Conductors Hate Him! Learn how this man made playing clarinet easier with this one simple trick!

Flexing with that circular breathing

Keeping the right hand down over the register was something I learned as a basic technique in middle school. So glad to see that it come up again in more difficult music

@valeriegalliano3648

4 жыл бұрын

same

@adityabharadwaj2031

4 жыл бұрын

I recognize your name. Are you from LHS Wind Ensemble?

@x0cx102

4 жыл бұрын

@@adityabharadwaj2031 Yes, what a surprise! How do you know? Are you from LHS WE too? I think I recognize your name as well

@minnesceongo

4 жыл бұрын

Yup...one of the early Baermann books has a symbol and a line above the passage when you're supposed to keep the right hand down. I find that if there's an F# if I raise all the fingers except for the RH pinky it sounds fine and still gives me the advantage of having the hand in place.

Thanks Mike holding down the right hand and dropping notes are such important concepts.

Jeez, this is a fun piece. I am in 8th grade and I have been working on it for about 30 minutes and I'm at bar 24. Even playing down tempo is fun.

Yes! You're a life saver. I've been playing bass 2yrs (started Bb clarinet in 5th grade started bass in 7th grade) and just started highschool band last week! Literally everything me and the other bass clainet person has to play is over the break. I'll have to tell him about this! Thanks!!

Literally screaming rn.. that would have been so helpful for my senior recital...

@whoitisnot

4 жыл бұрын

Wow. I'm sorry to say but your teacher really let you down. This is a pretty basic technique.

@nerdgomez1

4 жыл бұрын

@@whoitisnot I'm self-taught, but yeah I let myself down.

@whoitisnot

4 жыл бұрын

@@nerdgomez1 I've never heard of someone having a senior recital and being self taught. Usually that's part of a degree program. Not everywhere I guess?

@nerdgomez1

4 жыл бұрын

Oh for sure.. But for high school senior recitals I think the majority are self taught or learn overtime 😅

@mdickinson

3 жыл бұрын

@@nerdgomez1 I, too, have never heard of a musician playing a senior recital who wasn't studying (taking private lessons). If you were able to put together an entire recital of music without long term guidance from a teacher, that is very impressive - a rare accomplishment indeed. But I have to wonder whether your performance and preparation wouldn't have been more effective if you had been taking lessons.

I find also that breath support is key. Make sure we use gut strength to support the notes like middle b and c. The resistance radically changes when I go from a throat tone, to a note across the break which requires much stronger air support. The size of the length of the bore used, suddenly gets much longer! This requires a firm belly. Practice the middle b and c down to the throat tone (reverse the order). You may find it playing across that break, much easier. Now one can handle, along with keeping the right hand down, going across the break smoothly.

This is such good news to me! I play music in a community orchestra, arranged by someone who doesn't play a wind instrument. He often doesn't leave us space to breath in the music! I thought I was being naughty secretly crossing out notes to catch a breath, so I'm really pleased to hear this is a legitimate thing to do! :)

Absolutely the most useful Earspasm video yet, hands down, bravo, well done!

I start teaching my students the right hand down as soon as they learn open G, way before they get to the clarion register. It helps to stabilise the instrument.

My ATSSB All-State year B technical Etude was this exact piece, it nice to see that you blew the performance out of the water, I found it to be the most difficult piece for any of my all state auditions ever. I learned about the whole right hand down thing because of this exact piece and it was a struggle and a half, I'm super glad you dissected the whole issue in the piece about no rests or breaks and leaving notes out and everything because it's very good advice for a piece like this, especially if you're auditioning on a piece like this. Thank you for putting this out, it surely is gonna help all the small school bass clarinets in Texas in two years and many more for any auditions in the future, Great Video!

Priceless advice delivered by a wonderfully enthusiastic teacher

Thanks Michael! This etude is the audition piece for high school Region Band auditions in Connecticut in November 2020 and Nov. 2024, so this will be a big help to everyone preparing for that audition. Other etudes in this book are used in Texas and Ohio all-state auditions.

I played bass clarinet for a few months in middle school 15 years ago. Wish There were videos like this back then, I'd probably still be playing 😥

I haven't even gotten to the tutorial portion yet but the playing right at the top is fucking incredible

Mike, if you'd like to this video to get more views, rename it to: Make going over the break easier with this ONE WEIRD TRICK!!

@bgclarinet

4 жыл бұрын

"What doctors don't want you to know about going over the break!"

