i am a beginner...i am going to do self taught and maybe some tips from mom here and there..but generally teaching my self...is anyone her self taught?
or are most of you in a band or go to lessons?sorry for the curiosty,but i am wondering if i should get lessons or just stick with my plan to be self taught with beginner clarinet books or get lessons(nowadays lessons are quite pricey,where i live)

Hi, I`m also self-taught. I`ve been playing clarinet for 3 years now and I am the principal clarinetist of the youth symphony orchestra in our city. I used to have a lot of small technique problems, but when I practiced, I did sort of a trial-and-error thing and just figured things out for myself. I used to want a teacher, but then when I saw that I was able to get by a few thresholds myself without any advice, I decided that I might be ok without one. Everyone is different and if you`re more of a dependent person who likes getting things right the first time without much work, I`d say go for the teacher...but if you like figuring things out for yourself, a teacher is not essential at all. Good luck!

cool!ya i am more of a figure things out myself kinda person...thanx for replying.i am playing the Bb clarinet.what kind of clarinet do you play?

I play a really really really old B flat wooden Selmer Signet that belonged to my grandfather..it hasn`t even really been restored or anything, and it sounds great. Is your clarinet wooden or plastic?

hi,

mine is wooden.i can`t remember what exact brand mine is.i guess i can ask when i get it back from the repair shop.by any chance do know where i can get a song called "GREEN SLEEVES" on the internet.my mom played it whe n she was playing and said it was a good song to start with.

Yes, I`ve heard of Greensleeves, it also goes by the name "What Child is This?"...it is a good song to start with.

I had lessons for one year, when I was in the fifth grade. Since my school decided to screw me over, I didn`t get taught anything until I got into high school. Once I got there, I was tired of sucking, and I taught myself everything else. In the 9th grade, I was 7th out of 11 clarinets, and the next year, I got to 3rd out of 14. Woo....

Well I taught myself how to play as well. I`m the best clarinetist in the school. If you`re going to learn by yourself then you would have to be very dedicated.

I`m fed up of people using this site to say stuf like "I`m so good at this, that and the other." The fact of the matter is: no one cares! Shut up!

well someone cares or there wouldnt be anything on this screen!!!!!

in grade 6, we had band class, just learning out of the red book of standards for excellent, or something like that. And after that, if you wanted to be in band you had to self teach yourself the rest. I never had lessons, so you can say i`m like semi-self taught. this is my third year playing and i think im doing pretty good.

bye, clarinets rock

Jessica

For those people asking for Greensleeves, here are the notes
Verse
A C D E F# E D B G A B C A A G# A B G# E
A C D E F# E D B G A B C B A G# F# G# A A
Chorus
G(natural)G F# E D B G A B C A A G# A B G# E
G(natural)G F# E D B G A B C B A G# F# G# A A
In 6/8 time.
Rhythm: Verse
quaver|crotchet quaver, dotted quaver, semiquaver, quaver|crotchet quaver, dotted quaver, semiquaver, quaver|crotchet quaver, dotted quaver, semiquaver, quaver|crotchet quaver, crotchet quaver|crotchet quaver, dotted quaver, semiquaver, quaver|crotchet quaver, dotted quaver, semiquaver,quaver|dotted quaver, semiquaver,qauver,dotted quaver, semiquaver,qauver|dotted crotchet, dotted crotchet|
:Chorus
Dotted crotchet, dotted quaver, semiquaver,qauver|crotchet quaver, dotted quaver, semiquaver,qauver|crotchet quaver,dotted quaver, semiquaver,qauver| crotchet quaver, dotted crotchet| Dotted crotchet, dotted quaver, semiquaver,qauver|crotchet quaver, dotted quaver, semiquaver,qauver|dotted quaver, semiquaver,qauver, dotted quaver, semiquaver,qauver|dotted crotchet, dotted crotchet||
You can transfer that to music notes yourself. If you have learnt the American rather than European way of reading rhythms, here is how to convert
Breve= Double Whole Note
SemiBreve= Whole Note
Minim= Half Note
Crotchet= Quarter Note
Quaver= Eighth Note
Semiquaver= 16th note
Demisemiquaver= 32nd note
Hemidemisemiquaver= 64th note=nightmare
Semihemidemisemiqauver (these things apparently do exist, although I`ve never seen one, and my notation software doesn`t allow for them)= 128th note= HOW IN GOD`S NAME ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO PLAY THIS FAST!!!!!!!
I hope this helps

hey!! i`ve been playing for 6 years and our school kinda did the same thing that JazzyJessica`s did. we started with that red book Standards of Excellence and also a book called Rythm and Technique. We didnt really have a good band teacher so if we wanted to do well we had to do some outside learning or get a tutor. I`m not rich enough to afford a tutor so i just kinda self taught myself...it worked ok because i`m doing alright in the band i`m in now, but i do know that those who got tutors are first chairs and play really well...they know more about the technique of playing instead of just the notes and they understand the dynamics and style better as well...it`s cool to self teach, but if you really want to take it seriously and get a scholarship or something, try getting a tutor even if only for a few lessons. i`m sure they could help you a bit!!

Everyone needs a teacher if they plan to be serious about music. Learning an instrument requires a lot of knowledge that you really need to learn from someone. "Trial and Error" never really works. You might be able to get by with it, but you won`t be playing correctly. I had months where I didn`t have a teacher last year since I stopped going to my last one, and I formed habits that are now taking quite a while to break that in the long run would`ve hindered my articulation, tone, intonation and the quality of sound when I cross intervals etc.

Since everyone is probably going to think "well I`m principal of this, I`m principal of that" but if you`ve never had a teacher, how would you know which is better?

The fact is getting lessons just works- look on clarinetist`s biographies and you will see "studied with so and so", "his/her principal teachers were", and so on. The only self-taught clarinetist I know of is Acker Bilk, and most actual clarinetist players respect the fact that he is self taught, but do not like his playing. Either way- what are the chances that you`re going to be the only self taught clarinetist out of hundreds of thousands who go on to any level of artistry.

And since everyone is tooting their own horn....
I study clarinet performance a high school conservatory considered to be one of the best in the nation.
I`m principal of my youth symphony and was for the previous season as well.
I`m rotating 2nd clarinetist of the Ars Flores Symphony Orchestra and I get paid 40% of union wages when I perform with them.
I`ll stop here, but anyway, I wouldn`t have achieved anything I have without the guidance of my teachers.

Hi all Im an adult learner and i have been learning the piano for 5 years and boy Im finding it very difficult in becoming a good pianist.
Im thinking of the idea of learning to play clarinet,does anybody have any idea how long it takes to become a fairly good player at the clarinet and in terms of difficulty how do you compare it to learning the piano?

regards,
Daz