10 ways to strengthen your embouchure right now!

ByBret Pimentel
  1. You don’t need a “strong” embouchure, you need a relaxed embouchure.
  2. Embouchure “strength” is a myth. Stop biting and pinching.
  3. Your embouchure is made up of little facial muscles, which are good at subtle, expressive movements, like for facial expressions and language (or for nuanced variations in woodwind dynamics and tone color). They aren’t good at feats of strength or endurance.
  4. Your abdominal muscles, on the other hand, are very good at strength and endurance. You use them all day long and they probably never feel tired unless you are doing sit-ups or something. Instead of straining with your embouchure, let breath support do the work.
  5. You should probably check on your voicing, too. I mean, you could bite your clarinet up to pitch instead, but it’s painful and causes lots of other problems.
  6. You know that thing where you play a reed instrument and you get a blister or callus from your teeth on your lower lip? Good news, you don’t need a dental appliance or some kind of tape. You just need to relax your embouchure. Try it! Now you can practice for hours without fatigue or blood, and sound better doing it.
  7. Ever try to play in one of the upper registers of the flute, and get an undertone or some dirtiness/growliness in your attacks? The key to clear, beautiful transitions into the upper register is a relaxed and flexible embouchure.
  8. We can argue about whether your jaw is part of your embouchure. Nah, never mind, I have better things to do. But in any case it should be open, creating space for the soft tissues of your lip and facial muscles to make the aperture. Go ahead and unclench. By the way, opening up your jaw is what people really mean when they tell clarinetists (mostly) to do weird things with their chins.
  9. I know, somebody taught you in your formative years about the vital importance of a brutishly muscular embouchure. Take a deep, cleansing breath. Everything is going to be fine.
  10. Go practice.

Similar Posts

  • Q&A: Woodwind doubling advice

    ByBret Pimentel

    A couple of weeks ago I put out a call for questions, in honor of today being the fifteenth anniversary of this blog. A bunch of the questions boiled down to: what advice do you have on woodwind doubling? Here are a few answers:

    • Be a beginner on each instrument. Take the time to work through beginner materials (starting probably with pages of whole notes!), scales, and so forth. Resist the temptation to dive in on advanced or even intermediate repertoire.
    • Get comfortable with a long timeline. You can’t reach the highest levels of playing on a bunch of instruments in the same time that your peers are reaching the highest levels on single instruments, unless you’re a lot more talented than me. And you can’t afford to buy a section’s worth of top-quality instruments in that same time frame, either, unless you’re a lot richer than me.
    • Prioritize what motivates you. Lots of aspiring doublers seem very concerned about what instrument they “should” learn next. There’s no roadmap, and it’s hard to predict what gigs might come your way in the future. So you might as well devote your time, effort, and money to whichever instrument you feel most excited about adding to your collection.
    • Be skeptical of instruments, accessories, method books, etc. that are marketed as “for doublers.” If you want to play clarinet like a clarinetist, use what the clarinetists use.

    Some other readers asked about the “secrets” to practicing multiple instruments.

    As far as I know there aren’t any; if you want to play three or five instruments well, plan to put in three or five times as many hours. I’ve posted previously about an approach to an instrument rotation for practicing, but it really depends on you particular set of instruments, abilities, and goals.

    Another reader asked how hard it was for me to learn secondary instruments.

    Beyond general musicianship skills (like reading music or blending into an ensemble), I don’t think there’s a lot of useful cross-training effect. In other words, no instrument is a good shortcut to learning another, at least not learning it well. But I do think there are underlying concepts that can be useful for thinking of the woodwind family and its techniques as part of a unified whole. (I address those concepts in my book Woodwind Basics, or sprinkled throughout the last 15 years of blog posts.)

    Someone else asked about when to get serious about woodwind doubling (high school? undergraduate studies? graduate school?), which is something I’ve opined about previously.

    Everyone’s circumstances are different, but for my undergraduate music majors (and for me when I was in that stage) there are a couple of things that need to happen in their development: gain a certain level of mastery at operating the instrument itself, and develop a certain maturity of musicianship. While these things should be in development concurrently, achieving the first is ultimately a prerequisite to achieving the second. (You can’t fully execute a mature musical idea if you’re held back by technical deficiencies.) I think it can be a fun side pursuit to pick up an additional instrument or two in high school or college, but I think many people won’t be ready to pursue professional-level playing on multiple instruments until graduate school, and then won’t achieve it within the time frame of a graduate degree.

    Another reader asked questions about pursuing a career in playing in musical theater orchestras: is it worthwhile to go on to graduate school? How do you get more gigs (cold-call theaters? take lessons with Broadway players)?

    Graduate degrees (or any degrees) aren’t necessary for just about any kind of gig work, although they can provide useful training to improve your skills, gain some experience, and network with fellow musicians.

    I would say don’t call theaters. Venues are unlikely to hire musicians directly. Instead, you want to connect with the musical directors or contractors who are likely hiring the orchestra members. Direct outreach to those folks might be effective in some cases. But a lot of musical directors, if they call their usual players and find them unavailable, will ask them for recommendations, so the musicians already playing the gigs you want are both your competition and your best chances at getting hired. Taking lessons is a possible way to get a foot in the door. Sometimes just catching them after a show, introducing yourself, complimenting their playing, and handing over a business card can be enough to get you on their radar.

    Additionally, a career exclusively playing musicals would be an oddity. Most woodwind players who do musicals do lots of kinds of gigs. Develop your skills, build your network, and see what possibilities come your way.

