Bass Clarinet – Switching the Right Kids

When to switch students?

The second year of playing seems to be the ideal time to switch students. It can be done at the very beginning of the year or around November, after seeing how students respond to advanced band.

In general, I would not recommend starting a beginner on bass clarinet unless there is an extenuating circumstance. It is also fine to switch older kids as the need of the student or the band program change, just realize it often takes a few months for students to ‘settle in’ to the new instrument.

Two “Requirements” for a switch:

The student must be capable of taking care of an instrument responsibly.

The student must be excited about playing bass clarinet and want to work hard to be successful.

Two “Strong Preferences” for a switch:

The student physically fits the instrument, specifically the finger length. Height can be considered as well, but this can be adjusted for by sitting on books or sitting on two chairs. Remember, students at this age grow quickly, so if a student has a true passion for an instrument, a smaller child can succeed. That’s why this is a strong preference, but not necessarily a requirement.

The student uses massive amounts of air, sometimes to the point of over-blowing their Bb clarinet. However, some students who struggle with the resistance on clarinet thrive on the bass clarinet.

Specific issues that suggest a switch may be beneficial:

The student has long term issues with pitch and response on notes above the staff. This internal voicing problem is detrimental on clarinet, but not on bass clarinet.

The student has an unresolved spread tone, specifically if it results from corners not being firm enough or not gripping their mouthpiece enough. Sometimes the larger mouthpiece and more relaxed embouchure of bass clarinet can be a better fit.

The student has a large lower lip that causes tone or response issues on clarinet. Larger lower lips do not cause a problem on bass clarinet.

Create demand for bass clarinet

I recommend you “recruit” bass clarinet players by having veteran bass clarinetists perform for your beginners. On years where I’ve done this, the beginners are often fighting to play bass clarinet. You can then have ‘tryouts’ where any interested students get a chance to play on it for either a few minutes or a whole class period. They can see if they like it and you can see how they sound. 

If you don’t have an older student that can play well enough to “wow” your beginners, you can show the students your nicest bass clarinet (they seem to be impressed with the size) and play recordings on youtube. You can also talk about what an honor it is to play such an elite and expensive instrument.

Who NOT to switch a student to bass clarinet

Notice that nothing I have mentioned has to do with putting a student on bass clarinet because they can’t hang with the clarinet music. I don’t believe that is a legitimate reason 99% of the time. An exception might be if you have a student that is a responsible and dedicated child who is slower or maybe has special needs and can’t read music well enough to play quickly. In that situation, or in similar unusual circumstances, you may want to consider it.

Bass clarinet certainly shouldn’t be your “go to” for struggling students. As students advance into high school, they will be required to play the same level of music as clarinets for auditions. Do your best to put leaders on bass clarinet just like you would on any other instrument.

Other articles you will like:
Clarinet Deodorant
The First Written Warmup – Beginning Clarinets
4 Clarinet Hacks – Better Clarinets in 30 Seconds

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CLARINET PODCAST & RESOURCE WEBSITE
A 1999 music education graduate of WTAMU, Tamarie Sayger held band director positions in Plano and Odessa, TX for 5 years. As a private clarinet instructor in Texas for 16 years, she has taught hundreds of students from grade 6-12 in classes, sectionals, and individual lessons. Mrs. Sayger has presented at district in-services and co-presented at the Texas Bandmasters Association convention.  Her podcast, Crossing The Break, can be found on iTunes. This website, CrossingTheBreak.com, provides resources for clarinet teachers around the country. 

Podcast 29 The Chromatic Scale (Introduction & First Octave)

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This episode is part of the series “Teaching Beginning Clarinet – Mastering the Middle of the Year.” This episode covers the following aspects of teaching clarinet:

  • Why I love the chromatic
  • Make it a milestone
  • How to start the chromatic (baby steps)
  • Teaching goals of the chromatic

Chromatic Scale First Octave – Outline Notes (print this reminder sheet!)
Print the warm-up (with chromatic exercises) from Episode 28
Episode 24 (Chromatic scale for the intermediate student)
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Podcast 28 The First Written Warm-up

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This episode is part of the series “Teaching Beginning Clarinet – Mastering the Middle of the Year.” This episode includes information on the following aspects of teaching a clarinet:

  • Tonguing & pitch
  • Waterfall variations
  • Descending scale (to low E)
  • Beginning register studies
  • How to start register studies

The First Written Warm-up – Outline Notes (print this reminder sheet!)
The First Written Warm-up (Beginners – Fall) (pdf download to print)
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Closed Facebook group (read guidelines and then request access)
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first written warm-up

Podcast 27 Accountability in Beginning Band

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This episode is part of the series “Teaching Beginning Clarinet – Mastering the Middle of the Year.” This episode includes information on the following aspects of teaching a clarinet:

