liveyourlifeat-fortissimo asked: To the person asking for tips on covering the holes all the way: Another thing that might help is watching yourself practicing in the mirror. It can be a little weird at first, but it can help solve lots of different problems while you're practicing. You'll get it eventually! :-) Happy practicing!

agreed! haha

thanks!

maryaleida asked: Hey! I was wondering what I could use to polish my bass clarinet properly, as the keys are rather tarnished. I'm wary to try anything I'm not 100% sure of, like household polish, so can you give me some suggestions?

I’m not an expert in polishing tools, but I just use a plain ol’ polishing rag on my instruments. I’ve had it for quite a long while and it still works just fine.

-justbriann

wendythecreeper asked: Do you have any pointers on keeping my fingers closer to the keys of the clarinet? I've been trying to improve on that, but my fingers just end up somewhat-covering the holes and making my notes sound funny, and it's just becoming really stressful figuring that out...

That funny sound would be the notes going out of tune.

The only thing I can recommend is practicing slow and just paying close attention to the finger positions. The right hand will be naturally more tense sinse the instrument is supported by it. The left hand will be a little more loose and tend to do some weird things unless you pay close attention. If the problem you’re having is in the left hand, try to put a little bit more tension in the fingers. You don’t want them to be too lose or you won’t have complete control over them. Try to match the tnesion in your right hand.

Hope this can solve your problem. =]

-justbriann

myshowisbetterthanyourshow asked: I hear a lot about how much finding 'the right mouthpiece for me' can improve my sound. How important is it for me to find a new mouthpiece for myself? I got my clarinet from a friend, and have just been using her mouthpiece. I'm just in the high school band - is a new mouthpiece going to really be worth it - or will it even change my playing at all?

The mouthpiece/ligature set up is one of the most important aspects of playing. It will improve your sound dramatically if you find the right one. Some can even be used as teaching tools by allowing the player to hear more clearly what he/she is doing right or wrong.

I play on a James Canter mouthpiece and a custom made springboard lig. When I got both at the beginning of my college career my sound improved dramatically after I got used to them.

That being said, if you are serious about playing in the HS band and maybe want to continue in college, I would recommend looking into buying a new setup. Just go to a good music store, bring your instrument and try a bunch of different mouthpieces until you find one that you like.

If I remember correctly, when I was in HS I played on a B45 Lyre and an olegature. It was way better than the stock Buffet setup I was playing on.

Hope this helped! =]

-justbriann

bassisbetter:

In the clarinet world we don’t say “I love you,” we say “You ain’t no Bob Spring” which roughly translates to “Slur two, tongue two,” and I think that’s just beautiful.