Complete Method for Clarinet: Clarinet Book

Baermann's method avoids arbitrary exercises in favor of genuinely musical material that builds facility while keeping students engaged. The systematic organization of scales, arpeggios, and technical studies means you can assign pages that directly reinforce what you're teaching in repertoire without hunting through multiple books.

Working through Baermann feels like building a house from a solid foundation. Each exercise connects logically to the next, and the variety within each category (major scales, minor scales, arpeggios in multiple positions) keeps practice engaging while deepening understanding of the instrument's mechanics.

Clarinet students from early intermediate through advanced levels benefit from Baermann's systematic material. Studio teachers and band directors use this book both as a primary method during early study and as a reference source for technical work at any stage.

• Treat scales and arpeggios as musical phrases, not mechanical drills. Shape each exercise with a clear beginning, middle, and end rather than playing through them robotically.
• Use the staccato exercises to develop articulation clarity across the full range. Pay attention to how the tongue placement changes as you move between registers.
• Practice the broken chord passages slowly enough that you can hear each note distinctly. Speed comes naturally once the fingerings feel secure.
• Isolate the trill exercises by slowly alternating the two notes before building to tempo. This prevents the common habit of starting the trill too quickly and losing control.

Assign exercises from this book as technical preparation for band repertoire. When your advanced players encounter a passage requiring smooth scale work or clean articulation, reference the corresponding study here to isolate and strengthen that specific skill outside of the piece itself.

• All 12 major scales and relative melodic minor scales
• Major and minor broken chord passages across multiple positions
• Staccato articulation control and clarity
• Trill technique and evenness
• Facility across the full range of the clarinet
• Intonation consistency in scalar and harmonic contexts