Thank you for making these videos!

Thanks for this video. Just yesterday I was really noticing how much tension I have in my fingers, so any relaxation tips are good for me.

Ive played the clarinet during 8 years and always done it with a neckstrap until 3years ago or so... but i never really adapted well to that change, my right hand thumb has got a lot of tension, all the other fingers are perfect, but that thumb even hurts when playing for long periods of time... when i do the trick or relaxing the hand, the thumb either goes much further than where it should be (the other fingers stay well but the thumb is far from the clarinet, as if i had to hold a larger instrument) or the thumb is well positioned but the other fingers are lower than normal... how can i fix my relaxed hand not being able to fit well the clarinet shape?

@QuickStartClarinet

10 ай бұрын

First, there is nothing wrong with playing with a neckstrap, and if that solves all of your problems then go for it! It is hard to give a great answer without actually seeing what you mean in real time, but I think you should go from the relaxed hand position with your thumb too far from the instrument and then just naturally close your hand (almost as if using a sock puppet) until your thumb is holding the clarinet. The important part of this exercise is to keep the fingers naturally curved and relaxed. It isn't too abnormal to have a little soreness in the right thumb when playing for long periods. If it becomes significant pain though that is problematic.

So often times I noticed that when I play, my hands are super tense and I tend to get shakey as well, I also struggle with playing from Bb to C really quickly. When I play, my main goal is to be able to change from the lower register to the high register very quickly I'm gonna be in wind ensemble ( top band at my school), so I need to be prepared to play grade 5 music I've only been playing clarinet for about 9 months, so I don't have everything down yet What's the best way I can prepare and practice for the hell that I'm gonna go through

@QuickStartClarinet

6 күн бұрын

It’s all in the fundamentals! Work on playing scales and scale patterns with smooth sound, and steady, confident fingers with the metronome. Check out the Klose scales in my Free Members Area at www.quickstartclarinet.com/getstarted Or if you really want to get serious get The Next Generation Clarinet Method at www.quickstartclarinet.com/nextgenbook This video would also be helpful for having more relaxed and confident fingers crossing the break: kzread.infoMRkA4gjo5fA?si=mZzymdVkQbhEabeB Let me know if you have any other questions, and have fun in wind ensemble!

for me the hardest challenge is to keep my fingers bent on the right side, mostly my pinky, I don't know if this is for a lot of other people but my pinky always is either curved uncomfortably or uncomfortably locked when playing low e or middle b on the right side. I have quite large hands being over 6 foot, so its a real challenge for me to play clarinet at a higher level.

@QuickStartClarinet

Жыл бұрын

That is a common issue for sure! You may want to take a look at your thumb and wrist position. There should be a way to position the instrument in an easy way where you keep that nice natural position.

And not to forget that the degree of finger movement has got a huuuge affect on how easy broken chords and scales can be played and how comfortable one can get in the altissimo register, etc.

@QuickStartClarinet

3 жыл бұрын

Absolutely! Hand position is the first step to great technique.

When I play I can do the first 5 notes except when I do C and D the sound squeaks Idk how to fix what’s wrong

@QuickStartClarinet

3 жыл бұрын

As you go lower on the instrument the holes start to get bigger making it more challenging to fully cover the holes. Make sure that your fingers are relaxed and you are getting the fleshy part of your fingers covering the holes well. It is also easy to accidentally bump the side keys with your left or right hand so be sure to watch out for that as well.

@leewooten3294

3 жыл бұрын

Ok thank you!

It is possible to put right hand finger on top

@QuickStartClarinet

Жыл бұрын

Nope! It seems more natural to do that if you are right handed, but the pinky keys and side keys don’t work at all if you do that. Also, it is actually better to have your dominate right hand on the thumb rest to support the instrument.

After playing A, it is not easy to move a pinky to play B

@QuickStartClarinet

3 ай бұрын

That is one of the trickiest parts of the clarinet! Make sure when you play A that you aren't moving your hand too far out of position. I like to start with playing the B and then moving as little as possible to the A so that it is easy to get back to the B.