How should I learn clarinet as a self taught / self learner? And should I learn in concert pitch or transposed notation?
Hello, folks.
What would you advise to be a route for learning clarinet? My impression is that everyone's journey is different but just in case - there a standard or recomended learning path for clarinet? I imagine that the path will be different depending on what one's end goal is. So for the sake of being speciifc, I'm looking to imrpovise, compose and record myself. Should I be learning scales, modes? Just pick out a book of clarinet sheet music and start learning the pieces? I've just picked up an entry level clarinet and been figuring out fingerings using some known tunes like Pink Panther and The Sailors Hornpipe.
And another more pressing question. The whole thing with Clarinet being a transposing instrument. How vital is it that I learn fingering in using clarinet charts as opposed to concert pitch? I understand that If my goal was to play in an orchestra, I need to learn the fingerings that accouny for the 2 semitone transposition and that offset will be accounted for in sheet music. But since my main goal is improvisation and recording over my own compositions, is there any point whatsoever in learning transposed fingering? Should I not just learn fingering in Concept pitch where the note I hear matches the note a tuner reports in concert pitch?
The reason being is because before getting into clarient I've been learning Piano, Guitar and Music Theory Rudiments and the idea of having to re-learn a transposed notation system after having gotten used to expecting a certain written note to sound a certain way frankly irratates and intimidates me.