- The Flute View (Kim Lewis): Three Takeaways from Playing at the Met Gala with Lizzo
- Flute Journal (Peter Westbrook): The Bansuri and Pulangoil, Bamboo Flutes of India
- the Operatic Saxophone (Mary Huntimer): The Mystery of the Selmer Cigar Cutter Alto Saxophone in E and the followups A Selmer Cigar Cutter in E? Some Answers and more Questions… and Selmer high pitched alto saxophone? Possible answers to why this exists… [spoiler: it’s a “high pitch” alto]
- International Clarinet Association (Douglas Carleton, Bob Wilber, Henry Duckham, Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman): Reprints from Early Years of The Clarinet: Jazz
Woodwinds: Clarinet
Favorite blog posts, May 2023
Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, May 2023 edition.
Favorite blog posts, March 2023
Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, March 2023 edition.
Experiments with electric woodwinds
I’ve been having fun with woodwinds enhanced with pickups or microphones. (If you’re interested in natively-electronic instruments like wind controllers, I’ve written about those elsewhere.) I still have a lot to learn about working with electronics. But here are a few observations in case anyone finds them helpful. Which instrument(s) to use? I find lower-pitched … Read more
Switching between clarinets: tone production
Switching between any two instruments, even two closely-related ones, is a challenging prospect. You must practice for many hours to do it well. But often people switching between clarinets (such as between B-flat clarinet and bass clarinet) are making larger changes than necessary. The fundamental concepts in clarinet tone production are breath support, voicing, and … Read more
Clarinet glissando
There are few more coveted clarinet techniques than the smooth glissando, as heard in the famous opening to Rhapsody in Blue. But the technique isn’t intuitive, and lots of questions persist about how to do it. (Incidentally: the Rhapsody in Blue score doesn’t call for a smooth portamento-type effect, but a scale with discrete notes. … Read more
How to fix your clarinet section
Teaching a beginning or intermediate clarinet section? Here are some things to consider:
Favorite blog posts, December 2022
Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, December 2022 edition.
Review: ClariMate digital clarinet mute by Buffet-Crampon
Bottom line: the ClariMate is an interesting gadget with potential for various uses, but it’s a little rough around the edges. Consider buying one now as a tech toy if you’re an early-adopter type, or wait for a new-and-improved iteration if you need something that just works. I recently got my hands on the “ClariMate,” … Read more
Favorite blog posts, November 2022
Hand-picked high-quality woodwind-related blog posts from around the web, November 2022 edition.