Breeze-Easy Method for Clarinet, Book II: Clarinet Book

Book II strikes the right balance between building technical confidence and maintaining musical interest. Students who work through this book emerge with genuine control over the instrument and real excitement about what they can play, making it easier to sustain engagement through the middle years of study.

You're moving past the essentials now. The melodies feel more like real music, the rhythms ask something of you, and the fingerwork requires actual coordination. There's satisfaction in this; you can hear the difference between what you could do last month and what you can do now.

Book II serves clarinetists who have completed Book I and are ready to expand their range, articulation vocabulary, and rhythmic independence. It works equally well for students in group band settings and those studying privately.

• Establish a consistent practice routine with Book II by working through 3-4 exercises or etudes daily rather than trying to jump ahead. Progressive steps in fingering and range work best when reinforced regularly.
• Pay close attention to the articulation markings in the études. The slur-and-tongue patterns here build muscle memory that carries into more advanced repertoire.
• Record yourself playing through the melodies each week. Listening back reveals intonation tendencies and helps you notice your own progress in tone quality.
• When a passage feels awkward, slow it down and isolate the troublesome measures rather than pushing through at tempo. Book II's technical challenges respond quickly to this targeted approach.

Use Book II as your primary clarinet curriculum from approximately year two through year three of study, moving through it alongside band rehearsals and small-group coaching. Its pace allows students to contribute meaningful parts to ensemble music while still building foundational technique.

• Extended range above the staff with secure fingering
• Double-tonguing and articulation patterns for varied musical expression
• Reading rhythmic figures in different meters (2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 6/8)
• Breath control and phrasing across longer melodic lines
• Intonation adjustments for notes in different registers