Introduction to Clarinet

Who is this course for?

This course is designed for anyone who wishes to learn the basics of the clarinet. It includes instructions over how to source a clarinet. It is no secret that music lessons can get expensive. A weekly lesson with a qualified specialist is a fabulous experience for anyone that wants to learn an instrument but this is not an option for everyone. Perhaps the lessons are too expensive. Perhaps attending weekly lessons at a fixed time doesn’t suit your schedule. Maybe you are unable to leave your house. I hope that through Woodwind Whizz you can learn to play the clarinet at a pace and in a way that suits you.

The content is suitable for anybody over the age of 8, however a parent or guardian must open the account, handle the enrolment and manage their account usage. The parent or guardian must supervise the learning of the pupil.

What are the requirements of the course?

In order to do this course, you will need a B flat clarinet and some reeds. There are lots of other accessories you can buy (or put on your Christmas wish list!) but these are optional extras. In part one you will find more information about this including guidance on getting a clarinet.

How is the course structured?

This is the introduction to the Clarinet.  In this section you will find lots of information about getting started including choosing an instrument, reeds and accessories and components of a clarinet. Then there are two lessons in which you will learn to put the clarinet together, play your first three notes, learn some basic music theory and play a few short tunes.

If you choose to move on to Clarinet to Grade 1,  you will need to purchase a music book/ebook. I have structured my lessons around a fantastic beginner’s book called ‘Clarinet Basics’ by Paul Harris. I have chosen to use his book because in all my years of teaching, I have found it to be the clearest and most logical way of learning the clarinet. By the end of these lessons you will have learnt all the notes and techniques needed to play grade 1 music. This course can be found by carrying out an internet search for Woodwind Whizz or Kirsty Fowler Music.

If you choose to move on to this stage, you will learn several tunes as well as other elements of the grade 1 clarinet exam. This includes scales and arpeggios, sight-reading and general musical knowledge relating to the pieces you are learning. It contains a mock exam with feedback.

How much time will this take?

This course has no set length; it really depends on how quickly you learn and how much time you have to practice between lessons. The beauty of online learning like this is that you can go at your own pace. If you are finding it hard you can spend a few weeks working on each stage until you have mastered it, and if you are finding it easy you can move through it more quickly. As a guide I suggest you spend two weeks on this course.  It contains 2 lessons split into 6 sections and 20 different lectures.   Clarinet to Grade 1 contains 206 lectures which will take you through all the notes you need to know before starting grade 1 standard music.

You should try to practice little and often, especially at the start so you can build up the muscles in your arms and face. This also helps with memory. In an ideal world I would suggest 5-10 minutes a day building up to 15-20 mins practice a few times a week.

Who will be teaching the course?

My name is Kirsty and I am a clarinet, saxophone, flute and recorder teacher. I studied the clarinet at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and have been teaching in schools and in pupil’s homes since graduating with a BMus(Hons) and a PgDip in performance. I am passionate about music education and I particularly enjoy teaching recorders to whole classes in schools. I wanted to create this online learning course as a way to bring music education to a wider audience.