How to Succeed as a Woodwind Multi–Instrumentalist

Excerpted from Woodwind Doubling for Saxophone, Clarinet & Flute

  1. Play each instrument because you love that particular instrument!
  2. Aspire to play each instrument as if it were the only one that you play.
  3. Set up a disciplined daily practice routine.
  4. Have a consistent set of warmups including tone, articulation and scale studies for each instrument.
  5. Listen to recordings of an assortment of great artists for each instrument on a daily basis. Focus intensively on one artist each year. Choose their greatest attributes to emphasize—tone, vibrato, articulation, phrasing, technique, etc.
  6. Study each instrument privately with teachers who have a similar philosophy with regard to breathing, phrasing, tone, etc. and are sensitive to a multi-instrumentalist’s role in the music industry.
  7. Study with only one teacher at a time on each instrument.
  8. Try to play in as many varied musical contexts as possible (especially helpful are saxophone quartets, woodwind quintets and jazz combo settings).
  9. Buy the best instruments possible (and all the major ones of each family of instruments).
  10. Buy instrument cases available that provide the best protection for each instrument and are ergonomically sound.
  11. Find an excellent repair technician for each instrument and cultivate that relationship. Make sure that you always have someone to go to in an emergency.
  12. Subscribe to all relevant professional journals and organizations.
  13. Attend concerts, masterclasses, and instrumental conventions as often as possible.
  14. Perform, rehearse and practice great music as often as possible.
  15. Become an excellent sight-reader on all of your instruments in all styles of music.
  16. *Developing an excellent sense of rhythm, pitch, stylistic knowledge and collegiality are essential for success in the music industry!
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