Hello again to the clarinet community! The EFCP blog has been on hold for a while, but I’m happy to start sharing E-flat clarinet news and tips again this year. If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably experienced some dips in practice motivation over the last few months. I’ve found that working through new music has been extremely helpful - simply sight reading pieces and discovering new repertoire is something I don’t often have time to indulge. If you’re looking for new pieces, keep checking the database - there will be a lot of updates coming soon! On the topic of new pieces to play, D ..read more

This month, EFCP is sharing a guest post by Marissa Stanfill. Learning an auxiliary instrument can be a challenge, and for those of you in school, you often have to learn it quickly - maybe just a few weeks. Keep reading for Marissa's experience and advice on picking up E-flat clarinet for the first time as a graduate student. Hello! My name is Marissa Stanfill, and I just recently completed my Master’s in Clarinet Performance from Baylor University. While I was there, I received so many opportunities to try new things! One opportunity that presented itself was a chance to audition for the 2n ..read more

This month, we talked to performer and composer Sean Osborn about his experiences with E-flat clarinet. Keep reading for some background on Sean as an E-flat clarinetist and his tips for clarinetists and composers! (And check out his pieces in the Repertoire Archive - just put Osborn in the search box!) EFCL: What was your first experience with E-flat clarinet? Did you take to it right away, or was it a process? SO: I think I heard some people playing it in things like "Pineapple Poll," but I vividly remember a player at the Interlochen National Music Camp in the Symphonic Band my first summe ..read more

Happy July! June has come and gone, which silently marked the two year anniversary of the E-flat Clarinet Project. Thank you to all of you that have been supportive of this crazy project, and to the clarinetists that form our wonderful community of E-flat clarinet enthusiasts. For those of you that follow the blog, you may have noticed a lack of posts over the past few months. Luckily, it was for a wonderful reason - my husband and I welcomed our first child to the world several weeks ago! I was definitely one of the crazy people playing concerts less than a month before the due date and eve ..read more

I first discovered Fàtima Boix in 2017 when looking for E-flat clarinet repertoire on various social media platforms. Having heard the original William Neil concerto as recorded by John Bruce Yeh and Chicago Pro Musica in the late 1980s, I was excited to see that someone had commissioned an adaptation for chamber orchestra. Fàtima's video clip from her performance at the Music Academy of the West was fantastic. Through further correspondence, I've learned that she is a great advocate for the E-flat clarinet in solo and chamber music settings, as well as a great symphony musician. Check out he ..read more

Clarinet accessories are very popular and relatively easy to obtain through online orders, educational events, and conference exhibit halls. While many performers will keep their instrument setups very traditional, others like to try out various equipment which ultimately lets them customize their instruments. So, what do you look for in accessories? Much like trying a clarinet, testing accessories requires the performer to have a clear mental idea of their preferred sound. Other elements, such as intonation and response, will also be essential to consider. Remember that our equipment choices ..read more

Purchasing an auxiliary clarinet can feel like a big commitment, as these instruments are often considered to be mostly for ensemble playing. However, specializing on an auxiliary clarinet can make you a more versatile performer and teacher - and owning your own instrument certainly helps! So, what do you need to consider when you’ve decided you’d like to purchase an E-flat clarinet? Like many elements of E-flat clarinet, most of the things you’d test on a potential B-flat clarinet purchase also apply to E-flat. There are a few things that need some special consideration, so here are my thoug ..read more

Welcome to the final week of the August Practice calendar! Hopefully you're feeling confident about your E-flat clarinet playing now, and are ready to dive into the concert season! Week 4 Practice Concepts Full Warm-up Play through a full warm up session, focusing on all parts of playing, just as if you were working on fundamentals on Bb/A clarinet. This should include tone/breathing, finger exercises, articulations, scales, and anything else you regularly include in a warm up session. Has parts of your E-flat clarinet playing improved since week 1? Use this time to assess how far your playin ..read more

You're halfway through the August Practice Kickstarter! Dig into the details a bit with some more challenging etudes, exercises, and solo work. Week 3 Practice Concepts Play an etude Pick an etude you’ve studied on B-flat clarinet, and work on it on the E-flat clarinet. It’s important to learn to play expressively, without sacrificing sound and intonation. Some of my favorites are the Jeanjean 16 Modern Studies. Tuning Play through arpeggios with a drone. This can be a faster alternative to playing through scales, and can also be a good way to focus on intonation in chords - something that wi ..read more

It's week 2! Time to add a bit more detail to your E-flat clarinet practice. If you're just joining us, check out the post from August 1 for the overview and month-long practice calendar. Week 2 Practice Concepts Add a drone to your practice Play some long tones and/or scales over a drone. This type of practice is particularly important, as E-flat clarinet has a reputation for less than stellar intonation! If you can make tuning various intervals by ear a part of your routine, playing in ensembles will be less stressful. Normally, I would recommend playing for a few minutes before tuning and ..read more