In the fall of 1971 I began undergraduate clarinet study at Fresno State College  (now California State University, Fresno) with Russell S. Howland. I soon learned that Mr. Howland was not only an extremely accomplished clarinetist and teacher, but that he possessed a complete knowledge of woodwind acoustics. In fact, he taught a class in [...]

by Ingrid Elizabeth Pearson In 1954, a fellow Australian, H.C. Thomas of the Central Command Band of the Australian Regular Army, wrote to The Clarinet requesting some information concerning the method of playing the clarinet whereby the reed sits under the top lip. In his reply, published later that year, James Collis explained that the [...]

by Stephen Fox It is useful for clarinettists to know something of the scientific basis of how a clarinet works, on a slightly deeper level than the superficial descriptions given in general clarinet books, both for practical reasons (for example, understanding and solving tuning problems) and just for intellectual satisfaction. This article will attempt to [...]

by James Nightingale To continue the discussion started by Peter Rickard in the last issue of Australian Clarinet and Saxophone, I would like to introduce Dr John Sampen, who is the Distinguished Artist Professor at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Dr Sampen is one of America’s leading concert saxophonists and is particularly recognised as [...]

– Carmine Campione The mouth, in the form of the clarinet embouchure, is the only body part connecting the player and the clarinet that helps produce a clarinet sound. As such, I believe the clarinet embouchure is the most vital link in the production of a clarinet tone and its great importance must not be [...]

by Brad Millard This article about improvisation may or may not grab your attention, but hopefully it will help some by exploding some of the myths about this appealing but potentially daunting art form. Its purpose is to attempt to stimulate and encourage those of you who wish to be able to improvise but lack [...]

by Craig Hill With so many younger players becoming interested in period instruments, and several universities in Australia owning classical clarinets, the Editor invited Craig Hill to share some thoughts on starting out. Please click here for the complete article

Reprinted from The Instrumentalist – December 1998 by Kevin Kelly When Arnold Jacobs died on October 7,1998, he left a legacy of concepts and former students that few have equalled. During his lifetime Jacobs drew an endless parade of musicians to his studio, from the obvious tuba players to professional singers and woodwind players. Because [...]

by James Nightingale Despite large numbers of young saxophonists looking for Australian repertoire and growing numbers of university-trained saxophone teachers, most Australian composers have not written works for saxophone. This is not because they don’t like the saxophone or think that saxophonists won’t do their music justice. It is because the best composers are very [...]

by Nicholas Murphy I had taken around eight professional orchestral clarinet auditions before obtaining my current position in Queensland. Based on my experiences in that time I have complied a list of orchestral excerpts which I believe university level students should know very well if they are serious about obtaining a professional orchestra position. Click here [...]

From: THE HISTORY OF THE E flat CLARINET –   WITH A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SOLO AND CHAMBER WORKS   WRITTEN FOR THE E flat CLARINET   A Master of Music thesis written by Jonathan R. Farquhar To download please click here

From: THE HISTORY OF THE E flat CLARINET –   WITH A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF SOLO AND CHAMBER WORKS   WRITTEN FOR THE E flat CLARINET Part 2 A Master of Music thesis written by Jonathan R. Farquhar To download the complete article please click here

by Floyd Williams The purpose of this article is not to outline a detailed, complex method for fixing clarinet reeds. This has been done and is still being done by a number of writers on this subject. Some of the books which describe reed-fixing are listed in the bibliography. They should all be read because [...]

by Brian Catchlove Please click here for the complete article

by James Gholson Robert Marcellus, one of America’s greatest and most influential clarinettists and teachers, died on 31 March, 1996. He was principal clarinettist of the Cleveland orchestra, under George Szell, from 1953 – 1973. During his tenure in Cleveland, he was Clarinet Department Head at the Cleveland Institute. After his retirement from the orchestra, [...]

Interviewed By Claude Delangle Marcel Mule was born on the 24th of June, 1901 in Aube, a small town in Normandy, 80 miles from Paris. Young Marcel was educated in the conventional academic manner of the time and was expecting to pursue a teaching career. The First World War disrupted his musical studies and in [...]