    Someone else asked a question about the history of multiple woodwinds degree programs.

    This isn’t something I have dug into enough to answer with any confidence, but it would make a nice thesis or dissertation for someone working on a multiple woodwinds graduate degree. I do know that I’ve heard lots of folks confidently make conflicting claims about which degree programs were first or biggest or best, or about how the number or configuration or quality of degree programs has changed.

    Thanks for the thoughtful questions!

  • David Liebman on not doubling

    ByBret Pimentel

    Living jazz icon and soprano saxophonist David Liebman discusses his decision to abandon his doubles, even other saxophones:

    There comes a point in an artist’s life that he or she must be objective and identify the strongest aspects of their work. After the first flush of talent and success with all the dreams and desires accompanying that stage, there naturally comes a point in development where concentration of energy becomes necessary and one can see that with increased focus greater gains may be realized. … I realized that in a given set of an hour when I played all three instruments it resulted in very few actual moments spent on each horn. It had always been clear to me that one of the most important aspects for attaining a high level was achieved by pure and simple instrumental virtuosity. The only way that is accomplished is by the sheer amount of man hours spent with the horn in your mouth. And that means ONE horn, because though the tenor and soprano belong to the same family of instruments, they are different in many ways. It was clear that the only way for me to advance further was to concentrate energy on one or the other horn.

    Read the whole thing at Mr. Liebman’s website.

  • Raphael Sanders: Doubling the clarinets

    ByBret Pimentel

    A few tips on doubling on various sizes of clarinets, from Raphael Sanders, clarinet professor at SUNY Potsdam.

  • Woodwind doubling and saxophone problems

    ByBret Pimentel

    It’s very common for woodwind doublers to be saxophonists first, and approach the other woodwinds later, often because of the demands of flute/clarinet doubling in jazz big band music. So advice for woodwind doublers is often really advice for saxophonists playing secondary instruments. But when players of other woodwind instruments pick up the saxophone, there are some challenges that need to be addressed as well.

    Tone production problems (pitch, tone, response). Assuming good breath support is in place (the same as with any other woodwind), these problems are probably caused by some combination of embouchure and voicing issues.

    As with the other reed instruments, your embouchure should be airtight but not tight—just enough to close around the mouthpiece and reed, with your top teeth on the mouthpiece and your bottom lip in a neutral position (not rolled in or out). A tight embouchure constricts tone and reduces dynamic range.

    The mouthpiece should angle up to your embouchure a little, but not at nearly as steep an angle as the clarinet or the oboe. Too steep an angle contributes to an uncharacteristic, slightly clarinet-like tone.

    Use the paper trick to ensure you are taking in the right amount of mouthpiece. Taking in too much mouthpiece creates a wild, honky tone, and to little causes a stuffy, labored tone.

    Voicing is tricky to get right on the saxophones. Flutists and double reed players are used to playing with a voicing essentially as low as it can go, and clarinetists use an embouchure essentially as high as it can go. Saxophonists need to hit a target somewhere in between. Daily mouthpiece pitch exercises are the best way to train this. Using a too-high voicing causes the thin, pinched sound and poor low-register response that expose you as a doubler coming from the clarinet. A too-low voicing causes a tubby tone, unstable pitch, and unresponsive high notes.

    Fingering problems. The saxophone’s fingering system is in some ways the simplest and most intuitive of the modern woodwinds, but it has its share of problems. “Side” and “palm” keys are among them—they are awkward and imprecise to use, and take a great deal of practice to develop fluency. Similarly, movement between the pinky-finger keys using rollers, especially on the left hand, is problematic and requires diligent training. Scales and arpeggios, practiced though the instrument’s full standard range, are essential. Fluency in the saxophone’s middle register is comparatively easy, but the lowest notes (left-hand pinky) and highest notes (palm keys, especially left hand) are a real test of saxophone skill.

    Style problems. For doublers approaching the flute, clarinet, or double reeds, a solid classical/orchestral approach to the instrument will cover most musical demands. Not so with the saxophone, which is often used in jazz or popular styles. To play these styles convincingly requires meticulous attention to tone, inflection, articulation, vibrato, and other subtleties. Doublers learning the saxophone would be wise to consider taking lessons both from “classical” and jazz teachers, and to do a great deal of listening and study of many styles of music.

    Effective improvisation in various musical styles is a lifetime pursuit, and essential for serious saxophone gigging. Find a good teacher.

    Jazz and classical setups. For saxophonists, playing in different styles sometimes requires different equipment. It’s common to have a classical mouthpiece and at least one jazz/pop mouthpiece, plus reeds to suit each. A classical mouthpiece often doesn’t have the volume, brightness, or punchy articulation needed for jazz or rock, and a jazz mouthpiece may not have the warm/dark tone, pitch stability, and subtle/soft dynamics for classical music.

    Jaw vibrato. Jaw vibrato is a technique unique to the saxophone among the other woodwinds. (Clarinetists most often don’t use vibrato, and flutists and double reed players use a breath-pulse vibrato sometimes mislabeled as “diaphragm” vibrato.) Mastery of this skill takes good instruction and lots of practice. The saxophone vibrato needs to be fast, narrow, subtle, and fairly constant for most classical applications. Jazz players traditionally tend toward a slower, wider, terminal vibrato.

    The saxophone is a valuable and rewarding double, and opens up many gigs that aren’t available to players of just the “orchestral” woodwinds. Give it serious study on its own terms and with an excellent teacher. Practice well!

