From a recital on 2/3/2022 at 7:30 PM at Washburn University. Sonata for Clarinet in B-flat and Piano (1962) - Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) I. Allegro tristamente II. Élégie - romanza III. Allegro con fuoco While I know that this leaves us with about 75 years of history left to cover, it seemed like the best way to end. Philippe also told me a lesser-known story about Poulenc's Sonata. Poulenc composed the second movement first as an elegie to his dear friend, Arthur Honegger. According to Philippe, Poulenc worked symbiotically with French clarinetist André Boutard and arranged a premier in France before its "official" premier in the US by Benny Goodman. However, Poulenc died before he could hear his work premiered in either country.

From a recital on 2/3/2022 at 7:30 PM at Washburn University. Pièces pour la Musette Op. 10 - Jean Hotteterre (1677-1720) La Nopce Champêtre ou L’Himen Pastoral I. Prelude: l’Appel pour rassembler la Troupe II. I.ere Marche pour la Nopce Champêtre III. Sarabande l’Himen IV. Marche du Retour V. Les Complimens VI. Overture Le Festin I started this program with a piece for chalumeau by Jean Hotteterre. He was a member of one the founding wind luthier families in Paris, whose offspring eventually married into other famous luthier families like Buffet (developers of the modern clarinet). This Hotteterre (there were lots of them) was also the court mussette (bagpipes) player for Louis XIV.

From a recital on 2/3/2022 at 7:30 PM at Washburn University. Cantiléne - Louis Cahuzac (1880-1960) Louis Cahuzac's Cantilene is a charming work that sounds like it's straight out of a Rom-Com. During our coffee chat, Philippe told me many stories about Cahuzac and his legacy as a clarinetist, teacher, and composer. I even learned that he has a (formerly unknown) place on my clarinet family tree; that is, he taught some of my teachers' teachers' teachers' etc.

From a recital on 2/3/2022 at 7:30 PM at Washburn University. Premiére Sonate - François Devienne (1759-1803) I. Allegro con spiritoso II. Adagio III. Rondo allegretto Devienne was a flutist, bassoonist, and composer and worked at the Paris Opera. This is the first of his three clarinet sonatas.

From a recital on 2/3/2022 at 7:30 PM at Washburn University. Premiére Rhapsodie - Claude Debussy (1862-1918) Debussy's Premiere Rhapsodie was originally composed for clarinet and piano for the Paris Consertatoire's Concours. In order to graduate, a student had to win this competition performing a brand-new piece by a conservatoire faculty member. With its mysterious, impressionistic character, it's no mystery why this piece continues to enchant both audience and clarinetist alike.

ReedGeeks are my favorite tools for reed adjustment! In this video, I’ll demonstrate a few models and discuss the virtues of all the REEDGEEK tools I have available in my shop. Best Buy reedgeek: The Geeklet My favorite tool, best for all-encompassing single-reed adjustment: The Bullet Best for long-time knife users: The Double Geek Best for the undecided: Universal Special Best for a lightweight, basic upgrade: Black Diamond Shop all of my reedgeeks here: https://www.cleverclarinetist.com/tools Shop my setup here: https://www.cleverclarinetist.com/dr-larkins-set-up Sign up for lessons with me: https://www.cleverclarinetist.com/book-online

In this video, I'm demonstrating the Henri Selmer Paris Focus and Concept Mouthpieces for Bass Clarinet. My favorite for my purposes is the Focus mouthpiece, but the Concept is also a high-quality mouthpiece for those who prefer a wider tip opening. Both mouthpieces feature 32 mm tables and 2 tip openings. Focus' tip opening is 1.90 mm and Concept's tip opening is 2.15. Both are precision milled from hard rubber. Shop my setup here: https://www.cleverclarinetist.com/dr-larkins-set-up Shop Selmer Paris Mouthpieces here: https://www.cleverclarinetist.com/mouthpieces

In this video, I'm demonstrating the Henri Selmer Paris Focus, Echo, and Concept Mouthpieces for B-flat Clarinet. My favorite for my purposes is the Echo mouthpiece. All three mouthpieces feature 23 mm tables and 3 tip openings. Focus' tip opening is 1.05 mm, Echo's tip opening is 1.08 mm, and Concept's tip opening is 1.10. All are precision milled from hard rubber. Shop my setup here: https://www.cleverclarinetist.com/dr-larkins-set-up Shop Selmer Paris Mouthpieces here: https://www.cleverclarinetist.com/mouthpieces

In this video, I'm trying out ReedGeek's Clariklang! It's a metal weight that attaches to the ligature and is designed to give the player a more resonant sound. Overall, I felt like the silver and brass klari-klangs made a significant impact on my sound, giving me more control and projection.