How's Your Hand & Finger Position? Tips for Clarinet Players

[@omusicoautodidata]

Good morning! I'm Watching from Brazil. I loving studying with you KZbin Channel! ❤❤🎉🎉🎉

[@callyclarinet]

Thank you!

[@T.H.W.O.T.H]

I always found the Lelevre studies really tedious, but you made it sound almost like music! 🤓

[@callyclarinet]

HAHAHA thank you, I totally get it. Perhaps I like them because they are longer than finger exercises, shorter than vade Mecum or opperman studies, and a little more interesting than plain scale studies!

[@jeffreyprice453]

Sometimes for my clarinet hand position, I break down a small portion of a piece and think of that as one fluid motion. Sort of like a tennis player or golf swing that has a cause and effect. So on the exercise you had the last 16th of a measure going down to the first note in the next measure and then back up again. And I sort of think of that as a total swing… or even a word or sentence like a word “ricochet” in my head or I think of something that I have to connect it 123. That way, I can also adjust my hands and make sure I don’t have the various hand position issues you were talking about. Speaking of hand position. I laughed because we can’t have inverted knuckles on our normal keys, but we do use our knuckles when we play the “a” key. Then you had the pinkies working just so on the appropriate keys without too much pressure. My head couldn’t help but spinning through a possible dad joke creation. If I was in the mob, “hey, Knuckles” “hey, Pinky ” we have a job for you. They responded “no problem, boss. We’ll take care of it.” Then having to correct them to say “no, not that kind of job.”

[@callyclarinet]

That's a great way to think about it as one fluid motion. Kind of like putting sounds together to form words and sentences when we speak. It's a lot easier to think of it as one full "swing."

[@pL3Ym0b1L]

4:06 b flat WIND 😮

[@kamytion]

Thank you so much for your incredibly helpful video! Your tips have really improved my clarinet playing. I was wondering if you could offer some advice on right-hand position and fingering, especially when switching between low Ab (G#) and A natural. I find it challenging to move my ring and pinky fingers simultaneously, and often, the sound of G natural comes out in between. Any tips or exercises to make this transition smoother would be greatly appreciated!

[@alikachantavy]

Not a big deal, but the top notes in the 5th system, 2nd measure should have been moved down from the previous measure. But you played it correctly (of course)! I did find the exercise beneficial for my fingers and crossing the break.

[@callyclarinet]

Oh, thanks so much for mentioning that in the comment section here!

[@stanalama1166]

Thanks, another clear and helpful video! My least favorite key is the throat G#-- unlike the throat A, to play it I find I have to lower (or rotate) my wrist, which pulls all the fingers away from the left-hand tone holes and sometimes makes it awkward to get them back in proper position quickly. Do you have any advice on doing this better?

[@callyclarinet]

Jean Jean's book "Vade Mecum" helped me become more agile in the left hand!