  • “Starting” notes with the tongue

    ByBret Pimentel

    There’s a common misconception about woodwind articulation, that notes somehow “start” with the tongue. So, how do you start notes with your tongue? Does your tongue somehow strike the reed, making it vibrate? Try it, I’ll wait.

    Hit that reed with your tongue as hard as you like, but I suspect nothing will happen until you add air. The truth of the matter is that air starts the vibration—the tongue actually stops it.

    photo, Evan Long

    So why use the tongue at the beginning of a note—why not just start the air? Try it as an experiment. Starting from zero air pressure, very gradually add air. You will probably hear air noise first, and then tone. Can you predict precisely when the tone will kick in? Using the tongue allows the note to be “released” after sufficient air pressure is in place, avoiding the airy and unpredictable note beginning.

    Thinking in terms of the tongue releasing the note rather than kickstarting it leads to more efficient, controlled, and subtle articulation.

  • Woodwind Doubler Census 2021 results, part 4: gigs

    ByBret Pimentel

    Thanks to all who participated in my 2021 woodwind doubling survey, and to those who helped spread the word. I’m releasing the results in installments, so be sure to use my social media links, RSS feeds, etc. to keep up.

    I got 284 responses, an improvement over 2011’s 187. The numbers for each of these questions don’t necessarily add up to exactly that number, since not everybody responded to every question.

    What is your main source of income? (under normal circumstances)

    “Retired” was an option I neglected to include, but enough of you wrote it in that I’ve added it to the chart here. Some of you also wrote in other things, most of which I felt fit into the existing categories, so I’ve used my best judgment to include them here.

    2021 DATA
    playing gigs5118%
    teaching music9735%
    working in another aspect of music207%
    working in a non-music field6322%
    student, supported by family/financial aid/etc.4014%
    retired104%
    2011 DATA
    playing gigs4021%
    teaching music4223%
    working in another aspect of music42%
    working in a non-music field4424%
    student4222%
    other158%

    Which types of paid woodwind doubling gigs have you done in the past?

    Some of you wrote in additional categories such as church gigs, concert bands in the community or the military, and theme parks.

    2021 Data
    school/community theater22981%
    large-scale tour of a musical (as traveling orchestra member)4215%
    large-scale tour of a musical (as local hire)7426%
    Broadway show or other major-city musical production (as permanent orchestra member)4315%
    Broadway show or other major-city musical production (as sub)7426%
    orchestral, opera, or similar15655%
    chamber music15856%
    studio recording (as leader or permanent group member)4616%
    studio recording (as hired gun)11842%
    television/radio/broadcast (live)3613%
    television/radio/broadcast (pre-recorded)3813%
    jazz big band15856%
    jazz small group or solo10939%
    rock/pop group7527%
    cruise ship176%
    none228%
    2011 Data
    school/community theater153
    large-scale tour of a musical (as traveling orchestra member)17
    large-scale tour of a musical (as local hire)47
    Broadway show or other major-city musical production (as permanent orchestra member)29
    Broadway show or other major-city musical production (as sub)29
    orchestral, opera, or similar86
    studio recording (as leader or permanent group member)28
    studio recording (as hired gun)72
    television/radio/broadcast (live)26
    television/radio/broadcast (pre-recorded)29
    jazz big band112
    jazz small group or solo87
    rock/pop group65
    cruise ship18
    other25

    Which of these do you play?

    Some of you wrote in additional genres. A handful mentioned musical theater as being its own genre or mish-mash of genres.

    2021 Data
    classical music27095%
    jazz music22981%
    pop/rock music15655%
    folk/world music7827%
    2011 Data
    classical178
    jazz160
    pop/rock124
    folk/ethnic60
    other19

    How often do you improvise (such as jazz improvisation) on gigs?

    2021 Data
    never4316%
    rarely7728%
    sometimes10036%
    always or nearly always5721%
    2011 Data
    never3117%
    rarely5329%
    sometimes5831%
    always or nearly always4323%

    On average, how frequently do you have woodwind doubling gigs? (under normal circumstances)

    2021 Data
    Every week or more4516%
    Every month or more7638%
    Every three months or more6423%
    Every six months or more5319%
    Never or almost never3613%
    2011 Data
    Every week or more4424%
    Every month or more5228%
    Every three months or more3217%
    Every six months or more2312%
    Less than once every six months3619%

    What kind of competition is there for woodwind doubling gigs in your area?

    2021 Data
    slim or nonexistent4516%
    moderate13950%
    fierce5620%
    don’t know or not applicable3814%
    2011 Data
    slim or nonexistent4023%
    moderate9855%
    fierce4022%

    Which of the following teaching situations are part of your income?

    2021 Data
    private lessons15354%
    ensemble directing or chamber music coaching5720%
    teaching from home or a private studio9734%
    teaching at a school (elementary through high school)7025%
    teaching at a university or conservatory6222%
    teaching more than one woodwind instrument10437%
    teaching classroom-type (including online) courses about music (such as music theory, history, etc.)4215%
    2011 Data
    private lessons93
    ensemble directing or chamber music coaching39
    teaching from home or a private studio58
    teaching at a school (elementary through high school)38
    teaching at a university or conservatory31
    teaching more than one woodwind instrument66

    How has woodwind doubling affected your employability?

    2021 Data
    no discernible effect239%
    slight improvement to employability2711%
    moderate improvement to employability5823%
    significant improvement to employability14357%
    decreased employability00%
    does not apply2810%
    2011 Data
    no effect2313%
    slight improvement to employability2514%
    moderate improvement to employability3218%
    significant improvement to employability9354%
    decreased employability11%

    Which of these have resulted from your woodwind doubling?

