Top 10 Mistakes Clarinet Players Make (And How to Fix Them!)

[@SueKent-ti7nl]

Thank you for this great video! I learned so much! I was making several of the mistakes that you highlighted.

[@GregoryAgid]

Happy to help! Happy practicing!

[@SueKent-ti7nl]

Thank you for this info! I now realize ive been doing several things incorrectly. Your video made it easy

[@GregoryAgid]

Great to hear this helped!

[@edoardodibenedetto2926]

Hello Greg, I've just met you on the web. You made my day. I found your video a paramount master class. Thank you very much. I'm going to follow you on KZbin

[@GregoryAgid]

Great to meet you and happy to help you on your clarinet journey. Happy Practicing.

[@thalestrez7481]

Great content! Great approach! Great help! Thanks a lot!

[@GregoryAgid]

You're very welcome!

[@SwissHippoDesign]

Brilliant! Many of these things had an immediate improvement in my playing. Some of your other videos are on a level much higher than I am playing and this was refreshing straight forward. Thank you!

[@GregoryAgid]

Glad to hear these suggestions were able to help you on your journey! Thanks for leaving a comment. Catch you soon!

[@AndreaCareless]

Practise slowly -- yes! I was surprised to learn about reeds: placement on the mouthpiece (what?!!!) , rotating them, and strength. Thank you!

[@GregoryAgid]

Glad you found that helpful!

[@GeoffreyGriffiths-m8w]

Love these comments really useful. Have plaid for 60 years but can still get some important lessons from your observations.

[@GregoryAgid]

We are always learning no matter how long we've been playing! Thanks for stopping by.

[@bmwcoupefan9863]

Absolutely agree. Superb explained, especially "practice slow"

[@GregoryAgid]

Slow practice is a super power!

[@abvolate_]

The tips about embouchure and tongue placement helped me improve immediately as a beginner. Thank you so much 🤘

[@GregoryAgid]

Great to hear! Thanks for watching.

[@rick72035]

Great video. Super helpful.

[@GregoryAgid]

@@rick72035 🙌🙌🙌thank you

[@KeithWagner8]

Thanks so much for this video. I really needed to hear some of these tips!

[@GregoryAgid]

You got it! Glad this was helpful!

[@saldrich3226]

Chapters are great. Specific titles, even better. Less likely to come back for a specific chapter if I have to hunt for it each time. Love your vids. Keep the awesomeness coming!

[@GregoryAgid]

I appreciate that! I always try to make the videos as clear and helpful as possible.

[@saldrich3226]

@ You’re welcome! I really enjoy your playing and your lessons on embouchure were great. Played sax professionally for decades. Rarely got to play clarinet because I couldn’t afford to give up paying gigs to play in a big band. Getting back into jazz and working on my doubles. I’m taking your advice to heart.

[@glenntomassi3442]

Very good! Thank you!

[@GregoryAgid]

Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@lillianhusbymelien5471]

Wow! What a good video! All your «mistakes» I am now aware of, and there is a lot to relearn. My most wrong way of practicing and playing is impatience.

[@GregoryAgid]

Thank you for watching!

[@musicbyfriendsforfriends3311]

Great reminders for those is us who have been playing the “agony pipe” for a while. Thank you.

[@GregoryAgid]

LOL, AGONY pipe!

[@darrenparkes9805]

Excellent, really learning a lot from you’re videos much appreciated, I’m daz from Australia,

[@GregoryAgid]

Thank you Daz! Glad you’re finding them helpful.

[@hiflyer53qwc]

Many thanks for your help

[@GregoryAgid]

Thanks for watching

[@GregoryAgid]

And commenting!

[@tracyolivermusic]

Good list! What do you think about engaging the upper lip. Pulling the upper lip down to help raise the soft palette to focus the air stream into the mouthpiece.

[@GregoryAgid]

Are you talking about playing double lip? I have noticed that playing double lip gets warmer air. I try to play with that air using the single lip embouchure.

[@tracyolivermusic]

@@GregoryAgid no I have played it as a corrective measure to biting. But single lip is my normal approach. I have noticed a difference in my sound after going back to single lip because my upper lip “feels” like it is pulled down toward the mouthpiece.

[@lyndafoster9437]

That’s a great list. Thank you. I am going to work on those. ❤

[@GregoryAgid]

@@lyndafoster9437 Thank you, Lynda!

[@toddmarcusjazz]

I think the top 10 mistake we make as clarinet players, is playing the clarinet.

[@GregoryAgid]

… dude… I could make such dark top 10 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@toddmarcusjazz]

@@GregoryAgid I think you've stumbled on the topic for your next video!

[@christophedunglas7264]

Que de bons conseils. Merci Gregory.

[@GregoryAgid]

Thank you!

[@bettinadr.rohrbach3288]

Dear Mr. Agid, I‘be been learning for one year , still Platin in the calmeau Register for me it was rhe wisest advice take your time and practive slowly and relax. I’ m always too ambitous .Thank you and greetings from East Germany

[@GregoryAgid]

Too ambitious! 😂😂 I hear that. I just started playing flute so I can relate to your ambition and frustration. Slow and steady wins the race. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@BenPegis]

Thank you so much on a great lesson. How can I compensate you for all that you do. I do subscribe

[@GregoryAgid]

Much appreciated! Thanks for watching and supporting Ben! I just got a super like button on my KZbin channel. Hope to have more offerings in the future. Thank you for supporting!

[@MyBailey777]

Man, was this helpful! Lots of light bulbs are illuminated.

