Rhythms & Rests: 2nd B-flat Clarinet Book

Second clarinet players often get stuck with filler parts that don't develop their musicianship, but this book treats the chair as a real voice deserving substantive material. The pairing of targeted rhythm drills with functional etudes and full band contexts means students aren't abstract problem-solving in isolation; they're learning passages they'll actually play in ensemble. The emphasis on rests and less common meters reflects how real band literature actually sounds.

Honest, practical, and musical all at once. You're not grinding through abstract exercises; you're learning rhythm patterns that immediately show up in the full band pieces at the end of each unit, which gives the work real purpose. The etudes sound like actual clarinet music rather than robot-speak, even as they isolate specific rhythmic challenges.

Second B-flat clarinetists in concert bands who need systematic work on rhythmic accuracy and the ability to handle less common meters and frequent rests without falling apart. This book works for upper elementary through high school players who are past the absolute beginner stage but still building reliability in rhythm reading and ensemble coordination.

• Work the prep rhythm drills before moving to their etude applications. Erickson designed these progressions deliberately, and skipping ahead skips the foundation he built.
• When playing etudes as duets with another clarinetist, lock into the rhythmic precision your partner is delivering. These exercises strengthen interval hearing and rhythmic independence simultaneously.
• Count through passages with rests out loud before playing them. Rests are active, not dead time, and knowing exactly where you land after a silence prevents the choppy entrances that trip up second clarinets.
• Listen to the full band arrangements at the end of each unit to hear your part in context. Second clarinet often carries counter-melody or harmonic support that makes sense only when you hear the whole texture.

Assign units sequentially during your regular rehearsal season as a warmup or sectional focus before full band rehearsals. The progression from drill to etude to arrangement means students see the payoff quickly, and second clarinetists develop the independence and rhythmic confidence that strengthens your entire clarinet section.

• Reading and executing passages with frequent rests and longer silence values
• Changing eighth-note rhythms in meters including 5/8 and 7/8
• Rhythmic independence through solo etudes and duet work
• Articulation precision and rhythmic entrances after rests
• Sight-reading of non-standard meters and syncopated rhythmic patterns