MIRROR

This Clarinet-Now.com page explains the important use of a MIRROR in your practicing. Use it to improve your playing whether you are taking private clarinet lessons or not.

So, if you are looking for free online clarinet lessons, you wish to learn the clarinet online on your own and find all the best tips you possibly can without the help of a clarinet teacher.

Or, you have a clarinet teacher or band director explaining clarinet embouchure, clarinet articulation, correct hand position, etc… and you hope to see or hear more descriptions of them.

Happy Halloween!!!

If you are wondering about that "dirty thumb" on the Halloween video, a week prior to the video I processed black walnuts (with gloves on) and my hands were stained terrible.  The clarinet was not harmed in the making of this video. Make sure you give the video a "thumbs up."

So, what should you do? FIND A MIRROR! Set it up next to your computer and follow the instructions on embouchure, left-hand position or right hand position. Look at the photos and see the correct and incorrect positions and embouchure formations. If you suspect you are doing it wrong, really pay attention to the correct and incorrect photos. See if you can adjust your mouth or fingers to do it right.

THEN, experiment. How is it going? Does it become better or worse? If you are frustrated beyond belief, but really want to do it right, ask your band director, find a clarinet teacher or talk to a clarinetist with more experience than you. If you are in middle school band, ask a high school musician. If you are in high school, ask a college music major.

Get your Mom’s make-up compact and put it on your music stand. Go to the nearest auto parts store and find a "clip-on" sold for sun-visors. Some music stores sell a “music stand mirror.”

Or, best overall, is to find a full-length reflective surface that you can attach to your closet or bedroom door. Set your chair up in front of this likeness and practice away. Watch your hand position or see if your mouth moves every time you change notes.

This helps especially if you work on memorized materials. How about scales, arpeggios and thirds? That’s a good place to start memorizing and watching your finger, hand and embouchure positions.

Also, do not forget your chromatic scale. Watch your hands, listen to how even or uneven your sound is between notes. How is your rhythm? You cannot see rhythm, but you can look at your fingers in places where you are dragging or rushing to figure out what areas in your technique are weak. Are your fingers too high, too low, not near it’s “pinky-key”, not covering the tone holes well, etc…?

By doing this yourself, and improving yourself, you are self-diagnosing. You are learning what the problems and pitfalls of playing clarinet are, and you are doing something about it yourself. Just remember this, having a live private clarinet teacher is still the best. Follow your teacher’s advice and then double-check it in the mirror. They can help you with correcting any problems and you can still reference clarinet-now or any other clarinet resource.

Are you a Chin-Chewing
Clarinet Articulator? Use a Mirror

Yes, do you move your chin while you articulate on clarinet? Many people do this and it is a VERY inefficient use of the clarinet embouchure, chin and tongue.

If you ever really wish to speed up your articulation and have it clean and consistant, DO NOT MOVE THE CHIN! You can read much more about articulation here and how to rid yourself of Chin-Chewing Clarinet Articulator Syndrome (that's all we need is a another syndrome - you heard it hear first on Clarinet-Now.com).

How does the Chin-Chewing Clarinet Articulator benefit from the Mirror page on Clarinet-Now.com? Well, go get it. Go get your Clarinet, NOW! Articulate some quarter notes on an E on the first line of the music staff. Look at your chin in the mirror. Does does the chin chew while you tongue each note? Even the slightest bit is too much. If it in fact does, read more, more, more and more about clarinet articulation right here. Even if it doesn't, click right here.