[@GregoryAgid]

Amazing! So happy to hear this. Thank you for watching and commenting.

[@emanuelagollin4718]

Thank you for this video. Definitely need to learn to practice slooower. I know it might be too much to ask but I wonder if could you suggest few clarinet players of different styles. Thank you.

[@thomasfrasca7949]

AWESOME VIDEO > All good htings to remember

[@GregoryAgid]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@valdemarpultz9278]

thanks!!

[@GregoryAgid]

💯💯

[@jan4052]

Thanks for this. I am self-taught and have been playing for about 2 years and don't like how I sound. I took two things from your video - rotating my reeds and breathing from my diaphragm. I believe I already sound better. Great video.

[@GregoryAgid]

@@jan4052congrats on your two year journey. Glad I was able to lend some helpful advice. Happy practicing.

[@auvillars]

thanks for the advice, i agree with you, and i think n°2 and 1 very important

[@GregoryAgid]

Thank you for watching! 💯💯

[@joenremmer]

Guilty! In some of the charges at least 😅 and unfortunetaly in charge #1, I repeatedly crash and burn from practicing too fast. It takes a massive mindshift to become addicted to s-l-o-w practice rather than fast. Here's one to the list: Trying ro take all the air in on the upbeat of the phrase. Why not exploit the breaks between phrases to breath in over several beats, to really fill the bottom of your tank? Thanks again Gregory, your videos are a great support!

[@mikesaxclar]

Yep, pretty much agree with your list, the only thing I'd add or swap out is fly away fingers.

[@GregoryAgid]

Flying fingers is definitely a thing! 🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅

[@marleysantos399]

Good afternoon. What Vandoren reed size do you recommend for the Vandoren B45 mouthpiece?

[@GregoryAgid]

2.5, 3, or 3.5

[@pmwizard48]

I also use Legere synth reeds.. I have 4 of the reeds that I rotate.

[@GregoryAgid]

I do the same but with 5 reeds! They are the best!

[@bentelutzer3271]

Very good, but I need something about to attacking tha Reed when playing

[@GregoryAgid]

Don't attack it! Release it!

[@thuanbinh148]

Can i use alto saxophone reed to play clarinet ? It vardoren 2.5 blue stick ? I feel uncomfortable when i play note B or C sound break, hope you reply

[@GregoryAgid]

@@thuanbinh148 alto sax reed is too big for Bb clarinet…. 🤷‍♂️

[@thuanbinh148]

@GregoryAgid yeah thanks you

[@tangangelia]

usually i mostly see people look down trying to see the keys. and most people dont even know the register exists

[@GregoryAgid]

Looking down at the keys is certainly a huge mistake! Look at the music! LOL

[@tangangelia]

​@@GregoryAgidLooking down makes the pitch sound different lol, and that as well it makes a good point look forward

[@TerranceMahoney-c1j]

"Benny G" would be proud of you!

[@GregoryAgid]

Heyyyyy! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@lawrencetaylor4101]

I must have really fallen down the music theory Rabbit Hole since I'm watching a clarinet player talking about mistakes. I was almost surprised at the Number 10 mistake. I thought a woodwind player would know how to breathe. Almost surprised. I was a manual therapist in Western Switzerland for over 30 years. And I had to talk about breathing with almost every patient since it was evident that people had no idea about diaphragmatic breathing. The diaphragm also attaches onto the Dorso-lumbar transitional vertebrae, and there were many missed diagnoses of a D/L problems that weren' treated properly. Which brings me to talk about the low backj, and there is often an instability that prevents people from strengthening the gluteal and abdominal muscles. I've made a video about these exercises , and they take 30 seconds a day. But you have to take the 30 seconds every day to do them. "Oh My Aching Bach" I also worked with French speaking people, and the French language is difficult to explain breathing. I only learned about music after 65 years of age when I learned the piano. But I had a good friend who was a percussionist at our university. I saw him on a Saturday at breakfast and asked him what he was doing. He explained that Lionol Hampton was giving a seminar for the day. I saw him at noon and asked him what he had been learning. He said that they had learned breathing exercises all morning! Percussionists are the athletes of musical instruments since they use their whole body, and need oxygen. A direct quote from a piano professor at our Conservatory, when I had to tell him about breathing. "I thoght that breathing exercises were for clarinet players and other horn players" But he found that it helped a lot to breathe. Merci beaucoup for the video.

[@GregoryAgid]

Thank you so much for this amazing comment and insight. Breathing is very often not taught until later in your playing career. You also have to be lucky to have a teacher who will bring this up in a lesson. I was teaching some 3rd graders the other day and asked them to take a deep breath and they all scrunched up their shoulders and moved quite a lot. Seems to me this is a habit we carry with us from 3rd grade or so, mimicking cartoons or other media. Breathing is the essence of life. All life exists in the breath. Crazy to think as humans we need to learn to breathe. Maybe we are just remembering how to breathe. Thanks so much for watching! Catch you soon.

[@mikeharris896]

Ok ‘I’ll have a Crack at this. Not twisting when assembling. Not applying cork grease. Not cleaning inside after use. Not wetting reed before assembly, not using mouthpiece cover when not in use. Not cleaning outer body. Not lining up various parts on assembly, blowing too hard, using incorrect reed for skill level. Wrong mouth shape.

[@GregoryAgid]

Oh yea! These are really good! I often play with too much air.. I just want to be heard sometimes 🤷‍♂️

[@antoniosantorini9355]

Get rid of your eyeglass frames

[@thurmar2010]

Thank you, great video!

[@GregoryAgid]

Glad you liked it!