Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Part I: Tuning Up with the Basics 7

Chapter 1: So You Want to Play the Clarinet 9

Chapter 2: Getting to Know the Clarinet 23

Chapter 3: Picking the Right Clarinet for You 37

Chapter 4: Grasping the Basics of Musical Notation 59

Chapter 5: Assembling, Cleaning, and Caring for Your Clarinet 83

Part II: And a One, and a Two, and a Three: Getting Started 97

Chapter 6: Getting Your Body, Lungs, and Lips in the Game 99

Chapter 7: Playing Your First Notes 111

Chapter 8: Heading Lower, Higher, and In Between 129

Chapter 9: Playing Between the Notes: Slurring and Tonguing 147

Chapter 10: Rising Above and Beyond High C 167

Part III: Above and Beyond: Essential Intermediate Techniques 179

Chapter 11: Achieving a Great Clarinet Tone 181

Chapter 12: Shaking It Up with Vibrato, Glissandos, Bends, and Scoops 193

Chapter 13: Taking Your Fingers to the Next Level: Additional Fingerings 205

Chapter 14: Turbo Tonguing and Faster Fingering 215

Chapter 15: Tuning Up for Proper Pitch 225

Chapter 16: Heading to the Practice Studio 239

Chapter 17: Refining Your Reeds 257

Chapter 18: Gaining Expertise and Exposure through the Clarinet Community 287

Part IV: The Part of Tens 297

Chapter 19: Ten Insider Secrets to Great Clarinet Playing 299

Chapter 20: Ten (Plus) Clarinetists You Gotta Hear 305

Part V: Appendixes 313

Appendix A: Fingering Charts 315

Appendix B: About the CD 317

Index 323

About the Author

David Etheridge is the David Ross Boyd Professor of Clarinet, Chair of the Woodwind Area, and member of the Oklahoma Woodwind Quintet at the University of Oklahoma. He has taught clarinet for over 45 years.