All tutors at International Music School Cardiff are hand-picked, highly trained professional musicians with an enthusiasm for teaching their instrument. Lessons take place in our city-centre venue, and it is our vision to create a place where music tuition of the highest quality is delivered alongside regular professional concerts and public performance opportunities for our students.
What should you expect from clarinet lessons?
At the very beginning you will learn how to assemble the instrument, how to hold it and how to create an even sound. It is important that you get a good instrument to learn on – nothing is more frustrating for a beginner than having a bad instrument that works against you. There are excellent plastic instruments that are becoming popular now which are a great way to start as they are light, durable and affordable. You can hire a beginner instrument directly through International Music School Cardiff, which is a convenient way for you to try out the instrument before committing to buying your own.
Your clarinet lessons will include exercises on breathing, sound quality and technique. It is great fun to explore the clarinet, and you would be surprised at how quickly you will be able to pull off some impressive fast runs!
A little bit about the instrument
The clarinet is part of the woodwind family, together with the flute, oboe, saxophone and bassoon. It is a single-reeded instrument, with the sound produced by the vibration of the reed from air being blown through the mouthpiece and out of the clarinet.
The clarinet has a large range of pitches which makes it one of the most interesting instruments to learn to play. It is a great solo instruments and it is used in concert bands and orchestras, frequently featuring prominent solos – a great example of this is the clarinet introduction of Gershwin’s famous Rhapsody in Blue. Look it up and have a listen!
