The Best Online Clarinet Resources
Writing this at the end of March 2020, I am thinking of ways that I can help the clarinet community while most of the world is on lock down to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Though this is particularly pertinent in these difficult times, all of these resources are fantastic at anytime you may need them!
This is a pretty comprehensive list of all of my favorite online resources for learning clarinet, so whenever you are feeling like you don't know what to work on or you need some inspiration for what or how to practice you can find it somewhere on this list!
A Little of Everything
The Clarinet Subreddit
Be careful not to get too carried away looking at all of the eclectic and interesting posts that accumulate on this page, but instead draw your attention to the resource list on the right hand side of the page. There you can find links to a ton of clarinet resources! Everything from method book recommendations to other forums, educational material, etc.
Free Education and Entertainment
Marcellus Masterclass Collection
During the summers from the late 1970's to about 1990, Robert Marcellus (principal clarinet of the Cleveland Orchestra, and one of the greatest players and pedagogues of all time) hosted masterclasses at Northwestern University where he was the professor of clarinet. Luckily, they were all recorded, and thanks to my professor at Northwestern, Steve Cohen, they are all freely accessible online! As you can imagine there is an astronomical amount of wisdom here!
Clarinet Mentors YouTube Channel
Michelle Anderson's YouTube channel is packed with lots of videos covering many great tips and tricks when it comes to playing the clarinet. She does a great job of explaining important concepts of playing, and has lots of great exercises to implement those concepts into your playing!
Earspasm YouTube Channel
This is a bit where the entertainment comes in! Michael Lowenstern is such a fun guy and it really comes across in his videos. Whether it is a parody of the funny things musicians do on stage, or amazing multi-track covers. He also has a plethora of great educational content!
Clarineat Podcast
Sean Perrin's podcast is hands down the best clarinet podcast out there! He does an amazing job of getting great guests such as Stanley Drucker, Martin Frost, and Richie Hawley, just to name a few, and he has some great conversations with them!
QuickStart Clarinet YouTube Channel
Of course, I would be remiss if I did not include my own channel. The QuickStart Clarinet YouTube channel has recently passed 200 subscribers, and I am coming up on my 100th video! I have one weekly video that covers some clarinet tips talking about how to properly count rhythm, methods for practicing, general mindset, etc. and I have another weekly video that goes in-depth on a warm-up exercise.
Search Clarinet on YouTube
This is just a little bonus to encourage you to do your own searching of online clarinet content! Even just googling clarinet may lead to some fascinating articles about how the clarinet works, or how it's made, or some interesting history. And never underestimate the value of just listening to some great clarinet playing!
Sheet Music
Musescore
Musescore is primarily an open source music writing software, which I love it for! However, it also has an online library where people can share things they have created in Musescore. Whenever I want to work on popular music, for myself or with a student, I am almost always able to find a decent transcription here. While it used to be totally free there is now a small monthly subscription, but there is a free 30 day trial available now!
8notes
Though the variety and specificity is not as great here, you can still find a lot of fun music to play, and it is all free up to a certain number of downloads per day!
IMSLP
The absolute best place to get classical music though is IMSLP. This is a whole internet archive of pieces in the public domain, so you can find a large portion of the clarinet repertoire on here! And these are typically previously published editions, so they are well edited and ready to print at home!
Lessons
Play with a Pro
I have never personally used this service before, but some of the players they have are absolutely dynamite! The masterclasses with the likes of Yehuda Gilad and Charles Neidich are surely great as well. This isn't free, but it is worth knowing about.
TakeLessons.com
This is another great resource for online or in person lessons. There is a wide variety of teachers on there, so it is up to you to be a bit judicious about who would be a good fit for you. It is a really easy way to find a teacher though. In fact, I teach several students through this platform!
Whew! That should keep you entertained for a while! Please don't try to go through all of these at once. Just briefly glance through and see what may be of interest to you, and remember to come back here whenever you are looking for more information or inspiration! It is good to have more knowledge, but knowledge doesn't do much unless you practice implementing it ;-)
So, leave a comment if there are any important resources that I missed, then go practice!
Stay safe and healthy, and happy practicing!
Josh