    • Starting accountability week 1
    • Pass-offs / Play-offs
    • Building Momentum
    • How accountability moves beginners faster

Accountability in Beginning Band – Outline Notes (print this reminder sheet!)
Successful Beginner Band Pass-Offs (link to article)
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Podcast 26 – Practice Tools & Audition Preparation

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This episode is part of the series “6 Weeks to a Better Clarinet Section” which focuses on 2nd-year intermediate clarinet players. This episode includes information on the following aspects of teaching a clarinet to intermediate students:

    • Practice Tools
    • Teaching students how to perform
    • Helping students with audition preparation

Practice Tools & Audition Preparation – Outline Notes (print this reminder sheet!)
Use a Stopwatch, Not a Timer (link to article)
Airplane Mode (link to article)
Setting Goals and Achieving Objectives  (link to article)
Jar of Doom (link to article)
Performance BINGO (link to article)
audition preparation
Reminders for an Awesome Audition (printable copy)
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Podcast 25 Clarinet Warmup & Alternate Fingerings (Intermediate Players)

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This episode is part of the series “6 Weeks to a Better Clarinet Section” which focuses on 2nd-year intermediate clarinet players. This episode includes information on the following aspects of teaching a clarinet warmup to intermediate students:

    • Each part of the intermediate (level 3) clarinet warmup
    • Description of each exercise, its purpose, and what to watch for
    • 3 primary alternate fingerings for intermediate players

Clarinet Warmup & Alternate Fingerings (Intermediate Players) -Outline Notes (print this reminder sheet!)
Warmup #3 (Intermediate – 2nd/3rd year) This is a PDF of the actual warmup.
Clarinet Deodorant (link to article)
4 Rules (pictures of ‘names’ of keys) (link to article)
Clarinet Law of Minimal Motion (link to article)
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Podcast 24 Scales (Chromatic & Fingering Patterns) – Intermediate Clarinets

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This episode is part of the series “6 Weeks to a Better Clarinet Section” which focuses on 2nd-year intermediate clarinet players. This episode includes information on the following aspects of teaching clarinet tonguing with intermediate students:

Sample of fingering reminders:
clarinet chromatic

Sample of how I mark ‘lift 3 fingers’:
img_1791

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Clarinet Deodorant

Tell your clarinets this story about clarinet deodorant:

So, you know how when you’re a little kid, you don’t use deodorant. Then one day you realize that, um, how can I say this nicely.

You stink.

So you tell your Mom, “Mom, I don’t want to stink.”

And your Mom says, “I have the solution! There’s this awesome tool called deodorant. If you use it every day, you won’t stink. If you forget and you don’t do it for a few days. You’ll start stinking again. Remember, if you do it every day you won’t stink.”

There’s something similar to this on clarinet. You are getting older, you’re a more mature clarinet player. It’s time. You need your clarinet deodorant.

Register studies are your clarinet deodorant.
They make you stink less.
Not that you stink now.
(Then wink/smile at the students.)

  • * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This is what clarinet register studies look like:

beginner-band-register-studies-1

Register studies are important for many reasons.

Correct Tongue Position: This is the closest you can get to seeing ‘inside’ a student’s mouth. Having a high tongue position is critical to playing with a good tone and in tune. We can check this on mouthpiece and barrel on younger students, but after the first few months of beginning band you don’t want to have to take off mouthpiece and barrel. Partly because it takes time, but partly because students tend to “fix” their embouchure on mouthpiece and barrel, and then return to bad habits when they put the instrument together. With intermediate players, you want to have them playing with the instrument fully assembled and check their tongue position. Register studies allow you to do that. If a student’s tongue is too low, they won’t be able to get out the altissimo notes, especially at the top of the clarinet range.

Correct embouchure (especially with regard to firmness): If a student doesn’t have the correct embouchure (flat chin, corners forward, correct amount bottom lip etc.) the high notes may not come out. If they are biting or not taking enough mouthpiece, the high notes may not come out. If they are flabby or not anchored on the mouthpiece, the high notes may not come out.

Improve smoothness between registers: These exercises ensure that not only is a student playing all 3 registers (chalumeau, clarion, and altissimo), but they are slurring smoothly between all 3. This helps them control the altissimo and compare the tone of all 3 registers. It also helps them improve the motion of the left thumb as it adds the register key, and the 1st finger as it either lifts or rolls off the 1st hole. (The benefits of lifting/rolling can be discussed in another post. For now, just getting the kids playing register studies is 90% of the battle.)

If the high notes come out but they’re flat, correct the same things as if they aren’t coming out. It is probably a more subtle version of one of these:

  • bring tongue higher/more forward- think eee or hee
  • take more mouthpiece (if it squeaks, it’s too much)
  • point chin down
  • corners forward

For more information, listen to this podcast on Tone/Tuning for intermediate players.