@mdickinson

4 жыл бұрын

"Special government program for homeowners in [insert your city name here] - if you're having trouble going over the break (or trouble with toe fungus), try this!!"

@beth7467

4 жыл бұрын

"Meet sexy local seniors while going over the break."

@mdickinson

4 жыл бұрын

"Single women near you want to show you this one weird trick... ...for going over the break!"

@otiu66

4 жыл бұрын

Doctors HATE him! Find out how he goes over the break

I was taught to keep my right hand down for G to Bb to help with intonation when i first started clarinet, so it surprises me that its not standard.

I got really lucky and learned venting on throat tones in my third year, as well as throat-tone B. Very helpful tricks.

Thanks for another great clarinet video. For many years I have taught beginners, or near beginners, to learn going over the “break” (we know there should be no break!) by starting on staff middle line “b”, leaving the RH down, and quickly go down to a throat tone- rather than trying to go up to “b’” from a lower tone. Having all tone holes covered to securely first play the “b”, then going down to a lower note, leaving the RH down, students find it much easier to achieve success.

@mdickinson

3 жыл бұрын

An excellent teaching technique!

I have always thought that the basic fingering for the throat tones should be taught with the right hand closing a la german-fingering even with french clarinets. In some cases, depending of the ring closed with the right hand you are also setting up for jumps to the Altissimo/Altississimo ranges and many of those fingerings are also better in tune in the first place across the throat tones.

Thank you! This was very useful

Love it! This is particularly good for bass because it has even less effect than on "regular" clarinet. Though I must admit when I first played bass, I was disappointed that my normal resonance fingerings didn't help with the throat tones!

Can you please make a video that talks about all the register keys and side keys on the bass clarinet and the scales they coordinate to? I'm a true beginner at bass clarinet and I only know the top register key, but I don't know how to produce notes higher than open G (on a staff, the notes above the 2nd line).

You just changed the game for me

Just went over this "trick" with one of my students. Great sound. You have me excited to start playing bass clarinet. I may have to give this one a try.

Great tips! Thanks! 😁👍

Anyone who loves Dolphy has to be a v nice intelligent person, thank you for all your gr8 advice ( from across the pond) 👍

I’m also watching from CT! Thanks for the info.

It's so wonderful to hear you play! I started watching your videos before lock down as I was rediscovering Clarinet, one day I'd like to play Bass. Thank you for the Reed buffing kit, I experimented on a spare vandoren 3 and it turned out nicely for my playing ability and its playing like a really nice 2. As a kid, I had no idea you could maximise reeds this way. Thank you again for sharing the music!

What a masterpiece 👍

Thank you! You rock!

thanks for the advice.

That's super helpful dude. Thanks.

thank you. thank you. thank you thank you

I'm just excited about the magnet on the pencil. :P

I haven't played bass clarinet since high school but these videos make me miss it very much. I'd love to buy one for myself but they're so expensive :(

That piece you were playing at the beginning of the video was nice. I played the same piece for my all state audition but not at that tempo

Going over the break has gotten so much easier

I don't really understand how you can tell someone is cheating on an instrument. if it sounds good and is not a problem in the learning curve, why not.

@jamesrockybullin5250

4 жыл бұрын

Maybe cheating isn't the right word, but there are definitely ways of fudging the music that are frowned upon. For example, approximating rhythms, especially polyrhythms, using the pedal on the piano where finger legato would be more appropriate, and in an ensemble, relying on the conductor or other players for cues rather than counting.

@leoauguin7631

4 жыл бұрын

@@jamesrockybullin5250 mmh maybe, I'm not familiar with the piano. I think it's different to have an approach where you want to be technically perfect and to do everything like the method compare to find some tricks just to make your life easier. In this video, it's really an important things to do and I don't remember seeing this in any method.

@kevinhagen8373

4 жыл бұрын

Cheating has a negative connotation . dropping a less significant note the breath to make some something playable is the only solution to playing music that would be otherwise un- playable .

@gabefiguracion5672

4 жыл бұрын

I think that it is more the principle of settling for good enough than striving for perfection that is more the problem than "cheating"

@davidmella1174

3 жыл бұрын

dude, i also think its a type of discipline. If you could do it well properly, props to you, you have much potential. If you cheated, try again properly before everyone finds out.

I sometimes leave the ring finger down on the left hand when making these leaps. Not sure if will work on bass clarinet, but on Bb clarinet keeping the right finger down on the upper section helps stabilize the pinkie on the keys if those notes are next in line to be played. I have not found that keeping this finger down affects the throat tones. Again, I am not sure if it would work on bass clarinet at all. I have not played a low C bass clarinet in over 25 years. Great video, by the way. Thank you.

