Overview
How do you know what is a good tutor book for learning an instrument? (Children & Adults)
Every teacher will have their favourite tutor book, or set of books, to use whilst teaching and there are several to choose from.
You are perfectly entitled to pick your own book however – there is no harm in having more than one tutor book. Some books are designed and written specifically for children and will often include pictures, stickers, puzzles or worksheets, and “fun” elements.
There is no reason why an adult can’t use these either so if you are learning with your child go for one of these. Children’s books are often slower moving through the stages too so if you want to feel more confident and spend longer on each element then use one of these.
Adult tutor books tend to move quicker and get you playing pieces sooner. It is however important to remember that you need to learn properly and rushing through doesn’t always mean that you have covered every element thoroughly.
Learning any instrument needs to be thorough. If you were building a house and had sloppy foundations your house wouldn’t be nearly as solid as if you had spent time building the foundations properly and giving plenty of attention to detail and using decent materials.
What are Good Tutor Books for Learning the Clarinet?
A good tutor book will show you all the basics from putting the clarinet together to holding the instrument and then getting a sound out of it. Without this you are not really going to get anywhere so it is very useful to have this basic information.
Best Clarinet Book for Beginners
Publisher: Bosworth Editions; 01 edition (1 Sept. 2005)
ISBN-13: 978-1846090271
A New Tune a Day for Clarinet (publisher Boston Music Company) is a great example of a book that will take you through all the stages of pre-learning and then learning each note.
It has clear illustrations showing which keys need putting down and taking you through the theory too. The hardest part of learning an instrument is to get going. You need to learn so much information such as reading the notes, knowing the note durations and then playing them using both hands and all your fingers.
Best Clarinet Book for Adults
Publisher: Bosworth Editions; 01 edition (1 Sept. 2005)
ISBN-13: 978-1846090271
A New Tune a Day teaches you one note at a time and then joins these notes to each other in a simple piece of music.
It is clear and easy to follow. The book will take you comfortably and a little beyond Grade 1.
The book has some tunes that will be familiar but overall are pieces put together especially for the clarinet and thorough learning of each note.
Best Clarinet Book for Self-Teaching
Publisher: Music Sales Limited
ISBN-13: 978-1849389181
Most tutor books will now come with an option to have a CD with backing, or a download with backing. These are useful for learning how to count as you play, and it can make the pieces more exciting when you have only a few notes on the go!
Absolute Beginners Clarinet is a great example of a book with a supporting CD.
Best Clarinet Book for Children
Publisher: Faber Music Ltd; Second Edition edition
ISBN-13: 978-0571522828
Tutor books that are worth looking at are Abracadabra Clarinet, Cool Clarinet or Paul Harris’ Clarinet Basics. Some books are more suited to group teaching and will have duets or ensemble pieces within in them.
Some will have a piano accompaniment in them which is great if your teacher plays the piano as well, or they will have a separate book with the accompaniments in it.