How to Play the Bass Clarinet Efficiently and Effectively 1.0 (or How to Play Fast Notes, aka, Acquiring Technique 1)

Well, here comes the diatribe. Things That Bug Me are just little things that probably only get on MY nerves. This series is about EXACTLY what to do in order to play better. If you've found this and you're looking for help...you're in the right place. If you're a "non-bandy" person don't stop reading! Almost everything I'm going to say is about how to process new information and quickly get better at processing that information more quickly. You never know, you might be able to apply some of this stuff to something you do that isn't even musical. Now, on with the help.

I love this zinger. It makes me want to laugh every time. "This passage just doesn't lay well on the big instruments." If you've ever heard that before you are not alone, and the person who told you this is wrong.

Granted, if you are not a technically well-developed player you probably won't have the best time learning said passage (or learning it at all.) But, if you start developing your technique now it will get smoother and silkier with time. By the way, this is not just for kids. If you are an adult amateur, do this stuff, we welcome you along for the ride.

People who have stellar technique have literally trained every muscle in their fingers, mouth, throat, and abdomen so that every note speaks perfectly, sounds good, and comes out quickly, and they had to start somewhere. Working slowly is the most tedious work you could ever do. It doesn't feel super fun. It's not like riding a roller coaster. However, if you get yourself to the point, mentally, where you know this is REALLY going to help long term: It will get fun really fast.

If you've ever been in a school band or orchestra program you are highly aware of the intense emphasis that is placed on Major Scales. Now, somebody who's reading this is thinking "Bleh, I spit the name of all Major Scales (especially the one's I don't like, you know, the hard ones.)" I know, scales are not "fun", but let me tell you, if you have these scales in your hip pocket you'll feel like a million bucks. So, step one, scales.

1. Find a print out of all 12 major scales for the instrument. On Bass Clarinet this shouldn't be hard. You can even use a Clarinet print out. By the time you learn to play them as high as I would recommend you won't need the print out anymore. Highlight the first 5 notes of each scale in only the lowest register. This is a 5-note segment. You play the pattern 1,2,3,4,5,4,3,2,1 three times. Slur the whole thing. You're done! (Actually, you're not quite done.)

2. Get a sheet of paper and a metronome. If you don't have a concrete metronome use this one. Start the metronome at 60. If you are VERY new play the pattern in 8th notes. If you are a little more developed play the pattern in 16th notes. Play through it a couple of times at 60. If you're ok, move up to the next metronome marking. When you get to a marking that you just can't handle, that's ok. Write down the FASTEST marking you could play the pattern correctly at. Move on to the next key.

3. Stop using alternate fingerings!!! You think I'm serious about this? I am. Do NOT use the right hand fork key. Do not use chromatic F#. When possible, use the sliver key. Avoid, at ALL costs, these ALTERNATE fingerings. They're alternate for a reason! The original fingering is technically more proficient in the long run. Fancy stuff is fancy (and occasionally helpful) but it's not solid like the original.

4. Rinse and repeat. Do this in ever major key. Don't fret about not playing the last 3 notes of the scale (or more if you're playing more octaves.) What you may not realize is that you're covering every fingering combo you need to play these scales.

5. Rinse and repeat again. This is the most valuable thing you can do to improve your technical response on the instrument.

6. Now you have a written record of where you started and where you've been in each key. If you're thinking "Man, this guy is a genius, why didn't I think of that?" know one thing...I didn't think of it either. I learned it from Bob Chesebro at Furman University. The man's a genius, and no, I'm not exaggerating.

7. Do NOT move on the minor scales. If you do not have Major Scales, as I said before, in your hip pocket then playing minor scales will mess with your ear.

8. Always play these segments with the fullest, most robust, billowing tone you've got. If you're thinking "But I don't sound very good." or "My tone doesn't billow." Fine! Now's a good time to learn! You're only 9 notes at a time in one segment. Voila, easy tonal practice time. Besides, every time you play your tone is improving if you're really thinking about sounding better.

9. Do NOT use the extended range on your instrument (if you have it.) I'll never forget this as long as I live. I was at another school talking with a fellow Bass Clarinetist. They popped up and said "Look, I can play the C Scale 3 octaves!" I said, "That's so cool, show me!" They proceeded to play the scale starting on super low C, using the extension, and playing up to thumb C. Now, I thought they were going to play it straight and play up to double high C...I was wrong. The point is...The extended range on your instrument is cool, but using it to practice is worthless. If you're really good, you ever need to practice it. You just put your hands on the instrument and keep going. Really. I promise. When I got my extended horn in 1998 I just took it out of the box and started playing it. No trip to the shop. No tutorial. Just "grab and go"

10. Don't get hung up on a particular scale. Everybody's got a scale or two that they just don't agree with. I never liked F#. If, at this point, I have a "bad" scale. That's it. Whenever you encounter your "Little Scale of Horrors" just do what you can do and move on. It WILL get better, it just isn't today. No big.

The simplest application of all of this is EASY sightreading. Read anything! Who cares? Don't try crazy hard stuff. Just do things that look simple and are in about every key. Don't get all technique happy and try to play something that's out of your league. Start slow. You'll get there soon enough. Virtuosic technique is a process and you're on step one. Enjoy the ride!