When should clarinets start register studies?
I start my beginners on “beginner registers” around November, “baby registers” around February, and real register studies (pictured above) about March.

Here are examples of beginning band registers and baby registers:

clarinet deodorant

baby-register-1

When I start them on real register studies I start with just A/E/C# and add a new one each week or so – after I go down the row and be sure most of them are having success. In beginning band they should play all 3 notes loudly – lots of air.

Review register studies in September each year and be sure students are playing them daily (similar to brass lip slurs). Encourage them to play them at home to listen for their individual response and tone which can’t be heard in a large group. 

As they get more advanced (3rd year) they should start to try to play f-mf-mp on the 3 notes. This helps them develop control of the altissimo register. As the clarinet players become proficient at playing them and moving smoothly between registers, they should start to sound nice! That’s the goal.
– A resonant rich chalumeau (fortissimo)
– A focused, in-tune clarion (mezzo forte)
– A light, responsive altissimo (piano)

When should clarinets stop register studies?

Never! I played them every day through college and still play them daily. I tell my students if I could choose 1 thing for them to play daily it would be register studies. (If I could pick 2 it would be register studies and the chromatic scale.)

If you’d like more information about my intermediate (2nd year) warmup, subscribe to the CrossingTheBreak podcast on iTunes (free) or keep watching this website. The warm-up episode is coming out in 1 week and there will be a free copy of the full warm-up in the show notes.

For more information on increasing clarinet range, listen to this podcast.

How do you find time to hear clarinet register studies every day?
They only take about 40 seconds.

Obviously, you’ll want to work on them in your sectional/small group/private lesson time. But I also feel they are important enough to add into your band warm-up. I realize they don’t fit in well with most band warm-ups and get in the way of “ensemble skills,” but to me, it’s still worth it.

40 seconds.

You can have them play it with brass as brass play a lip slur (the kids are remarkably unbothered by the sound. Really, the directors are the ones that have to grin and bear it.

40 seconds.

You can also have them alternate with brass lip slurs. The brass play a 2 measure lip slur while the clarinets rest, and then the clarinets play a 2 measure register study (and possibly flutes play octave slurs) while the brass rest.

Those 40 seconds will be worth it to you when 3 weeks before contest your clarinets have good sounds and good tuning.

Here’s to clarinets that don’t stink!

CLARINET PODCAST & RESOURCE WEBSITE
A 1999 music education graduate of WTAMU, Tamarie Sayger held band director positions in Plano and Odessa, TX for 5 years. As a private clarinet instructor in Texas for 16 years, she has taught hundreds of students from grade 6-12 in classes, sectionals, and individual lessons. Mrs. Sayger has presented at district in-services and co-presented at the Texas Bandmasters Association convention. Her website, CrossingTheBreak.com, provides resources for clarinet teachers around the country.  Her podcast, Crossing The Break, can be found on iTunes.

Other articles that may interest you:
Why My Beginning Clarinets Only Need 1/2 Their Instruments the First 6 Weeks of School
4 Clarinet Hacks – Better Clarinets in 30 Seconds

Podcast 23 Increasing Range – Intermediate Clarinets

This is part of the series “6 Weeks to a Better Clarinet Section.” This episode covers the following aspects of teaching clarinet:

  • Stretching from C in staff to high C
  • Reading notes confidently
  • Register Studies
  • Reeds

Increasing Clarinet Range – Outline notes
Note Name B-F (Podcast 10 has instructions)
Note Name F-C (Podcast 10 has instructions)
Note Name Full Range – Key Signatures
Kookaburra (Simple Song in many keys)
Music Theory.net (link)
Register Studies –
registers studies

Podcast 22 Clarinet Tonguing – Intermediate Clarinet

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This episode is part of the series “6 Weeks to a Better Clarinet Section” which focuses on 2nd year intermediate clarinet players. This episode includes information on the following aspects of teaching clarinet tonguing with intermediate students:

  • Tuner Visual Exercise 
  • Baby Registers Progression with Tonguing
  • Scale exercise for style
  • Thirds exercise for multiple objectives
    Tonguing – Intermediate Clarinet -Outline Notes (print this reminder sheet!)
    Thirds Article (pictures and clear descriptions/other objectives)
    Baby Register Studies – Tonguing Progression
clarinet tonguing
This is actually a final tonguing progression. The one I mentioned is to just have students play measures 1,3,5,7. Once they can do that, then we add measures 2,4,6,8. Having to breathe and re-tongue is the most challenging objective. I forgot to mention that in the podcast, so feel free to progress your students as they are ready.

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Sign up for the “new resources” list – I don’t do a weekly newsletter, but send out info when there is something new to share. 🙂