Tips for Learning a Woodwind Instrument

Staff Writer - May 1st, 2010 12:18 PM PDT

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When it comes time to choose an instrument, the woodwind section of the orchestra has a tendency to be a little bit left behind. After all, they don’t often make an appearance in the majority of the music we hear in our daily lives. When was the last time you heard a Billboard Top 100 star rocking out with an oboe? Exactly. Most people who choose a woodwind as their instrument of choice don't get the opportunity to jam with friends, but don't worry: there are a couple of things you can do to help ease the learning process.

Find your posture.

Posture is important for a lot of instruments, but for anything that depends as much on the free and unrestricted flow of air as the woodwind section it's an absolute necessity. This varies depending on the instrument, of course -- you're not going to make sweet, sweet music by holding a clarinet in the same position as a flute -- but generally speaking you need a clear, untensed throat and the strength to hold your instrument in position for surprisingly long periods of time. This takes practice and training, but you'll get there eventually, and it will help to make you a better all-round player.

Use the right embouchure.

For most woodwind instruments (with the exception of the recorder, piccolo and flute), the sound comes not from the lips but from the instrument's reed, but all instruments require a different positioning for the mouth. Known as an embouchure, this is something a lot of novices struggle with, but is absolutely crucial if you want to get the best (or any) sound out of your instrument. Because playing a woodwind instrument uses different muscles than are commonly used in day-to-day life, it often takes a while to get these working as well as you'd hope.

Watch people better than you.

Whether it's through live shows or just through videos on YouTube, it's important that you really get to grips with the way other people choose to play your instrument of choice. Watching how professionals (or even experienced hobbyists) get the sounds they manage to produce can help you learn little tricks to maximize your playing ability. If nothing else, it's a great way to introduce yourself to new, skilled musicians, and maybe even spur you on to become that good yourself.

Practice often.

There's an old joke: a couple of tourists in New York ask a guy walking past how they might get to Carnegie Hall. 'Practice, man, practice!' is the reply they're given, and it's the truth. If you're only practicing the minimum that your tutor prescribes, you're not going to progress as quickly as if you burst into the house after school or work and immediately run to pick up your instrument. The more you train yourself, the better you'll get (although be careful not to overdo it... unlike a lot of instruments, too much practicing can cause severe damage to your ability to form the right embouchure, which could throw off your playing ability for weeks or months).

Practice the right things.

Playing full-on pieces of music is awesome, and is no doubt the reason you picked up your instrument in the first place, but if you spend all of your time only playing the music you want to play you're going to find your progress dramatically slowed. As any good teacher will tell you, it's just as important to make sure you train yourself up in playing scales and arpeggios as well. It might be less interesting, but it will dramatically improve your skill level.

Find a teacher.

It's possible to learn all of these things from books or from online courses, but to stop you getting into bad habits (especially if you're only just starting out) it might be worth investing in the services of a professional music tutor who's capable of guiding you through the right way of playing a woodwind instrument. It might cost a little more, but it's a good way to make sure that you don't fall into the traps associated with a new instrument, and result is likely to be better, quicker and cleaner-sounding music at the end of it all.

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