I'm 20 years old and I'm starting to really regret not joining junior band in elementary school. I have almost no music experience, (I took piano lessons 'til Gr. 1 when I was 7 but stopped due to no more money and so I forgot everything.)

Recently I heard a clarinet solo in a jazz festival and that did me in. I MUST learn how to play the clarinet.

I look at other people who want to learn and they already have experience in a plethora of other instruments and looking to expand.

Um. I have no other instruments under my belt. Can anyone give me any advice on how to start? Or if I should start?

Do I have to get a beginner clarinet before moving on to more.. professional clarinets? Or would a beginner be able to start from a professional clarinet? To save money from upgrading..? (That makes me sound kinda cheap)

And where can I learn when I Do get a clarinet? I can't go back to junior band now. And I'm not sure I have the discipline to self learn with a book by myself.

Anyways, thanks for taking the time to read. I think I wrote a bit too much. Sorry!

The best advice anyone can give you is DON'T START!

Why would you want to subject yourself to the countless hours of hiding in the closet muffling your tears because you couldn't play a chromatic scale when the time was right?

Go get yourself a bag of bread and feed the birds because that is all you will ever amount to.

Let us know how it goes!

hello and welcome, and yes I would deffinitly get a teacher,
but if not people at the music store will help, I would suggest getting a begginer one, it doenst have to be complete begginier, but i'd go for a plastic, when I switched over I found it slighly harder to get sound, more so with the wooden mouth peice.
dont give up! their may be times u feel like throwing something, but as one of my teachers said, just put it down, walk away and come back in a few minutes and play something fun

goodluck!

You use a wooden mouthpiece?!?

What kind of crazy thing is that to say?

Take it back.

Hi
I'm a beginner also. I bought a aps resin bodied Clarinet made in China and it sounds awesome when I can make my mouth work properly. I'd advise getting a cheap one to start with. The aps resin is extremely hard stuff, and they even make golf clubs with it due to it's ability to absorb shock. There are some clarinets made of types of plastic that are not so strong I believe. I bought mine very cheaply online through a store that sells everything and anything. It came with accessories and a strong case.

I found in the guitar world that people are totally awestruck by brand names even though guitars are just pieces of wood that can be made just as well by many brands. There's no magic involved. But if someone believes they have the best instrument in God's creation then that belief influences their playing to a large degree and they will sound better because of their confident state of mind. I spent a while examining the expensive brands people were idolizing and I found many horrible manufacturing faults that were not found on some far cheaper brands.



In India I watched an old blind man using old clay cooking pots as tabla drums. He was playing like a master and the old pots sounded superb, and they were just garbage he found on the side of the road.


I have never taken much notice of clarinets before but I saw Benny Goodman movies and clips recently and fell in love with the clarinet and the style he used. Read what he says when Glenn Miller asked him: "How do you do it? How do you get started?" http://www.bennygoodman.com/about/quotes.html


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6XF4Yf6qNI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7j-k7oIk3g&feature=related

I thought this guy sounded very smooth!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_NNuVROkQI&feature=related

There's plenty of teachers & lessons online if you look for them. Youtube has many. My advice is to develop your own style so that your sound will be unique.

I followed your advice and made a clarinet out of old clay pots that I found in my neighbor's trash. It sounded like the underside of a compost pile. So, that's where I buried it.

Good riddance to old rubbish and make sure you don't try to play the clarinet. Next thing you know, you'll be wanting a new mouthpiece from 4000 B.C. and will be spending your boyfriend's life savings in one fell swoop.

On second thought, go for it!

yeah like the other people in this forum yous wanna get a teacher before buying one. and if you wanna play like the clairnet soloist its going to take a lot of practive hours and hard work as you proabably know.

Start with a reasonable book, a decent clarinet and some lessons.

Lessons to help you get your embouchure and technique correct.

One of the Hal Leonard Essential Elements books with dvd would be okay.

Better to start with a beginner/intermediate clarinet just in case you don't keep on playing.

Main thing is to get one that is in good condition (no leaks) and has been set up properly.

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Big thing to keep motivated is to have fun and enjoy it.

I got back into playing last year and have got into playing jazz and am really enjoying it.

Just go for it , have fun and don't worry how bad you sound, just remember all the good players were
beginners once and squeaked /sounded just as bad as the rest of us!

getting a clarinet is not a yes or no situation, its whether you really want to play.
i remeber when i was 10 and i got my first one, i had no idea what a clarinet was but i knew i wanted to play it. my mum took me down to the shops and got me the cheapest one t start of with, you can even rent them at some music shops.

there are many places that teach music, mainly music shops or you can look in your local paper for teachers.

it is quite and enjoyable instrument but, im not going to say it is easy. you just have to be willing to practise and work.

i would personally recomend jupiter, i am using a wooden jupiter and it is just fantastic. le blancs are also very good but i just prefer jupiter

if you really want to learn to play i suggest you learn. its a great instrument with a very large range. it may be harder for you to learn, but its definitely worth it.

i think the best way to start is getting a good teaching book like one from the essential elements series. its what most school bands use to teach their students.

i would suggest getting a plastic clarinet before getting a wood one. there isnt much difference except wood is ALOT more expensive and has a slightly better tone. also plastic ones aren't as hard to take care of.

you can learn from a private teacher i guess. a local music store like colonial music probably has a list of them.

its a great instrument and i hope you take the time to learn it ^.^

Your local music store is a good start to get a clarinet.
Most people start out with a basic beginner plastic one (I had a selmer) and 2.5 rico reeds, a couple sticks of cork grease, and a want to learn
Private lessons are the way to go for some one starting out at your age (any age is good to start )
A private teacher will often introduce you to basics and often get you a book to learn and practice from (Essential elements explains the basics of music as well as teaching you the basics of the instrument)
If you want to start learning on your own you can buy several beginner books which you can find in surplus.
A teacher is recommended though, don't wanna get any nasty bad habits.
good luck! And it does get frustrating sometimes but push through!

Of course you should play clarinet. Don't ever get discouraged. When you start, chances are it won't be pretty- accept that and keep practicing. And, hey, if it it does sound pretty, then your a prodigy!