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Ok, I know Im going to get a dozen people saying "Just practice" Well no gak sherlock been there done that.
I have been playing for two years in the school band, last year I was in the lowest band, this im in the middle, but practicing just dosn't cut it, I need something more.
So I need a little bit of advice.

Try practicing.

Kasrkai wrote:Try practicing.

Simply smash your clarinet at the end of each performance. Claim you are making an artistic statement. Soon you will no longer have to play.

snurl wrote:Simply smash your clarinet at the end of each performance. Claim you are making an artistic statement. Soon you will no longer have to play.

Im 13
Im Broke
My parents would kick my ass (The clarinet is my moms friends and worth over 3000$ as it is older than me and was made in paris by a deaf and blind boy with assburgers syndrome.)

Assburgers
I take it that is processed mule meat on a bun?
These are the sort of moments I thank my lucky vegetarian stars.

Wish I could give some advice based on years of experience.

I am actually quite envious as wish I could play a musical instrument. Once tried to learn the clarinet as part of a music and painting course at Uni. Best I managed was a squeal like Donald Duck being castrated sans anasthetic!

Assburgers is like ADHD Ircc or the cousin of it.
I was kidding about the blind deaf boy.

Well you could always practice.

Put away the sheet music and learn to play the thing. Try playing along with music from the radio, or playing a tune you like from memory. Go try jamming with your local rock band for a session or two.

I think you mean Aspergers Syndrome
It is a form of autism

Could be a good chat up line or way of getting your face slapped.

Do you have Assburgers?
Why no!
Well you have nice buns!

sorry
that doesn't really help with the clarinet

Go after school and get the band teacher to help you. It's embarrassing, it's torturous, and it's well worth it. I played trumpet for 6 years, and the best thing I ever did was ask for help.

Chowderhead wrote:Go after school and get the band teacher to help you. It's embarrassing, it's torturous, and it's well worth it. I played trumpet for 6 years, and the best thing I ever did was ask for help.

Last year this would have been possible, as one teacher was a wind, the other a brass. This year....two brass directors....
I know they could teach me, but it might not be as, well smooth.

@Chibi Wow I feel like a giant dick now. I always thought it was assbergers, thankyou for preventing me in the future of writing an essay about it. Our new sociel studys teacher has two kids, one with ADHD the other with Aspergers, and talking about how smart they both are.

TheWildHost wrote:

Chowderhead wrote:Go after school and get the band teacher to help you. It's embarrassing, it's torturous, and it's well worth it. I played trumpet for 6 years, and the best thing I ever did was ask for help.

Last year this would have been possible, as one teacher was a wind, the other a brass. This year....two brass directors....
I know they could teach me, but it might not be as, well smooth.

@Chibi Wow I feel like a giant dick now. I always thought it was assbergers, thankyou for preventing me in the future of writing an essay about it. Our new sociel studys teacher has two kids, one with ADHD the other with Aspergers, and talking about how smart they both are.

If he teaches band, then he probably knows how to teach clarinet. I know my band teacher played a mean Jazz Trumpet, but he could also do some sobre stuff on the Baritone Sax and some very happy things on the Flute.

Wow kudos to your teacher, that is a tough break for a parent as the conditions could potentially conflict

Sounds like hard work. Good to hear they are smart.
Don't worry about the malapropism btw. easily done.

I understand that the sax is identical to the clarinet so it ought not be a problem
They could also still help with things like breathing, and identify where you may need to improve.

Is still good advice. It shows you are looking to improve which the staff will very likely appreciate.


What sort of music do you listen to?

Yeah,I might on friday( 8th grade band night!) when I have foot ball practice then an hour and a half of time before we get on the busses to go to North Garland high.

The one thing I might be scared of is, not showing to expectations, my band teacher moved me up because the lowest band is 7th period and as is 8th grade athletics,but they might understand.

Thanks for pointing out something that was already an option chowder, you have been a real help.


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Chibi Bodge-Battle wrote:

What sort of music do you listen to?

Linkin park, the fray,the like. Thought I dabble in country (Darn you parents and radio control!)

Ahhh, the clarinet. Quite useful as a duck call when out on the hunt, y'know.

rubiksnoob wrote:Ahhh, the clarinet. Quite useful as a duck call when out on the hunt, y'know.

I would see the Oboe as I slightly easier duck call, plus it is smaller.
As with the clarinet you would have to use the barrel and mouthpiece and need to be very good at chaning your emboucher.

What specific aspect of your playing are you having difficulty with?

