In This Issue
February 14, 2015
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- A Note From Michelle Anderson - Happy Valentine's Day!
- Free Training - How to make your reeds respond better simply by moving them around
- Michelle Recommends - Clarinet Play-Along Music Books
- Valentine's Gift - Access Lesson One of Clarinet Is Easy as my gift to you
- Clarinet Is Easy - Complete how-to lessons for beginners and self-taught intermediate players
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A Note from Michelle Anderson
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Hello !
Welcome to the Clarinet Mentors newsletter. I hope you are enjoying your clarinet, and continuing to make progress. I do my best to include recommendations and pointers here that help you to play more easily.
Happy Valentine's Day! As I write this, I hear the strains of progressive rock leaking through the walls of my studio. My husband and his buddies get together about twice a year to sample good beer and listen to their favourite new (and old) progressive rock tunes. I saw a lineup of beautiful craft beer bottles lined up on the counter, and they are at rapt attention as they listen to the music. They rearrange the furniture to have the stereo speakers (and the listeners) in optimum position for getting the most out of their listening experience. I believe they all made a pact not to listen to the new Pink Floyd CD until they were all together under these circumstances. As much as I want to practise, it seems inappropriate to add a soundtrack of the clarinet parts to Die Fledermaus on top of this! I really enjoy the variety of music that gets loved and appreciated in my household. Whatever style we love, it brings people together, and it is good for the soul!
I sent my last email out after writing it on a Sunday evening, bemoaning the fact that there was no snow on our local mountains. The next day, I went hiking with a friend, and Mother Nature surprised us by dumping big chunks of slushy snow all over us. I guess I did ask for it in writing. Thanks Mother Nature! Here's a photo of how I looked as you were getting my newsletter...
I am looking forward to some great concerts in the next two weeks. I ended up playing in 6 concerts last weekend, so life has been busy. As Shakespeare said "If music be the food of love, play on..."
Thanks so much for being part of my Clarinet Community. I hope that you enjoy your clarinet this week!
Free Training - Learn to improve your reeds every time you put them on your clarinet
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Reeds! We don't always like them, but we can't live without them! Today's free training shows you how to maximize the performance of your current reed simply by moving it around. Once you know these technics, you can test and move your reeds to their optimal position in about 20 seconds. This won't make a stinker of a reed into a good one, but it usually improves the performance of just about any reed. Some of this material I released previously in one of my first YouTube videos, but since my technology has improved, this video will be much easier to watch.
Watch the video by clicking on the photo below, or with this link.
Michelle Recommends: Clarinetist Play-Along Books
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People often ask me what music I recommend for musicians who play clarinet often at home. I recommend many good music books in these newsletters because I like having a variety of music to play, and I suspect you do too.
Some books have the advantage of recordings that provide you either a model of a great clarinetist performing the piece, or a piano accompaniment for you to play along with, or both. Here are two good books that offer both options.
Intermediate - Advanced:
Solos for the Clarinet Player - arr. Arthur Christmann
This collection has 20 classical music pieces that are mostly at an intermediate level. There is a CD with piano accompaniment, as well as software to adjust the tempo on your computer if you want to practise at slower speeds. Thanks to Marian, a member of the Clarinet Mentors community, who reminded me about this great resource!
Slightly more advanced:
Masterworks for Clarinet and Piano -edited by Eric Simon
This is a new version of this classic collection that includes internet access to recordings of the piano parts which may be played on a computer or downloaded in the .mp3 format. Contents: Weber Grand Duo Concertant for Clarinet and Piano Op. 48 and Seven Variations for Clarinet and Piano Op. 33, Schumann Fantasy-Pieces Op. 73 with alternate parts for A or B-flat clarinet, Mendelssohn Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, and Brahms Sonata for Clarinet and Piano Op. 120 No. 1 and Sonata for Clarinet and Piano Op. 120 No. 2.
There are many very good music stores that will send you clarinet books and resources in the mail. I use several. Once that I like to support because it is a great small business that really carries an excellent supply of clarinet music is Van Cott Information Services. Check out their clarinet music at:
http://www.vcisinc.com/ (This is not a commercial, I just like supporting companies that are doing good things in the clarinet world...) Perhaps you can order these books from there!
Valentine Special - Lesson One of Clarinet Is Easy as my gift to you
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If you are looking for some good reminders of the basic best habits to play clarinet well, especially if you are new to clarinet, you will appreciate this offer. My 10 lesson Clarinet Is Easy course (see details below) helps beginning, and self-taught intermediate players, to master the best habits and systems to play clarinet more easily. If you would like access to Lesson One as my gift to you, please just send me an email requesting this, and I'll send you your own login details. Lesson One covers the very most basic things to help you start clarinet well. The course does progress to much more advanced concepts in later lessons. Lesson One offers a good review of the basics for you. I hope you take advantage of this gift and enjoy it. (Those of you who already enjoy enrollment in the full course can let other clarinet playing friends know about this offer.)
Clarinet Is Easy - Your Step-by-Step Beginner Course - Now Available! (Also enjoyed by many intermediate level players)
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How To Solve Your Common Clarinet Frustrations and Play Clarinet More Easily
I firmly believe that if anyone has the "recipe" for how to play clarinet, things are really relatively easy to do. Most of our frustrations come from inadvertently learning bad habits along the way. With that in mind, I have created for you a 10-lesson comprehensive course for beginners (and self-taught intermediate players) that gives you the tools to truly learn the clarinet easily, while avoiding all of the most common frustrations that can plague us. I believe that these lessons can save you hours of grief by giving you the best practise systems that have worked for thousands of clarinetists. The lessons have great content, and are presented in a video format so that you can watch them again and again. If you would like to play with more ease and have a clear understanding of the fundamentals of clarinet playing, you can get more information on the Clarinet Is Easy course here (including some free preview videos):
Click here for the free preview videos to Clarinet Is Easy
If you are curious about this, you can try these lessons with a 100% 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee. (That means that you can try a full 5 lessons before you decide if you have received great value from the course.) If it is not the right style for you, you get your tuition refunded, no problem. I invite you to try it now! Many students have received amazing results so far from this course (and you can read their comments on the order page).
Michelle Anderson, the founder of Clarinet Mentors, is a professional clarinetist and teacher who currently lives in Vancouver BC. Her professional career spans over 30 years and she currently plays regularly with the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, the Pacific Symphonic Wind Ensemble and the West Coast Chamber Music series. She has performed with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the CBC Vancouver Orchestra, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Touring Orchestra and many other groups. Michelle currently specializes in teaching adults to play clarinet more easily and quickly through online resources, and conducts the Vancouver Clarinet Choir.
Thanks for reading this biweekly newsletter. If you think a friend would enjoy this, please feel free to forward it. If they want to enrol in the Clarinet Mentors Community, they can go to www.learnclarinetnow.com.
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Helping you to find success on your instrument with proven, easy-to-follow systems that are designed to help you sound good, and feel better about your playing.
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