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Oh it can be tricky! It won’t happen overnight either… what I’d suggest is playing a unison with a drone and listen for “beats”. You will likely hear that “wah-wah-wah” (it could be slow or fast) even if you don’t know whether you’re sharp or flat. Once you have a handle on that, work your way outwards, but listen for those beats - they’ll get faster and faster until you can discern a buzz. Listening to the drone in headphones can be helpful or a hindrance, so try a few different things. Best of luck - and please reach out if I can be of assistance :)

@@philipeverall6 Thank you for your reply! I don't mean to sound ignorant, but I don't know what you mean by a "drone." I'm picking up clarinet again after a 40 year hiatus. No idea what you mean by a "drone."

@@patticarey9016 oh, sorry! You’ll only hear the beats/buzz if you’re playing at the same time as something or someone else; so you could use a drone which is anything that holds a steady tone. The tuner app I use on my phone (Tonal Energy Tuner) can hold a tone so you can play along with it, but you could use anything - some kind of computer software (there are plenty of drones online - just google “tuning drone”), or an electronic organ, or better still another clarinet player!

​@@philipeverall6ah, ok. That clarifies it for me. 😊 I'll check out the app you referred to. Thank you!

Thank you! The short F# works just fine a lot of the time - but glad you got something helpful from my video! All the best :)

Hehehe thank you! Yes I absolutely hoped it would get people riled up. We love Mike!

I’m glad! Thanks for watching :)

You’re most welcome :)

Thank you! The pixels in the mushroom are made of Jarrah, Tasmanian Oak, and Pine… it took me an embarrassingly long time to make 😂

Sometimes you just have to do whatever works! Thanks for watching :)

Lucky you! I have friends who studied with Opperman, but I never got the chance to meet him. This barrel was made for me by Michael Norsworthy to a design that Opperman approved of (hence the mother of Pearl mark). Thanks for watching!

Thank you so much! I have tried the ATG system - I use some of the techniques still, but I tend to be less aggressive in my adjustments these days. I am, however, definitely not precious about going against the grain. Whichever method works for the player is the correct one in my opinion :) Thank you again for your kind words.

Nope! You can if you want - or if that’s what your teacher tells you, but all you need to do to articulate is to stop the vibration. You don’t need to push the reed so hard that it closes - plus that stops the air flow for that brief moment. Experiment with touching the reed just a little lighter and see… there’s no 100% right answer :)

@@philipeverall6 thanks Phillip I was trying to close it shut and getting frustrating results! If I haven’t subscribed will do so now! Thanks 🙏🙏🙏

@@1cleandude awesome, thank you! Good luck with it - and please let me know how you go :)

Haha! Thanks Kieryn! I’ve never thought to use lemon oil… I know some woodturners who use orange oil, but there’s talk out there that it goes rancid after some years. I might try lemon oil - sounds delicious! And yes - grenadilla is too dense to take on oil… but that’s not what we’re trying to do!! Thanks for the comment :)

Lemon oil seems to be the guitarist go to - possibly to remove natural oils the fingers leave behind. So perhaps a slightly different purpose. I stuck to "bore oil" for my clarinet this time.

Absolutely - he’s fantastic!

Well, you’re right! Oiling key work is also necessary, and, yes… you can do it wrong too! I will absolutely make a video about my approach to general maintenance. I don’t know when it will be - so feel free to reach out via email and I can answer any questions you have :) Thanks for watching!

You’re welcome - and thanks for watching! I would say, for your specific use-case, that yes, oiling would be a good idea :)

Most of the accessory companies sell “bore oil” which (as far as I know) is just mineral oil or paraffin. You can also use refined almond oil - probably even avocado oil. Basically anything that is very thin and won’t go rancid

@@philipeverall6 thanks!

@@philipeverall6well, since you mentioned Linseed Oil in the vid why didn’t you respond just now with it ? ?? ??? ???? 🧐

@@emjay2045 I mentioned Linseed oil in the video because I was telling a story about my grandfather finishing an axe handle. For clarinets linseed oil is too thick and sticky. Hope that helps!