Successfully playing a musical instrument is down to the effective marriage of three key elements:

Eyes - Brain - Fingers

If you are expected to sight-read a score and play it simultaneously, you must get these elements working in (pardon the pun) harmony. You read the score, your brain processes it, understands and interprets how it should sound, then your fingers play it. All of this needs to happen simultaneously. Eyes and brain are the most closely-related, the most important, but also the most difficult elements to master. Indeed, doing so can be a life's work. You need to be able to instantly look at a score and just 'know' what the notes on the stave are, which key they're in, the rhythm, etc. To develop one's manual dexterity to a decent playing level is not that difficult, especially If you're not a soloist. No, for an ensemble player, you need to get your sight-reading and ear-training down. It's a constant process that requires lifelong commitment, and you will never be 'finished'.

Welcome to the club.

The good news is that sight-reading and ear-training is two-thirds of the battle. Seriously. If you don't already, try to get some time each week with a piano. Every day is better, but obviously that's not practical for everyone. Play through your intervals, learn to sing them, use a partner to test you on them. Learn to identify chords and scales by ear, and work on your relative pitch. Crack your theory - read up every single day, no excuses. Once you're more confident in your sight-reading, and ear-training, start trying to sing out your parts in the score. This, I think, will help you. It all comes down to theory, with ensemble players.

For pop playing, the three elements are: Ears, Brain, Fingers. Obviously reading music takes a back-seat in pop, but the ear becomes ridiculously important, because that's where you take your cues from in most forms of modern pop group playing. Feel free to PM me for a chat about these, or any other musical issues. And good luck.

I tried clarinet for two years- when I was ten and eleven. I got a private teacher to help (advice #1) and then was so far ahead of everyone else that, well, I kinda switched instruments... TO THE BASSOON!

I'd try it, although in your case it is kinda hard to switch.

So yeah, get a private teacher if you have the funds and time (I mean if your parents do). Hmm... find like minded friends and have jam sessions, practice together, or join even a low level chamber group. I think it might help.

Practice is nice, but only if you know WHAT to practice. Private teachers help with that.

Do you actually have a teacher, or are you trying to learning on your own?

I also pretty much agree with everything Albatross says.

Get a guitar
Nah, I'm no expert on musical instruments, I guess stick with it.

Play the trumpet!!!!

Trumpets iz best.


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You all are a bunch of reedsuckers!!!!........


As you can see I am a bit of a trumpet supremacist. If you could give shape to my ego it would be in the shape of a trumpet.


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TheWildHost wrote:Assburgers is like ADHD Ircc or the cousin of it.
I was kidding about the blind deaf boy.

I don't think it is spelled that way, I think it is more like Aspergers or something like that. BTW, since you are in band, make fun of the football players. I do it all the time. It confuses them .


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rubiksnoob wrote:Ahhh, the clarinet. Quite useful as a duck call when out on the hunt, y'know.

I think, honestly, the most annoying sound I have ever heard is a saxophone or a clarinet player buzzing on their mouthpiece lol.

Errrr. ATM I'm a free safety for the football team

Play a real reed instrument, like the Bagpipe, plus it will put hair on your chest. But on a more helpful note, keep practicing. I have no musical talent and I had to practice an hour a day for 15 years to be good with the pipes. When you practice what do you do? I am assuming there are finger exercises that you can do reps with? If so warm up with them and scales to build you skill and endurance. Try to have quality practice time. Think about what you want to do with that practice. Like do I want to learn a new piece of music or do the scales at a certain tempo? Then work to that goal. Also get in a place where they are no distractions. Practice time should not have a computer or cell phone getting in the way.
It also never hurts to listen to good clarinet music. So listen to some western European art music.
Your band teacher should be able to help you, most public school music teachers should be able to mess around with every instrument in the band. That or direct you to someone who can help. But in the end, there is no substitute for good quality practice. That is just the nature of music.

guardpiper wrote:But on a more helpful note, keep practicing. I have no musical talent and I had to practice an hour a day for 15 years to be good with the pipes.

How can one be good with bagpipes?

Not to hijack the threat, but bagpipes are the Rodney Dangerfield of instruments, we "can't get no respect". But to the OT, just keep at it and you will be surprised at what you can do.

Yea youve just got to keep trying. Talk to your teacher, get some advice from older players and so on. Another thing you could try is looking at different instruments that play like a clarinet, like a bass clarinet or something. I started off playing the Tenor Sax, it was fun but I just didnt feel like it was a fit. So my instructor suggested I try the Baritone Sax, and I fell in love with it. Made a much better player doing that move

TheWildHost wrote:Ok, I know Im going to get a dozen people saying "Just practice" Well no gak sherlock been there done that.
I have been playing for two years in the school band, last year I was in the lowest band, this im in the middle, but practicing just dosn't cut it, I need something more.
So I need a little bit of advice.

Hire an instructor.

Also, some people have talent for certain things, and some people don't. For example, I'm awful at all things art related, but pretty good at academics.