learning the clarinet
You might recognise the clarinet from famous classical melodies such as The Cat from Peter and the Wolf. It is easily recognisable for its warm woody tone throughout it’s lowest notes and it’s bright resonant sound in the higher notes.
As with the saxophone, the sound is produced by a reed which sits in the mouthpiece. The top teeth rest on the top of the mouthpiece and the lower lip curls over the bottom teeth resting against the reed. If your child has not yet lost their front teeth or is in the process of losing them, please get in touch to discuss playing a reed instrument.
Children are can usually manage the size of the instrument around the age of 8 or 9. It is, however, very much dependant on the size of the child both in terms of how well they can reach the lower keys and whether their fingers can spread over the keys covering the holes properly.
Nuvo Dood
For smaller students who wish to play the clarinet, the Nuvo Dood is a good place to begin learning to play a reed instrument such as the clarinet or saxophone. The Dood is a much smaller, lighter, plastic instrument, with fewer keys, but still using the reed to produce the sound. Please see the video for a demonstration of the Dood.
NUVO CLARINEO
A beginners instrument with a professional tone. This instrument is a fully notated clarinet with simplified keywork. Being made of plastic, this instrument is much lighter and easier to manage for younger children than a standard clarinet. It is an ideal instrument to help children with smaller hands to begin to learn the clarinet before progressing onto a standard instrument.
