Artie Shaw's Jazz Technic: Clarinet Book

This second book assumes real clarinet chops and moves beyond mechanics into the heart of jazz phrasing. Shaw's etudes work tongue and fingers in tandem with the musical shapes that matter in jazz, so technical development never feels divorced from actual improvising.

These etudes balance the discipline of technique work with the freedom of musical expression. Moving through different styles and keys creates a sense of discovery, each page introducing fresh phrasing contexts that make technical practice feel purposeful.

This book is designed for clarinetists with solid fundamentals who are ready to deepen their improvisational vocabulary. It works equally well for jazz ensemble members looking to sharpen their technical control and for individual practitioners building toward solo performance.

• Play through exercises at a slow enough tempo to hear and shape the phrasing. Shaw's emphasis here is on melodic thinking, not speed.
• Pay attention to the varied key signatures and tempo changes. Practicing across different tonal centers builds the flexibility you'll need when improvising over chord changes.
• Use a mirror or record yourself to monitor your articulation consistency across the tongue exercises. Clean, even articulation is foundational to smooth jazz phrasing.

Assign these systematically to jazz ensemble clarinetists as part of regular sectional or individual practice. They pair naturally with big band rehearsals, reinforcing the articulation and phrasing work needed for section cohesion and solo preparation.

• Coordinated tongue and finger technique in jazz context
• Phrasing and melodic shaping across varied styles
• Reading and improvising in multiple keys and tempos
• Articulation control and consistency