The clarinet or ‘little horn’ has been one of the most crucial instruments in the development of music, starting with classical music. Indeed, it is part and parcel in almost all orchestras up to today. But this wind instrument does not belong to the orchestra alone; you could also play it at other less formal events like house parties, in funky and popular tunes.
The good thing about it is that it is portable enough to carry to your favorite social events. If you are looking for a personal musical challenge, learning to play the clarinet is a great idea.
There is a bit of a challenge when trying to learn to play the clarinet, because there are not many teachers, given that it is a relatively rare instrument, compared to, say the guitar. This comes with the inconvenience of commuting and matching timetables to get to the available teacher when you can find one.
Luckily, there is a choice of online lessons. The good thing about learning online is the convenience in self-paced learning, and flexible time schedules, which allow you to learn to play unpressured. You can practice one lesson over and over, however many times you want, at no extra cost or embarrassment.
Here are the clarinet lessons you can try.
7 Best Clarinet Lessons for Adults Review
1) ArtistWorks - Clarinet with Ricardo Morale
This is a foundational course that is heavy on classical music style but is also good for other levels of players, and styles of music. You get video lessons in HD and downloadable sheet music. The lessons are offered in a self-paced mode, which allows you to slow down the video, or loop when you need to get a section right. Some of the lessons that will introduce you to playing the clarinet include;
· How to hold the clarinet
· Embouchure and Tongue Position
· Controlling Air Speed and Diaphragm
· Playing Long Tones
· How to use different fingers
· How to put it all together in Developing Tone
· Single Tongue Articulation and double Tonguing
· Intonation
· How to prepare for Auditions
· Introduction to Circular Breathing
The student can submit practice videos to the ArtistWorks Video Exchange Learning® platform where the tutor reviews it and makes corrections and comments, to improve the student's technique. The course is taught by a respected classical player and teacher, Ricardo Morales. You can find the course on ArtistWorks.
2) Udemy - Learn to Play Clarinet: Beginner to Pro in Under Five Hours with Kathryn Nevin
This is a detailed course that promises to cover everything you need in your journey from picking up the clarinet for the first time, to playing like a pro. This curriculum is used in more than 100 schools in the US. You will start from the basics of assembling a clarinet and maintaining it, and also learn to form a correct and strong embouchure. You will then learn to read sheet music for the clarinet to play popular tunes and melodies. The course will take you through the major scales and teach you how to recognize and play every note on the clarinet. Some of the features of this course include;
· 90 HD video lessons
· Sheet music in downloadable PDF
· Animated fingering charts
· Recommendations for clarinet gear
· Tips and advice on clarinet troubleshooting
· Dozens of popular tunes and melodies for practice
· Dozens of exercises for technique building
· Introduction to major and minor scales
· Introduction to music theory and reading sheet music
The course is delivered in 87 lectures totaling about nine and a half hours. it is taught by Kathryn Nevin in the MusicProfessor Online Music Lessons series. You can find the lessons on Udemy.
3) Udemy - Clarinet Pro Series - Fall in love with the Clarinet with MusicProfessor
This is another clarinet learning course offered by the popular MusicProfessor Online Music Lessons curriculum. This course will be more beneficial if you already have intermediate knowledge of music theory including reading music notation. You will improve your clarinet technique by learning;
· How to shape your concept of sound
· How to strengthen your embouchure
· How to develop proficiency in rhythm and style
· Improving your dexterity and range
· How to execute precise control over phrasing and dynamics
· All 12 major scales, playing them forward and backward
· Sight-reading
· Better articulation
· How to play comfortably in signatures like 5/8 and 7/8
· How to blend in different ensembles
This course contains over 6 hours of video content. You will also get downloadable sheet music and lots of technique building exercises. There are also tips and advice on troubleshooting clarinet difficulties. The course is set in the Pro Series curriculum, which uses 3 phases;
· Pro Series Clarinet Toolkit
· Phase 1 - Core Sound and Fundamental Technique
· Phase 2 - Advanced Articulation and Ensemble Musicianship
· Phase 3 - Advanced Sight Reading
It is offered under the MusicProfessor series and you can find the course on Udemy.
