2014-06-03 (Clarinet) Sorry This is the Current Newsletter! How Your Reeds Can Play Better, and Last Longer

(Clarinet) Sorry This is the Current Newsletter! How Your Reeds Can Play Better, and Last Longer Sent Tuesday, June 3, 2014 View as plaintext

Clarinet Mentors
For clarinetists who want to perform more easily and beautifully
 
In This Issue                             
June 3, 2014                      
  • A Note From Michelle Anderson - Find out the grand prize winner of my newest clarinet course
  • Free Training - Reed Basics - how to help your reeds last longer and play better
  • Michelle Recommends - How To Play Clarinet For Beginners - A BRAND NEW, free resource, to help you get started with the best habits
  • Have a Question For Michelle? - An easier way to get a response
  • Clarinet Is Easy - Complete how-to lessons for beginners and self-taught intermediate players
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A Note from Michelle Anderson

Hello  !

First of all, I'm so sorry that you all just received my January newsletter. I swear, there are Gremlins in my computer this week. Hopefully you are now reading the correct one!

Welcome to my newsletter. I am so glad that you are here to share clarinet knowledge, and I hope that today's free training on breaking in and managing reeds will help you or your students.

After a very busy spring, I have only 2 concerts left until a summer break. I have been enjoying filming and creating a bunch of new instructional videos for this newsletter, and my upcoming new clarinet course. Speaking of my new course, in the past two newsletters, I offered a chance to all of you to win a copy of this course for taking the time to tell me about your clarinet concerns in a brief online survey. The grand prize winner is Jack Schram in Belgium. He will get one of the first copies of the new set of lessons when it is available later this year. All of the rest of you who filled out the survey have been offered a special prize, so check your email inbox if you haven't seen it yet! 

Thanks so much to all of you who offered to help out with the Clarinet Mentors team. I was overwhelmed by how many people were interested in working with me. I believe that I have replied to most of you, but if you haven't heard from me, perhaps you can send me a reminder. I now have someone to help me answer emails promptly, so I will be able to catch up and reply to the many great emails that I get from all of you. I also have put in a new easy way for you to get in touch with me, and receive a speedier answer. See details below for how you can easily (at no charge through your computer or phone) send me a voicemail message, which can include a sample of your clarinet playing, for me to respond to. This is another way for me to answer your questions. I always enjoying hearing from all of you who live all over the world.

I hope you are enjoying your clarinet, and thanks as always, for being a part of my community.

 

 

 

Free Training - Reed Basics - How to break them in properly, and take care of them so they sound better and last longer
I am continuing my series of reed videos today with some concrete recommendations on how to break reeds in and store them properly. This is fairly basic, so you advanced players may know all of this already (although a review might be a good idea from time to time…). Most people who have been learning on their own, do not find out about these great reed pointers, so here's your chance:
 
You can click on the photo below, or go to this link for today's video:

http://youtu.be/NdWp6Bl7rP4

You will find a resource list to accompany this video at: http://www.clarinetmentors.com/resources/ReedRecommendations.pdf

 

Have a Question For Michelle? Here's an easier way to get a response!

I have a new way for you to get in touch with me. On my Clarinet Mentors website, there is new page entitled "Ask Michelle A Question". You will see an icon on the right side that says "Send Voicemail". If you click on it, a window will appear allowing you to instantly record an audio message to me with your computer or smart phone. Most systems are set up to automatically record. You have 3 minutes. If something is challenging about your clarinet playing, you can include a sample of your playing for me. This is a free service, and very easy to use. (If you are on a smartphone, you may need to download a free app first to record your message to me.)

Feel free to try it out instead of an email if you are comfortable with "speaking" your question instead of writing it. Here is the link, and I look forward to hearing from you:

http://www.clarinetmentors.com/styled-6/index.html

Michelle Recommends: How To Play Clarinet For Beginners
 
This is a new resource that I have created for beginning players. It is designed for people who are new to the instrument, or returning to it after a long break. 
 
You can download this ebook for free. The really valuable part of this book is that you have access to some great videos that are actually part of Lesson One of my Clarinet Is Easy course. This gives you an extensive peek into a course that hundreds of people have enjoyed and learned from.
 