@mdickinson

3 жыл бұрын

Yes - it works equally well on both clarinet and bass clarinet.

I learned how to do this by accident. I rarely do this even though I knew it was a thing. I probably should start now I guess. Oh and I played that piece and it is super fun 100% recommend to anybody who plays clarinet.

"Mike, we need a gif of 6:23 - 6:27 that we can play in class about twenty times a day." - Every band director and private teacher ever

A few weeks ago you offered up a duet by “Bugs” Bower. Just thought you’d get a kick out of knowing Maurice “Bugs” Bower was a very prolific song writer. He wrote for Big Bands, the likes of Bing Crosby and Perry Como; created pop hits like “Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yelllow Polkadot Bikini” and later worked with Kool & The Gang.

Its really hard on my contrabass can u do a video on how to do it on contra?

Fantastic advice! I figured this out on my own back in high school, but had my band director get mad at me for "cheating". Didn't stop me from doing it! Same director hated the fact I didn't play the same Yamaha's that the rest of the band played either.

@evanericksonmusic

4 жыл бұрын

Sounds like a jerk music teacher :/

i knew this, but for some reason only thought it applied to clarinet and not bass 😭

@jeilynhernandez9996

4 жыл бұрын

Same 😅

Wow, a plateau bass clarinet- never seen one. What's the brand? Just got a Hanson plateau standard Bb and it's a jewel.

Where's that black bass?

@earspasm

4 жыл бұрын

I have two. I love them both.

How amazing, this small thing helped stabilise my clarinet especially when playing A. I thought it was wrong to do it, but no one will notice🫣

Can you do a video on high school etudes for 2020-2021

@mdickinson

3 жыл бұрын

The piece in this video is the 2020 high school regional band audition etude for Connecticut. Keep in mind that each state has its own audition etudes - often one for regional auditions in the fall and a separate one for all-state auditions in the winter. It would be a big project to collect a list of all 100 etudes, and a much bigger project to record them all. Luckily, there are many similar videos out there; once you know the name of the etude you will be auditioning on, search youtube for it - it's likely there is already a recording of it available.

I'm sorry if you've answerd this question before but what set-up and hardware do you use for making music and/or what hardware do you suggest for someone for getting in to making music on the internet?

What was the first piece called?

Is the key same with Clarinet?

I'm 1 minute into the video and you are showing us STACCATOS bridge crossings... Can you show us legatos, untongued bridge crossings 🙂

@earspasm

4 жыл бұрын

Same technique.

@notallgarbage

4 жыл бұрын

@@earspasm , I was being a smartass, but great video, tnx, thumbing-up! 🙂

The og bass clarinet player and that’s on baby

tl:dr, you can go from throat notes to above the break by keeping the right hand down while playing throat toned

I really wish I had learned this, I squeak every time I go over the break and back lol

When crossing the break, even with my right hand fingers down, my left hand index finger touches the Ab, and the thumb goes out of position. Do you have any exercise so I can avoid this?

Wait are you Circular Breathing? Or are you just Breathing so fast that you can't tell a break in the Music?(I have a region audition coming up in December, (Highschool All Region), one of the audition pieces is Weissenborns Advanced Studies Etude #3) I'm finding it kinda difficult to keep going in the piece when there's so few breath breaks, when I do breath there's gaps in the music, is there anyway to close those gaps and still get an efficient breath?(I know this is a comment section of a video posted a year ago, but I figured since I play Contralto Clarinet, it couldn't hurt to ask)

Surely he knew Kroepsch. Check out Kroepsch #26. They lived almost exactly the same time. I think Kroepsch also quoted Carmen in one of his exercises.

I play trumpet, break, what is that?

this is the only way I'm able to competently cross the break

Never thought about it and idk why...but can't you do 1 and 1 for low Eb?

@mdickinson

3 жыл бұрын

Of course! Do you not use this ("1 and 1", a.k.a. "1 and 4" fingering for E-flat on the first line of the staff) regularly? For instance, any time you have a low B-flat followed by an E-flat? All my students learn this fingering...

@mrbigg151

3 жыл бұрын

@@mdickinson I honestly can't recall jumping the break from low Eb but I used it as alternate Bb all the time lol. I guess that's one of those "hidden" techniques for me that gets pulled out every blue moon

@mdickinson

3 жыл бұрын

@@mrbigg151 The "1 and 1" or "1 and 4" fingering has nothing to do with jumping the break. It can be used any time it works well with the surrounding notes.