    2021 Data
    more non-doubling gigs on my primary instrument(s)10738%
    more non-doubling gigs on my secondary instrument(s)13648%
    fewer non-doubling gigs on my primary instrument(s)228%
    fewer non-doubling gigs on my secondary instrument(s)41%
    none of these9233%
    2011 Data
    more non-doubling gigs on my primary instrument(s)69
    more non-doubling gigs on my secondary instrument(s)86
    fewer non-doubling gigs on my primary instrument(s)19
    fewer non-doubling gigs on my secondary instrument(s)6

    What woodwind-doubling-related goals or ambitions do you have, that you have not (fully) achieved yet?

    Responses given here in random order and lightly edited.

    to be a professional historical woodwind doubler
    LA studio musician (not likely as I don’t live in LA and health of industry)
    Double tonguing on flute with success. Playing jazz clarinet successfully at my saxophone skill level.
    * Excellent question! I found it clarifying to put down some of my doubling goals in writing.

    – starting a woodwind quintet consisting of doublers
    – performing solo recitals on flute/clarinet
    – make a living primarily through professional level musical theater work
    Proficiency on double reeds
    I really want to pick up some double reeds! Oboe has been calling to me for years but I don’t have the money yet to get my hands on one.
    And some day I’d love to play in a West End show.
    playing double reed instruments
    N/A
    Ability to make double reeds.
    Synth work.
    Proficiency on double reeds
    I would love to own one of each type woodwind from each instrument family.
    Playing more pops orchestra shows
    Playing more professional shows like a regional musical theater gig
    Playing a musical and having a book that has oboe, flute, sax, and clarinet.
    Broadway show in New York
    Parity across all families of instruments
    Become more fluid with double reds and flute
    Better at jazz improv; skill on my doubles at level of primary instrument.
    Broadway subbing, traveling tour sub
    Getting a more consistent flute tone, and soloing better on both flute and clarinet
    Be a consistent member of a union theater
    Playing all instruments at the same skill level
    I would LOVE to play in a real Broadway (or even touring) pit. With all that life demands, at this stage, that’s not a likely thing. But it would be rad. That’s about the only thing that could ever make me consider leaving teaching :)
    Developing my own line of single reeds
    Greater level of improvisational ability in various jazz styles, familiarity with a larger variety of ‘world’ instruments (esp. flutes)
    Own remaining missing ‘standard’ instruments across all families (have still studied most that I don’t own but will lose access upon graduation)
    I have a few dream shows, I’d like to commission a piece for 5 woodwind doublers
    Great fluency in the jazz idiom. I was going to reserve that as a sabbatical project, but I got a head start with it as a pandemic project and it’s benefiting my classical playing on all instruments as well.
    More theatre work
    I want to create an online course or program to help woodwind doublers improve their flute/piccolo/alto flute skills, but I need to make sure there’s a market for that!
    Learn bassoon, better flute ability
    I would like to become a regular hire for a downtown theatre company in Boston. I would also like to learn bassoon.
    Playing union rate shows more frequently
    I would love to feel more confident while playing gigs. Even though I get called back, I never feel like I sound as good as some other doublers and I feel that I sound better at home than I do at the gig. Also I’d love to play at higher profile venues, Broadway tours, etc.
    More frequent and regular doubling gigs
    Find consistent playing opportunities.
    To complete my doctorate and befome a professor of woodwinds at a university.
    Owning an English Horn. Maybe Bassoon as well?
    Improving my skills on instruments I have the least experience at. Purchasing more secondary instruments that I don’t have.
    Play orchestral clarinet gigs
    I would like to hone my skills on bassoon and clarinet (the two instruments I think I am best at besides my primary) and would love to gain more experience on the doubles I struggle with (flute and oboe). I would also enjoy becoming a “low reeds doubler” of sorts who specialized in A/T/B saxophone, bassoon, and bass clarinet.
    Play with a professional show
    Improving skills on my secondary instruments
    Practice more
    Try oboe again, but need an instrument.
    learning oboe
    Owning all the instruments most often seen in a reed 1 boom
    Learn the double reeds. Play in a big tour/original production or West end. Study a multi woodwind degree, Play in an ensemble on just flute.
    Do a paid gig
    To sub on additional Broadway shows.
    Just to get better?
    To create my own music
    Fluency in bassoon/flute, making multitrack videos which allow me to get chops up for wider array of woodwinds
    A true Broadway gig, but that will have to wait!
    the abilities of playing on each instruments at the same level as my primary instrument.
    I achieved a tenure-track position this year. That was my goal. I need a new goal!
    To play in national level musical theatre
    Bassoon
    Still working on tenor sax. I plan to branch out from the greater flute family at some point but reeds are incredibly different and require much more work on my end before I’ll feel comfortable with them.
    To achieve the same level of proficiency as my main instrument.
    Get better on flute
    Study of double reeds
    playing all my instruments at approximately a college undergraduate level, learning the oboe (no money for one yet), acquiring more of the secondary instruments (alto flute, bass clarinet, more saxophones – no money for those either)
    Playing in some shows that, musically, are extremely complex and would be very challenging.
    Full time woodwind playing work
    Get pit work regularly
    Mastery of oboe and bassoon.
    Being proficient on all of the major woodwind family of instruments.
    More Broadway shows as a local hire
    I still want to get my flute and clarinet playing strong enough to do work in an orchestral setting
    To be better at Oboe and Flute.
    I would like to have regular, paid doubling gigs.
    Improvise at the level I want to on oboe and english horn. Also to buy my own bass clarinet and set of low flutes.
    I still need to improve my flute chops
    Perform at the Dallas Summer Musicals
    Publish a book on woodwind pedagogy, record a multiple woodwinds album and form a woodwind doubling chamber ensemble.
    Would like to own every saxophone and eventually learn the double reed instruments
    I want to reach the level of a Broadway doubler. Eddie Daniels is one of my heros.
    Record more standard solo works on various woodwind doubles
    Piccolo has always been a struggle for me and i would like to get some proficiency on that
    Improve my clarinet playing.
    Bringing my secondary instrument (Oboe) to the level of my primary instrument (Saxophone)
    Take oboe lessons and become a stronger oboist
    Would like to be called for more musicals
    Learn Bassoon, Get clarinet to a very high level. Play on Broadway
    Play musical theatre show on flute which is my weakest instrument
