[Dixielandjazz] Clarinet Newbie

[Ministry of Jazz]

Shalom Bob and Diann,

I am a long-time banjo and trombone player who recently took up clarinet,
and about 7 years ago I added trumpet to my repertoire.

I taught myself trumpet (with a few words of advice here and there from
learned members of DJML). It took me a year or so of sporadic work to have
enough chops to play with some confidence on stage. Even then I counted on
switching to bone or tuba, and also doing vocals, to rest my chops. The
first time I had a 2-hour outdoor gig on only trumpet, I had to carefully
nurse my lips through the gig after the first few songs. Now after 7 years I
can play reasonably well, but if I lay off for more than 2 days, and then
pick it up, I have learned that I had better either warm up very slowly and
thoroughly, or else pick up the horn earlier in the day before the show and
play for a good while. Otherwise I sound fine for a song or two and then my
chops are gone. (I always keep my valve bone handy for such occasions.)

On clarinet, I didn't even try it without a teacher. Didn't know where to
start, and I was sure there were mysteries to the thing that only a teacher
could unravel for me. With the teacher, I found it fairly easy to produce a
decent tone and to play basic music. Getting over the register shift was an
adventure, but you work at it and it eventually happens, and now I can do it
fairly naturally at low speeds. One of the things my teacher did for me was
to insist I play from written music and not by ear, so I would learn to
associate the written notes with the fingerings. Very helpful. So far I have
still not dared to try to play in public. I once tried one easy piece (Blue
Moon in F concert) out on the street that I thought I could play adequately.
I had not accounted for the difference in volume required for playing
outdoors instead of in my living room. From the first couple of notes
everything fell apart on me, and I am surprised I was not accosted by a
flock of geese in heat! At the bridge I made a quick switch back to my
trumpet. Since then I've jammed with a couple friends at home, and am
starting to have some confidence that it will come. But improvising clarinet
lines in real time OKOM might take a bit longer.

After many years of work, I can now play all of the basic instruments needed
for Dixieland -- trumpet, bone, tuba, banjo, washboard, and almost clarinet.
(Some list-mates might take issue with my definition of "needed for
Dixieland", but you know what I mean.) So it makes me a handy fellow to have
around when back-up players are needed. And I intend to have a go at
recording some tunes in a friend's studio with me playing all of the parts
one track at a time. I have done this on brass and banjo with pretty good
results, and am looking forward to adding the clarinet when I am able.

Good luck, and don't give up.

Elazar Brandt
Dr. Jazz Dixieland Band
Tekiya Trumpet Ensemble
Jerusalem, Israel
www.israel.net/ministry-of-jazz
+972-2-679-2537