I used almond oil for years. These days I use mineral/parrafin - but anything that is thin and won’t get gummy is fine :) thanks for the comment!!

Hehehe thank you! It’s the little things…

Hi Ada, thanks for the comment! I’m glad someone who knows what they’re talking about agrees with me :) And yes, the Japanese master was (of course) correct - the wood will soak in SOME of the oil… just not enough for us to see. I think the important part is that we must use enough for the oil to polymerize or cure and then wipe off excess. Thanks again!

Hey Conor! Yes - you should. On both counts :) Thank you for the kind words :)

Hi Stew! Yeah - a lot of confusion around that little pin-hole! It’s a vent key for notes in the altissimo register (above C above the staff). For notes above D# you press the platform instead of where your finger normally falls. You can just put your finger in the regular spot for C# and D, though many people just use the platform for anything above C. Hope that helps! I also saw your video of you playing to your dog - you certainly aren’t playing too badly! I’ll touch on this little pin-hole key in my “Q” video :)

@@philipeverall6 I think my instrument might need some adjusting somewhere because using that key seems to make everything sound worse. Thanks for your reply.

@@Stew5Bhmm… yes it might need some adjustment. Feel free to drop me an email and we can talk through some things :)

@@philipeverall6 I've been working on a few keys and found one that wasn't opening far enough and it plays much better now. I try to do all my own adjusting and repair work and I'm self taught on my playing. I can't read music. One thing I have a hard time with is crossing the bridge between high and low registers. I had to look that one up.

Thank you! I have a strong feeling you’re not alone with that grace note being your crease 😂 I remember going through that excerpt with a student of mine and she just looked at me with a “how could you??” expression. Thanks so much for watching!

@@philipeverall6 it’s a doozy!

Thank you John! Yes - my kids and I are addicted to Breath of the Wild 😁. Great to hear the techniques are useful - Feel free to distribute the PDFs with your students as well if you think it will be helpful! Thank you for watching, and the kind words as always!

Thank you! Good to hear you’re back into it too. I definitely wouldn’t call it “my” beat to beat method - but i do use it a lot. There’s not much new under the sun anyway… All the best with it, and thanks for watching!

You’re very welcome! Stop by any time :)

If it helps, I’m tired of it too! A funny story - a friend of mine whose teacher played in a professional orchestra in Denmark told me when her teacher was given a Tosca by the Buffet people (with the fancy left hand Eb and low F correction key) told them “thank you, it’s a beautiful instrument, but you can take off this and that (indicating the extra keys) because I already learned how to play the clarinet…”. The gadgets certainly help when you get to that level, but I can’t help wondering what our “old school” heroes would make of it! Where did you play bassoon if you don’t mind me asking?

That’s it!! I knew there was a more correct word for them. I have definitely heard that - and I thought it was a British thing (I used the Thurston method through high school), but wouldn’t surprise me if it was American. I think “Banana” is more an Australian thing…. Because we’re all a bit weird… thanks for watching :)

Thank you! I’m glad you think so :) enjoy!

Thanks so much! I’m having a great time doing it. I appreciate you taking the time to watch :)

Thank you John! Glad you liked it!

Obrigado pelo elogio :)

Yes - absolutely! While there are a lot of things that set the bass apart from the clarinet, there are far more similarities. All of these techniques should help a great deal :)

Thank you! I already have O planned out (it’s not what you think…) but there will be more talk on overtones in the future. My video for H discusses it too. Thanks for watching!

Thanks so much! If you ever have any requests please let me know - and you can get PDFs of everything (as I make it 😂) via my mailing list. Have fun!

@@philipeverall6 I would like to learn about how to improve tone/control over higher notes, such as the G over the staff (G5) to higher altissimo notes (D6-G6) I noticed it's harder to control the volume, especially in the altissimo range, and I sometimes lose control over notes from G5-C6 from a wobbly embouchure/too tight embouchure. I was wondering if there are any techniques/exercises I should know, or really any information regarding that would help. Let me know if you've already made a video on this though, and thank you! :)

Absolutely. Check out my video on high notes - it’s aimed at bass clarinet, but the concepts are exactly the same. E for embouchure might help too. I’ll be sure to include more info around this - tension is our enemy, but firmness is crucial. It’s a delicate balance! Thanks for the comment - and please feel free to contact me any time. If you sign up to my mailing list you’ll be able to contact me directly there too :)

@@philipeverall6 Thanks I'll check them out!