    I would like to get better at bassoon and low reeds.
    learn bass clarinet, and get hired for gigs on only secondary instrument[s]
    buying a pro flute and reaching the same level on flute as my clarinet and sax. I might be interested in learning oboe later.
    To improve my sax playing so that it is the same standard as my other instruments
    Would like to get into folk woodwinds more.
    I want to spend more time on improving my flute, sax, and bassoon to match my level on clarinet (the instrument I studied longest/most). My doubles are fine for playing shows and I have not run into any issues performing on them, but I know that there are areas of my playing on those instruments that I want to improve with continued study.
    Bassoon.
    Adding a 3rd instrument
    I would love to woodwind double professionally. My dream is to be able to have a seat in a Broadway orchestra or on a cruise ship. I am also trying to get accepted to a woodwind doubling program in college (I’m a high school junior right now).
    I play sax primarily, can play clarinet and oboe, want to be proficient on flute
    Double reeds in musicals
    Would like to play on a Broadway tour
    Consistent musical theater doubler.
    Playing on Broadway eventually
    – to play every single woodwind instrument as best as possible. The listener should not hear differences between your primarly and secondary instruments.
    – someday to play in NYC in a broadway show as a sub :-)
    Playing in regional tours of Broadway shows, or playing in pits for more local/professional productions
    Hoping to do my first doubling gig this fall!
    I would like to add piccolo and alto flute capacity. I’d like to purchase a new high quality bass clarinet.
    Play a Broadway show tour.
    Making use of electronic wind instruments more mainstream in theatre pits as an alternative to shifting multiple parts to keyboards.
    Saxophone altissimo work
    College professor of one or more woodwind instrument
    Sub on Broadway. Work to diversity Musical Theatre Pit Orchestras nation-wide through social justice initiatives.
    I would like to achieve semi-professional level in at least one of my instrument families, and get paid to perform in a doubling context.
    Permanent musical theatre pit orchestra member.
    I’m looking to study clarinet in college, not necessarily in a woodwind-doubling context, but I would like to work both as a doubler and as a classical musician after college.
    Playing certain musical theatre shows like Phantom of the Opera.
    To get more comfortable with my flute playing. I’d like to get more comfortable with my technique in all registers so less overall practice is required when I take a flute gig. I’d also like to improve my tone quality so I feel less like an imposter when performing on flute.
    Get better at my doubles
    Wish I could play flute. Wish I owned a bari sax and a bass clarinet.
    Adding bassoon— the final frontier!
    Masters in multiple woodwinds
    I want to play as a permanent member of a national/ international tour and possibly play on Broadway some day.
    I would like to play in musicials, and i would like to become fluent on all 5 of the woodwind family members.
    Learn to play oboe
    I would very much like to improve my skills on flute.
    I would like to play a doubling book for an original musical & record its cast album. Also, as a young student, my goal was to work towards a permanent doubling seat on Broadway. But now as an adult, I realize that theater can be made anywhere & there are other major cities producing fine theater.
    Playing in professional level theatre orchestra
    None to be honest. I’m completely satisfied with the opportunities I’ve had and there’s nothing really left on my doubling bucket list.
    Feel confident taking a musical theatre gig with heavier flute requirements.
    To better my double reed proficiency. I’ve taken oboe lessons for six months during Covid and improved significantly, but I need to purchase a different bassoon with short-reach keys before I can do much with it.
    Play for a professional tour
    Play in musicals at Broadway.
    Getting my flutes chops on the same level as my sax/clarinet abilities. Improvising, particularly on flute.
    Play more recitals.
    Play for a professional level theater production
    Being versatile enough on all the secondary instruments to not be nervous for a theatre or session call.
    Playing for touring theatre shows
    Technique-wise, get to a solid skill level on flute, bass clarinet, and soprano/baritone sax, and improve my tenor chops. In the future (after college), I’d like to be able to make a living at least partially from doubling in musical pits/cruise ships/etc.
    Broadway!
    To play in a pit on Broadway. Be a part of a studio recording
    There are a few shows I’d like to do still.
    I aim to play with characteristic expression & tone color on all my instruments, and to feel as comfortable improvising on all my instruments as I do on my primary.
    I have yet to enter the world of paid doubling gigs, as many of my instruments are newly acquired. I’d love to double in a pit band/orchestra for theatre or similar.
    Maintaining skills is a challenge. Steady practice time.
    Acquiring a larger number of students on my secondary instruments
    Release a jazz album displaying all my doubles on improvised solos.
    To be known as a doubler on all 5 major woodwinds
    Experience most of the major wind instruments
    Learning bassoon
    Improvising as comfortably on doubles, as on saxophone (primary instrument)
    Play with a touring Broadway musical
    Met my career goals, in general.
    Making music with some of the best musicians in the world
    doctoral level degree and college teaching
    To be widely known as the best in my market.
    Learn bassoon
    Get the double reeds going, starting with Bassoon
    A few more recordings I wish to do.
    Get better on saxes
    The goal is to be as proficient on clarient as saxophone.
    I would like to get a gig in a significant production outside of community theater.
    I would like to become proficient on all saxophones
    Growth as an improviser, not only in “traditional” jazz, but also in folk/world and contemporary/avant-garde stlyes;
    increased mastery of contemporary playing techniques (multiphonics, microtonality, etc.) on all instruments;
    recording projects (multi-track and single instrument);
    Possibly authoring pedagogical materials for aspiring doublers, especially aspiring double Reed musicians
    Getting the last two familes of woodwinds up to the level of my “primary” three. Also, buy a contrabassoon.
    learning bassoon
    Be more regularly employed locally, without touring
    Playing all instruments at a more accomplished level. If not then understanding better to be a better teacher of each instrument.
    Solo recording with own arrangements
    Extended technique knowledge/facility on “secondary” instruments
    Master flute
    Would love to do a few pro show seasons or even just sub.
    Bring up the double reeds to a higher standard!
    I’d love to become equally proficient in every woodwind instruments.
    Getting in a Broadway musical pit
    Be able to play flute equally well as clarinet and saxophone, buy an oboe/be able to use it as a double for theater and/or jazz big band, become a regularly contracted musician in my local professional theater scene

