Clarinet Secrets

Michele Gingras is Distinguished Professor Emerita of clarinet at Miami University (OH), where she was named Curry Distinguished Educator and Distinguished Scholar of the graduate faculty. She has performed and taught masterclasses worldwide, released more than a dozen CDs, and written 200 articles and reviews for numerous international publications as well as two books: Clarinet Secrets (2004) and More Clarinet Secrets (2011). She is past secretary of the International Clarinet Association and is an artist clinician for Buffet Crampon and Légère Reeds.

Terminology

1 Tonguing Strategies
1. Rocket-Speed Tonguing
2. One-Motion Tonguing
3. Energy-Saving Tonguing
4. Finger-Tongue Coordination
5. Effortless Staccato across All Registers
6. Relaxed Jaw
7. The Light Tongue Exercise
8. Ping!
9. Articulation Vocabulary
10. Double Tonguing
11. Flutter Tonguing
12. Slap Tonguing

2 Intonation Strategies
13. Practicing with the Drone
14. Hearing Difference Tones
15. Tuning with the Piano
16. Using Fingers to Modify Intonation
17. Flat Chin
18. Three-Step Embouchure
19. Training Wheel for Lowering the Pitch
20. Tuning Games
21. Playing with a Very Soft Reed to Eliminate Biting
22. Ear Training in Clarinetists
Quick-Tips Bulletin Board—Intonation

3 Tone Strategies
23. Breathing
24. Air Management
25. The Stereo Effect
26. Dissecting Tone
27. Practice Tone vs. Concert Tone
28. Tone Shopping
29. Printing Sound into Memory
30. Improving Embouchure Endurance
31. Knot in Tone
32. Playing with Fire
33. The Tone is Ringing!
34. Stopwatch Long Tones
35. Eliminating Cracking in High Registers
Quick Tips Bulletin Board—Tone

4 Technical Strategies
36. Natural Finger Motion
37. The Hat Trick for Scales
38. The Half-Hole Exercise for Wide Intervals
39. Half-Hole Thumb
40. Left Index Finger
41. Little Finger
42. Perfecting the Chromatic Scale
43. Perfecting the High Register
44. Play Air Clarinet
45. The Stick on a Fence
46. Working with a Practice Partner
47. Predicting Mental Concentration
48. Sight-Reading
49. Transposition
50. Unusual Transpositions in Orchestral Excerpts
51. Developing Technical Independence
52. Altissimo Chromatic Fingerings
53. Super Altissimo Register
54. Practicing in Front of a Mirror or Video Camera
55. Practicing in Front of a Mirror or Video Camera
Quick Tips Bulletin Board—Tone

5 Musicianship Strategies
56. Remembering Nature
57. Memorization
58. Listening to Opera Arias
59. Playing with Piano Accompaniment
60. Preparing your Music before the Performance
61. Keep a Practice Journal
62. Practice Tactics
63. Playing Posture
64. Recording Your Practice Sessions
Quick-Tips Bulletin Board—Musicianship

6 Reeds and Equipment
65. Breaking in a New Clarinet
66. Selecting a Mouthpiece
67. Mouthpiece Patch
68. Tool-Free Reed Prep
69. Positioning Your Reed
70. Express-Speed Reed Balancing
71. Reed Clipper
72. Reed Rush
73. Synthetic Reeds
74. Installing an Instant Neck-Strap Ring
75. Moleskin Padding
76. Tape in Tone Hole
77. Tape Types
78. Valentino Synthetic Corks
79. Swab Removal Tool
80. Emergency Equipment
81. Bore Oil
82. EZO Teeth Cushion
Quick-Tips Bulletin Board—Reeds and Equipment

7 Enhancing Repertoire
83. Be the First to Practice Second Clarinet Orchestral Parts
84. Eb Piccolo Clarinet
85. Bass Clarinet
86. Woodwind Doubling
87. Military Band Auditions
88. Clarinet and Organ Repertoire
89. Historic Chalumeau
90. German Clarinet
91. Jazz Clarinet
92. Playing World Music
93. Klezmer
94: Glissando à la Gershwin
95: Vibrato
96: Circular Breathing
97: Multiphonics
98: Growling
99: Braving Stage Fright
100: Technology for Clarinetists
Quick-Tips Bulletin Board—Extra Tips

Further Reading