You’re very welcome! It’s one of those things that sounds obvious once you hear it - but sometimes we just need that prompt. Thank you for watching!

Thank you! Recording yourself is like a cheat code… I’m glad you love your warm even tone! While it’s good to smooth it out, don’t forget it’s also good to have a distinctive tone in different registers (when you want it….!) I also have a video on high notes if you would like to check it out. Thanks for watching :)

Absolutely!! Thanks for watching :)

Thank you John! This turned into a very different video than I had planned (I had my breath builder and embouchure trainer on the desk in front of me!). In a way it must have been a therapy session for me! I’ve also struggled - and it wouldn’t take much more than an off-hand comment from someone to put me in a spiral. I’m also drawn to the old-school sounds - for me the Concertgebouw recordings of the late 70s - 80s are the pinnacle… so how could I possibly “sound like everyone else” when our tastes are all so different?? I really admire all your videos - and I truly love your sound! It’s a wonderful surprise to hear that my videos resonate with you. Thank you for the kind words :) All the best for the holiday season!

@@philipeverall6Same! Your content is fantastic. And the world is beautiful because it's colorful. Happy Holidays!

Thanks John! Yep - I think the video is as much advice to myself as anyone who might watch it 😂

Thank you so much! I’m glad you found your way back to the clarinet - it will always be there for you… please reach out if I can ever be of assistance, and enjoy the journey!

@@philipeverall6I too am getting back to music after quite a long time and mostly saxophone and clarinet. I love the low clarinets in particular; bass, contralto, and contrabass.

Thanks for the comment! Yep - anything sharp and flat will do. I would say the weight of cut you use on the reed should be about the weight you’d use on your own finger… ie, barely touch it!!! Good luck!

That’s very kind of you to say! Thank you. I’m just starting out, so I’m thrilled with what I have so far :) (feel free to share the videos though 😂)

Awesome!!! Thank you! Yep - so far I have Xylem for X. I like the ideas for Q and Z - though I covered part of that in D (diagnosis) and will do more of that in M and N… hmm… can still do it though! Always good to cover things more than once if it’s important! Thank you for watching and for your awesome suggestions!

Hi! No - it’s not, and no one haven’t… but I would be interested to try one. I used to live in an apartment in Amsterdam where I couldn’t practice at all - I would have done anything for an effective mute! Have you tried them? M is much more simple than you might think :)

Hehe yep! I do see the point of a reed geek though - if I was to travel frequently it would be handy for unchecked luggage, and the really wide angle of the blade would help for durability…. But my knife is just fine :)

Thanks! Any intervals are fine. Personally I like emphasizing different intervals (I don’t always play music built in thirds and fifths!), and the progressive nature of going up by semitones in a pattern just makes sense to me - but it’s really up to personal preference. You’re on the money with dynamics too - we should do a variety every day, and a mixture of building comfort at the extremes as well as the subtleties. I just wanted to keep the video on the short side. Voicing - I don’t see it as different to real performance as I use voicing constantly to allow ease of production, beauty of tone, and intonation. Particularly for altissimo register, cultivating the “space” of the note really helps to play in tune, with a beautiful sound, without tension. If it’s a new idea for you - I suggest you stick with it for a bit longer, it can really help a lot of things! Thanks for the comment!

@@philipeverall6 I might've been not precise in my phrasing. I agree that voicing is useful for tuning purposes and is essential in the third register when we need to maneuver between 3rd, 4th and 5th partials, but when it is about chalumeau and clarion, I use pretty much the same 'ee' tongue position and trying to go from low A to 4th space E without using the register key feels drastically different from what it feels in regular practice. Anyway, I'm looking forward to letter V 🙂

@@egeneus ah - I see! In that case I think of it more as a flexibility exercise. Even if something isn’t part of my every day playing, it can still be helpful… and I just like doing it :)

It’s never too late to learn clarinet! (And thank you so much :) )