    What are your proudest or most significant achievements as a woodwind doubler?

    Responses given here in random order and lightly edited.

    Playing my first book without a primary instrument.
    Giving degree recitals on all of them.
    Playing at major university graduation ceremonies
    Being able to play flute proficiently as a sub on a show in Florida. I no longer have to transpose flute parts on the clarinet!
    Getting into a DMA program in Multiple Woodwinds
    Performed West Side Story multiple times.
    Being able to teach beginners in middle school band settings and help them see it’s possible to do more than one. One student has gone on to become proficient in multiple woodwinds and is considering it for employment after college because of this setup.
    Cover an Oboe/Eng Horn pit orchestra part after 6 weeks of playing (after not playing oboe for 30 years).
    I’ve been a hired member of a national tour.
    That sometimes at a gig people will think I’m a clarinetist until they hear me play the saxophone. The other proudest achievement was getting that look people give you when something really stood out in a good way, and it was after one of the piccolo solos in the Addam’s Family Reed 1 book
    Helping with a workshop production of a new musical
    Generally speaking, the times that I have been able to take what was once a double and represent myself as a specialist on that instrument are the memories that stand out (ex. playing principal chair or a major solo in an orchestra on my former “double,” performing on a former “double” at major a conference). Nothing too major to report here. :)
    Feeling confident enough in my abilities to accept any and all doubling gigs… and getting called back to do more
    Professional oboe/English horn playing
    25 years in the Orpheum theater orchestra in Memphis.
    Performing with a major musical production touring through the city. Also performing with one of the finest opera companies on earth (though not as a doubler)
    Touring with a show and getting to know the other band members
    Playing the oboe/English horn parts on WEST SIDE STORY and TUCK EVERLASTING.
    Learning to play the flute to a professional standard
    Getting non-doubling gigs on my secondary instruments as it makes me feel like I am legit on them rather than the stereotype of just a doubler who is dabbling.
    Playing my first pit gig on oboe and tenor saxophone, and mostly teaching myself tenor sax and clarinet
    Performing in over a hundred different groups / situations.
    Being asked to play an off Broadway tour
    Feeling adequate enough to finally step up and attempt flute for a live gig (Drowsy Chaperone)
    I achieved a tenure-track position as assistant professor of flute and clarinet.
    Traveling with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, being a first call sub at a union opera house.
    my first season as a gig muscian
    My proudest accomplishment was subbing on a few shows on Broadway, and having it all go well! I worked very hard preparing the books and following all of the advice I was given by peers and past teachers. The recurring positive comments I have heard from other reed players, music directors, and contractors has confirmed that I am on the right path. Working as a regular sub on Broadway has been one of my greatest performance (and life) accomplishments.
    Depping in the west end
    Being able to do orchestral excerpts better than majors – eg rhapsody in blue opening excerpt better than a clarinet major
    Also getting recognised for my efforts.
    Getting a contra alto clarinet solo in a wind ensemble.
    Making a living on Broadway in NYC
    One of my proudest achievements as a woodwind doubler was learning the book for my first show as a doubler. Another achievement was playing the Oboe/English Horn book in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I wasn’t proficient with double reeds at the time, so I transposed the whole book to saxophone! It was a lot of work, but it was totally worth it. Getting to play in a show gives me such a sense of joy!
    Getting props from Edgar Meyer while playing contrabass clarinet on his own bass concerto
    composing and performing a concerto for woodwind doubler and orchestra
    One of only very few people within a 100km radius that plays all five woodwind families at a pro level, and owns the instruments.
    Playing major difficult community theater pits like West Side Story and Chicago.
    Being the teacher of record on two different instruments at a major university.
    playing as a local hire of broadway tours in multiple cities in the region
    Don’t know if this counts: In High School, after my sophomore year, our only oboe player graduated. My band director asked if I wanted to learn oboe over the summer, so I did. Played it the next two years in concert band (while playing alto sax in jazz band)
    Graduating with my Masters in Multiple Woodwind Performance from NJCU! (And seeing my students succeed due to my skills as a doubler/educator.)
    Being the first call for many of the Music Directors in my area.
    Making oboe reeds that work!
    When I first made a decent sound on a flute and then again on piccolo.
    Being able to sight read the music on tenor sax an clarinet. Being able to cover my own part w/out another player sitting next to me to cover the clarinet part.
    I played the whole run of community theater Once Upon a Mattress splitting both the horn book and the oboe book. (1/2 the run on horn, 1/2 the run on oboe)
    Doubling in a jazz band
    Getting paid as a doubler in a community theater setting, which is what I love doing.
    West Side Story
    Making first woodwind chair in a regonal production of “The Wizard Of Oz”
    Appearing on several albums and soundtracks
    Subbing on shows with lots of fast horn changes, difficult technical passages, and exposed solos, and doing it well. Finding time to practice, heh.
    A collegiate musical premiere
    At a read-through, playing more accurately than my colleagues