@mrbigg151

3 жыл бұрын

@@mdickinson You're right. Mostly I'm in the upper register or don't really come across that note, but I'll look at some more technique books.

On German clarinet, this is totally common. Most players learn it in a really young age

i want to get a clarinet. i have been playing sax for 6 years now and im pretty good at it. i want to learn clarinet for doubling parts like pit, and i also think its a cool instrument. does anyone have any model recommendations, new/used, for around $200? thanks! in a few months when i can convince my teacher im good enough i am going to try to pick up a used R13.

@brianholden2724

4 жыл бұрын

Don't burden yourself with the depreciation $$ that comes with buying brand new, buy the most expensive secondhand instrument you can afford. I recently (In the last 12mths) bought a Leblanc clarinet out of the US, a better instrument than I could have hoped for if I had bought new, hope this helps cheers.

@mdickinson

3 жыл бұрын

If you are just starting clarinet, I would suggest buying a used instrument; either a Japanese made Yamaha (YCL-20 or similar) or a 1970s-1980s "Evette Master Model" or "Evette & Schaeffer." The latter two are excellent intermediate-level wooden clarinets made in France by Buffet, and play very well. You can typically find them on ebay for $300 (with old pads) or $500-600 (with new pads).

I want to try this on the sax! Anybody knows how well this works on the sax?

@minnesceongo

4 жыл бұрын

I've never found it necessary on the sax - you don't have a cluster of throat tones on the sax; you go from open C# up to D - and the right hand pinky doesn't engage the C#,B, and Bb because they're played with the left hand.

@mdickinson

3 жыл бұрын

@@minnesceongo Agree - this technique isn't necessary or useful on the saxophone for the reasons you described. There is however a similar technique, which I will describe. On the saxophone, the problematic notes are the low notes (low C# and below), especially when they must be played at low volume. The technique I teach is that a saxophonist who has to make a jump to a low note (e.g. low G down to low C at "piano" volume) can ease the transition by closing the low C key first, during the playing of the G. Then only three fingers are lowered during the note transition, and the low C comes out more easily.

@minnesceongo

3 жыл бұрын

@@mdickinson That's good advice - and something I've actually done unconsciously, probably because I learned clarinet before picking up the saxophone.

What the heck is a throat tone? I’m learning saxophone by ear and through experimentation and I naturally do this a lot for a lot of notes because it’s easier. It’s an interesting question when to lift fingers off of keys because for the pinky keys (G# for example) it can take a lot of power and energy to hold them down but if that’s the note that’s diatonic to the key a G may be uncommon.

@mdickinson

3 жыл бұрын

"throat tones" are the four pitches on clarinet from open G (second line of the staff) to middle B-flat (third line of the staff). These notes have a thinner timbre than most other notes because of the extremely short tube length (short vibrating column of air). The saxophone does not have equivalent notes; the only note that might be considered a "throat tone" on saxophone is the open C-sharp (third space on the staff).

fucking sick

Can you make a video about singing and playing at the same time I've been trying to figure out how to do for awhile

@MichaelSBaram

4 жыл бұрын

You mean growling?

@LowReedExpert1

4 жыл бұрын

Making a multiphonic like is easy to practice if you can whistle. Reason being, once you figure out how to sing (or humming also works) on one instrument, it basically transfer to any other wind instrument

I don't even play clarinet why am I here and why did I watch the whole thing

Is there a way to get this song for free?

So im new to sax i can do a 20 second long tone on low d, was feeling good about it lol.....yes I know this is a bass clarinet lol

I play clarinet with German system and this is something very basic for us „Germans“ to survive in music

Why aren't you using the black bass?

@earspasm

4 жыл бұрын

I sold it

@carlcarlton328

4 жыл бұрын

I'm sorry to hear that :(

@earspasm

4 жыл бұрын

I’m kidding. But it’s funny that people always ask when I don’t use my black bass. I have two, and I like them both!

It's not downloading

@ayomidefaith1916

Жыл бұрын

I mean the etude

Mark it with... A PENCIL!!! aaaaaaaaaahhhh

Hey I'm kinda new to your channel but if you get the time to read this you should get a mendini clarinet and abs clarinet , a wood clarinet ( mct-40) and a $95 clarinet

Over the break on a bass clarinet is obviously a hair raising experience.

First :)

I passed out just from watching this.