4) Udemy - Take note beginner clarinet! – Fun with Fundamental Skills with Maggie Gray
This course promises to give you everything you need to produce a strong sound on the clarinet, perfect your technique and read music with confidence. The course is designed for the absolute beginner, and all you need is a clarinet pitched in Bb. The course aims to teach 3 main things;
· Technical proficiency in handling the clarinet with ease and comfort
· How to produce a fluid centered sound using a well-formed embouchure and good control in breathing techniques
· Music literacy in and how to read music with confidence
In addition to imparting practical skills, this course also gives a deeper understanding of musical concepts required to become a good clarinetist including listening skills, natural phrasing, and flow in music, rhythm, and pulse. The course is designed for easy following, especially for adult learners. You will find;
· Play-along tunes for practice
· Interactive graphics
· Quizzes and tests
· Recap sections
It allows the learner to evolve by using supplementary materials to improve embouchure techniques and music reading skills. An absolute beginner will take 3-6 months to become competent in playing the clarinet when following these lessons. The course is taught by Maggie Gray of The Royal Society of Musicians of Great Britain. You can the course on Udemy.
5) Udemy - Clarinet Lessons for Beginners with Todd Porter
This course is designed for the absolute beginner and promises the student to become competent by playing for only 30 minutes per week. It will teach you how to play the clarinet in both the leading role (melody) and the supportive role (accompaniment).
It will also teach solo improvisation in the basic form. This course uses the author designed Music Coach Learning System which gives more emphasis on the practical aspects of learning.
You will learn the basics of music using fun animated graphics. It will also teach you how to play the clarinet in a band as well as expressing yourself in music by solo improvisation.
Each lesson has a video that explains a new concept, and another practice video with voice-over to help the student follow the teacher in real-time. You get 12 sets that explain different concepts in melody, rhythm, harmony, and improvisation.
There is bonus material with animated graphics to explain the building blocks of music. This course teaches different roles using the clarinet, teaching you how to play solo and how to play in a band or orchestra. The 41 lectures are delivered in approximately three hours. You can find the course on Udemy.
6) Learn the clarinet with Michelle Anderson
Michelle Anderson offers a mixture of free and paid lessons on her site clarinetmentors.com. There are loads of learning resources for clarinetists of all skills. There are resources for clarinet teachers as well.
Beginners will find over 80 free videos on different subjects that can also be viewed on YouTube. The videos come with accompanying worksheets. She also offers a free eBook that beginners can download for Kindle or PDF readers.
Michelle offers deeper lessons for paid learners. These paid courses include;
· Better clarinet tone – For intermediate to advanced clarinetists to improve their clarinet sound
· Faster clarinet fingers – For intermediate and advanced clarinetists to learn how to improve fingering speed, fluidity, and overall finger technique, which helps learn new pieces faster.
· Clarinet is easy – This is a 10-lesson course for beginners and intermediate self-taught players who would like to fill clarinet skill gaps. It covers the basics like assembling the instrument, to more advanced skills in sound production and fingering. The course covers 3-6 months of lessons.
You can preview videos of these paid lessons before committing your money. Michelle offers a 100%, 30-day money-back guarantee if you think the lessons are not appropriate.
7) Clarinet Lessons with Mix Amylo
These clarinet lessons are done one-on-one in real-time, unlike others where you get recorded video. The lessons are offered by Mix Amylo on musiclessonsanywhere.net which offers lessons on different musical instruments from different teachers. The lessons are delivered on Skype, which allows you to learn in a Q&A mode. These lessons are designed for learners of all ages; beginner to advanced.
As a beginner, you will start with the basics of different components of the clarinet, and how to put together, as well as care for it. Mix will then teach you how to make the first sound with a clarinet and how to read music. You will gradually climb to higher skills like solo improvisation.
You will learn different styles to play with the clarinet including classical, klezmer and Dixieland swing. You choose the style you want, and Mix will base your lessons on that style. The one-on-one lessons also give lots of tips in clarinet playing. The tutor will also offer loads of supplementary learning aids including backing tracks and listening tracks.
You can arrange for a free trial session, and the site will arrange for an appropriate time to meet your prospective teacher.
Choosing the Best Clarinet Lessons for Adults
They say the human mind is unlimited. You can learn the clarinet as an adult if you choose to, with any of the above lessons. These online lessons offer you unique advantages in that your career and family schedules do not have to suffer interruptions for free time. You can take these lessons in as short or long time as you like.
The important thing is that you get the skills right, and have fun while at it. The clarinet is a good instrument to learn as it can also open doors for learning other instruments like the saxophone easily. This is one personal challenge you will never regret.