The lessons include:
  • How to Assemble the Instrument Properly
  • How to Begin Playing With the Best Possible Habits
  • The 3-Step Embouchure
  • How to Blow Properly and Develop Great Air Support
  • How to Tongue Properly (so many people miss out on this one…)
  • Left Hand Position - how to set fingers up for more speed and ease
  • The Best Playing Posture - how to hold our body properly for the best tone
  • The First Five Notes - open G down to C
  • Introduction to Music Reading
  • Definition of the Parts of a Printed Page of Music (staff, key signatures, time signatures, dynamics)
  • Introduction to aPowerful Rhythm Counting System
  • Whole notes, quarter notes, eighth notes and rests
I believe that using the systems outlined in this book and video series, you will succeed much faster, and avoid some of the common frustrations that clarinetists tend to encounter when they are exploring on their own.
 
There are two ways to get this free book:
 
1) Download it from the iTunes store for any of your iDevices. (If you can access this format, you'll have the ability to change any colours or font styles and sizes to customize your reading experience.) Please use this link:

https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/how-to-play-clarinet-for-beginners/id880392121?mt=11

If you download the book from iTunes, I would really appreciate it if you take the time to submit a review to iTunes after you have tried it out. You simply follow the same link, and click on "Reviews" to leave your own. When many reviews are left, iTunes will more actively display this to other clarinetists who may not be familiar with this resource.

2) If you do not have an iDevice, you can download a pdf version of this from my own website at: 

http://www.clarinetmentors.com/page9/index.html

Any and all of you are welcome to download this item. If you are already an active student in the Clarinet Is Easy Course, then you already have access to these videos (although there are added written materials for you). If you are already a fairly established player, then these videos may be a bit too basic for you However, the technics covered are very important ones.

My hope is that this is one more resource that will turn prospective interested clarinetists into enthusiastic players. Getting started with the best habits is a huge indicator of future success. Please enjoy this gift!

 

 

Clarinet Is Easy - Your Step-by-Step Beginner Course - Now Available! (Also enjoyed by many intermediate level players)
How To Solve Your Common Clarinet Frustrations and Play Clarinet More Easily
 
I firmly believe that if anyone has the "recipe" for how to play clarinet, things are really relatively easy to do. Most of our frustrations come from inadvertently learning bad habits along the way. With that in mind, I have created for you a 10-lesson comprehensive course for beginners (and self-taught intermediate players) that gives you the tools to truly learn the clarinet easily, while avoiding all of the most common frustrations that can plague us. I believe that these lessons can save you hours of grief by giving you the best practise systems that have worked for thousands of clarinetists. The lessons have great content, and are presented in a video format so that you can watch them again and again. If you would like to play with more ease and have a clear understanding of the fundamentals of clarinet playing, you can get more information on the Clarinet Is Easy course here (including some free preview videos):
 
Click here for the free preview videos to Clarinet Is Easy
 
 
If you are curious about this, you can try these lessons with a 100% 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee. (That means that you can try a full 5 lessons before you decide if you have received great value from the course.) If it is not the right style for you, you get your tuition refunded, no problem. I invite you to try it now! Many students have received amazing results so far from this course (and you can read their comments on the order page).
 
 
About Michelle Anderson
Michelle Anderson, the founder of Clarinet Mentors,  is a professional clarinetist and teacher who currently lives in Vancouver BC. Her professional career spans  30 years and she currently plays regularly with the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, the Pacific Symphonic Wind Ensemble and the West Coast Chamber Music series. She has performed with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the CBC Vancouver Orchestra, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Touring Orchestra and many other groups. Michelle currently specializes in teaching adults to play clarinet more easily and quickly through online resources, and conducts the Vancouver Clarinet Choir.
Thanks for reading this biweekly newsletter. If you think a friend would enjoy this, please feel free to forward it. If they want to  enrol in the Clarinet Mentors Community, they can go to www.learnclarinetnow.com.
Helping you to find success on your instrument with proven, easy-to-follow systems that are designed to help you sound good, and feel better about your playing.
 
 
     
 
 
 

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