    1. Recital with a world-class pianist, playing major literature on flute, clarinet, and alto sax. 2. Subbing flute/picc/clarinet/sax book on the 1st National tour of Les Miz with no rehearsal
    My reputation as a doubler has grown and people identify my musicianship with this skill.
    Subbing for Beautiful a Carole King Musical National Tour!
    Being able to play what I’m needed to play on the instrument wanted.
    Playing almost all of the woodwind books of West Side Story during various production runs.
    Broadway shows
    Broadway
    Being able to play nearly any woodwind asked for
    Oboe
    West Side Story WW books…having played 3 different books over different shows.
    I can now fluently cross the break on clarinet.
    Playing on Broadway and LA Studio work. I also currently play on all the Disney on Ice recordings.
    Being able to play at a level on each instrument where people assume each instrument is my only instrument
    Playing more professional gigs that more heavily involved doubles, even gigs only on doubles (no saxophone)
    Playing some sax heavy show books, laughing about my soprano sax debut.
    Being able to come into a sub situation and knock it out of the park. I’ve gotten most of my regular gigs from subbing in musicals and jazz bands.
    Getting the opportunity to play the pre-Broadway run of Frozen
    Being on two national Broadway tours
    Playing for Penn State School of Theatre productions.
    Performing as a guest artist at the Aspen Music Festival on flute, clarinet, saxophone, and oboe
    Learning oboe/English horn on request from beginner to anchoring the chair for a production of Les Mis in 6 months, and playing well enough that everyone who didn’t know me thought I was an oboist and asked to hire me for orchestra gigs only on oboe. 😂
    I was part of a professional recording session in high school. In graduate school, I got to play in a side-by-side performance with the local professional orchestra.
    Sight-reading on Broadway
    Developing my abilities on my secondary instruments to gain enough confidence to seek out gigs including those instruments, knowing that I can manage them reasonably.
    Arranging wind books and playing all three for an album
    Playing a show where i had to cover sax and clarinet parts out of 5 reed books because the only other WW player was flute/piccolo. I basically made my own book.
    got a call when the band need some doubles
    Reed 2 – Music Man
    An American in Paris – Westchester Broadway Theatre 2019
    Moving to a new area and almost immediately getting gigs – also companies enjoying my playing and keeping me in the loop
    professional work
    Playing 7 instruments in one show; flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, soprano/alto/tenor saxophone.
    Getting the opportunity to play for a filled production of beauty and the beast for Disney’s “Encores!”
    Phone rings again
    Playing clarinet/bass clarinet in my university’s top orchestra, subbing on clarinet in a semi-professional orchestra, playing clarinet/bass clarinet/alto flute on a Gil Evans repertory concert and getting complimented by a flute professor who didn’t know me
    I was very hesitant to write this, as the gig has not happened yet. — But I recently booked a Broadway tour as a permanent member. I will be going later this year. I feel that this is a major milestone for me & it’s something ive been working towards since my youth.
    Hearing my students progress.
    I’m grateful for having had the opportunity to play so many different musical theater productions.
    Having others in the ensemble not be able to tell which instruments are my primary/secondary
    Getting a (part-time) University job before even completing my Masters.
    Making a respectable living performing full-time as a doubler.
    Being able to hold my own in an orchestra section on my secondary (bassoon in this case)
    Playing a regional broadway show.
    Top call woodwind doubler in Houston and playing An American in Paris movie score with the Houston Symphony (tenor sax/Bb clarinet)
    Being able to read and pick up most parts on the spot, and being able to translate jazz improvisation to doubles
    Live performance concerts with stars traveling to town to perform.
    Being able to go from tenor sax to clarinet w/out a glitch. Really being able to nail the parts.
    Subbing on Broadway, hearing myself in a film score for the first time.
    extending my flute register was so rewarding, something i struggled with for a while.
    Being asked by the music director of a show I was subbing in , which instrument was my primary. She could not tell.
    Recording an album last year
    called again by the contractor of a big city musical show a second time :-)
    Performing as Reed 1 at the American Repertory Theater.
    Making music with some of the best musicians in the world
    6 Instruments on one musical.
    I have enjoyed being able to play across multiple books with facility. I enjoy the challenge of performing multiple woodwinds at a single performance (typically a musical).
    Subbing on a well known and long-standing Broadway musical.
    Having a fine violinist in NYC tap me on the shoulder with her now and ask which of my six instruments in the gig was my first instrument. Of course I never told her
    International competition wins on multiple instruments
    I agreed to play a production is Oklahoma, knowing it would REALLY stretch my clarinet chops. I knew I’d be playing 2nd, to a far superior clarinetist/friend so I thought it would be great. All the bass was in the 2nd book, so she took that and said “You’re on 1st. Have fun!” It was terrifying, at first, but ended up being one of my best experiences and that one run raised my clarinet chops from passable (at best) to a place I felt confident, moving forward, taking predominantly clarinet books.
    Receiving a return call to play from a contractor.
    Live tv, session work, pro theatre
    Being able to switch onto clarinet and still feel somewhat comfortable. Being given a very heavy doubling book all to myself show coming up!)
