes and the pinky will hover over
the pinky keys on the left side.
Right hand on bottom with the thumb rest resting on the thumb between the nail and
the knuckle. [This is the main support of the instrument i.e. dont try to support the
instrument with the other fingers.] The pointer, middle, and ring finger will then go
over the remaining tone holes with the pinky hovering over its pinky keys on the
right side.
When not covering tone holes, fingers should always hover over the holes which
allows for quick covering and uncovering.
When covering the tone holes, the pads of the fingers should be used, not the tips. If
pressed in, the holes should leave a circular imprint on the fingers.
Key mechanisms:
With the exception of one, each tone hole has a ring around it which is depressed
when the tone hole is covered. This closes/opens other holes on the clarinet.
Most clarinets do not have roller keys however some do, mostly over in Germany and
other parts of the world. The Boehm system does not and that is the most popular.
There are many opportunities for alternate fingerings on the clarinet.
o Different combinations of pinky keys allow for switching between those notes
by alternating left and right sides.
o There are fork (or sliver or banana) keys that allow for quick movement
chromatically and trilling and they are located in between the tone holes.
Holding position:
Mouthpiece/clarinet should point relatively downward (unlike other instruments),

about 30 from the body.
Sometimes a neck strap may be used to prevent pain in the hands and wrists.
Articulation:
Articulation on the clarinet is simply the interruption of air by the tongue. To do this,
the tongue lightly touches the tip of itself to the tip of the reed. This stop the vibration
of the reed which creates the sound without stopping the air flow.
Common problems are stopping the air flow to create the separation, anchor tonguing
which is touching the middle of the tongue to the reed, or touching the tongue to the
roof of the mouth to create the separation.
Use the syllables too or doo to emulate the action of tonguing.
Tuning:
Clarinets should generally tune to a concert A (B natural on clarinet) and it should be

B4, the B in the middle of the treble clef staff.
When physically adjustment of the instrument is needed to tune, the barrel can be
slightly pushed in and out from the upper joint.
Eventually, as the clarinetist gains experience, the clarinet can be tune mostly by
adjustment of the embouchure i.e. dropping/raising the jaw or manipulating the oral
cavity. Each note reacts differently so this knowledge will come with time.
Vibrato:
For the most part, clarinets do not use vibrato however in some places they do. But
for classical music, the clear tone of the clarinet does not need the addition of vibrato.
There are certain times however that it can be used and this is either for
ornamenting small figures in classical music or in jazz to create that signature jazz
clarinet sound.
To play with vibrato, move the jaw up and down in a wah-ooo motion.
Care:
After playing, the clarinet should be run through with a swab and this should be done
twice.
o The mouthpiece shouldnt be swabbed.
o Cloth swabs are better than felt swabs as they are less likely to get caught in
the instrument or lose portions of the felt inside it.
Clarinets should always be stored somewhere that it neither too hot nor cold. I.e.
dont leave clarinets in cars for long periods of time.
o Additionally, abrupt changes in temperature are not good for clarinets
because the quick expansion/shrinking of the wood can cause cracks in the
instrument, debilitating its ability to play.
Reeds should be stored in reed cases, preferably not the ones they come in. A case
that keeps a reed flat will keep it from warping and allow it to be used longer.
Dont play with chipped reeds or reeds that have started to change color (mold).
Cork grease can be used on the corks when the parts become difficult to put together
or when the corks squeak. For younger players, use a finger to transfer the cork
grease from the container to the clarinet. This will prevent unnecessary messes.
DO NOT EVER wash the clarinet or submerge it in water. If needed, use a dry q-tip to
remove any gunk from the mouthpiece/barrel/between keys.
Equipment choices:
For beginning, young clarinetists, a plastic clarinet is a good start. They are not as
expensive as wood clarinets and are less fragile.
When a clarinetist is looking to upgrade, a wood clarinet is a must. Buffet, Yamaha,
and Selmer are almost always reliable brands.
Make sure when purchasing a clarinet that it is a Bb soprano clarinet as the A
clarinet is fairly close in size but sounds a step lower than the Bb.
For reeds, good beginning brands are Rico, La Voz, and Mitchell Lurie. Start young
players out on strength 2 reeds and they can move up as theyre embouchure
strengthens. For more experienced players, Mitchell Lurie and Vandoren are
excellent reed brands.
Recommended mouthpiece: Vandoren M13 lyre.
Recommended ligature: Bonade/inverted ligature.

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Clarinet

Always keep hands/fingers curved and relaxed.

Mouthpiece/clarinet should point relatively downward (unlike other instruments),

Clarinets should generally tune to a concert A (B natural on clarinet) and it should be

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