    Playing West Side Story professionally.
    Finally feeling comfortable on all my doubles but always more to learn
    Regular, paid theater work at a local professionally managed theater
    The Cor Anglais solo in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
    Forty years on Broadway, Concerts, recordings, tours
    Working in musical theatre
    Learning to play the Eb Clarinet for a specific gig.
    Playing for a major cancer fundraiser cabaret event, personal connection and great musicians.
    Playing the original US production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame
    Dixieland and ragtime solos in musicals on secondary instrument, playing with a group of reeds where everyone is formally trained on their primary and very very good on the others
    I have fairly quickly become one of the top woodwind players in the area and I (under normal circumstances) often have more offers to perform than will fit in my schedule. What more could I ask for?
    Playing in the orchestra for the premiere of “Ain’t Too Proud”
    Playing for touring musicals in Denver
    Played in 117 different shows on Broadway
    Become a competent oboist
    Creating Doublers Collective
    Touring Broadway show local hire.
    I recorded an an album that featured a set of original music and features myself as a soloist on 10 different woodwinds.
    Played on a few Broadway shows that passed through town
    Broadway and first national tours.
    Playing an entire reed book for a musical is very satisfying, particularly as a non-major/non-career musician
    Performing on multiple secondary instruments that I taught myself and haven’t played very much and being successful. Playing 6 instruments for one Broadway musical.
    Playing in multiple ensembles for fun
    learning and playing in two community theatre performances at the same time
    Community theatre is enough for me!😁 at least thus far
    Playing the flute in a show, and people commenting that they thought it was an actual flutist. Playing clarinet in a Dixieland group.
    High level of ability across most major woodwind families, high level of flexibility, and ability to learn quickly (either styles or instruments)
    Hired to play flute books on shows
    Playing several touring shows as local hire. Being by company to play in another city because they liked my work.
    That I can play multiple instruments
    Playing (tenor/clarinet) with Lady Gaga in her Jazz & Piano show in Vegas. Outside of that, all of the subbing I’ve done on production shows and musicals.
    National Tour
    Becoming the alto sax player at six flags fiesta texas
    easily switching between different families of winds
    Being reviewed by you!
    When someone thinks a double is my primary
    Building a solid reputation as being a great musician and nice person.
    Woodwind-doubling has checked items of my bucket list I never knew I had! Because of doubling, I have gotten to tour the world and have landed in a lovely corner of the world.
    Touring Japan with a show. Also performing with celebrity artists like Johnny Mathis
    Reading an entire musical book that used 98% flute
    I have a contracted position in a pit orchestra where I play over 100 performances per year.
    My flute sound.
    Masters recital at UNT where I performed on all five woodwind instruments
    1. Writing and recording my own works. 2. Film scores
    Being able to play both flute and dizi for multiple concerts in a wide variety of musical group types (ethnic orchestra, concert band, guitar ensemble, etc.)
    Being told that they couldn’t tell what my primary instrument was.
    Traveling with a production to perform at the International Thespian Society Conference in Nebraska
    Playing flute for the first time in a show this weekend!:)) Being flexibile!:) Being able to play so many shows!:)
    Flute: learning Nielsen’s flute concerto
    Clarinet: learning the Brahms sonatas
    Saxophone: final recording project (small group jazz) for my undergraduate degree
    Being hired to do full performances on secondary instruments
    Being the first to incorporate electronic wind instruments into professional theatre pits in my area.
    Talking about ocarinas long enough that people around me became interested in the instrument, eventually resulting in the credits song of this piece: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92HX8Zstijs
    I landed myself on a national tour of a musical
    Getting a gig where I had to play 14 instruments in one night, while simultaneously compèring for the event!
    Becoming just as sufficient on flute as the other flute majors at my university.
    playing bassoon and contrabass clarinet for my university’s production of a musical after having “played” clarinet for all of six weeks
    Winning a Premier Military Big Band seat
    I had to pick up clarinet for a university jazz gig after having not played in about two years and it went really well.
    Hired for a show at a professional summer stock theater
    Some shows made me get good at instruments. For example bass clarinet and clarinet.
    I’m proud of when I played reed 3 on Annie as it was the first time I did a show that didn’t include my primary instrument.
    Playing a show with a Bari on a harness and making the switch to the bass clarinet in 4 beats
    I am most proud of getting into a Master’s degree and switching from a flute primary to oboe primary.
    Being the only doubler in high school band concerts
    I received two awards for “best instrumentalist” in high school for two different instruments. It allowed me to get a significant music scholarship.
    Being a big band MD commissioning new works and being able to offer composers the choice of lots of woodwinds
    Getting my first paid gig in a pit band
    Playing in various orchestras with directors on different Instruments at different times, and then not suspecting that I wasn’t on my primary instrument.

    Thanks again for your participation and stay tuned for more survey results.

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