Play It Today!

Clarinéo
FREE
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BACKING TRACKS
& VIDEOS

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 Clarinéo

Introducing Nuvo WindStars!

WindStars is a band program for Elementary Schools using DOOD, TOOT, jSAX, Clarinéo and jFlute.

The “First Steps” series provides the foundation for playing all Nuvo instruments. When you
feel confident with the basics you can download the WindStars Music Books and explore the
WindStars website for more tunes. You will find music in many styles such as jazz, pop, rock, reggae
and of course traditional tunes. We will continue to add new tunes and please feel free to contact us
with suggestions.

One of the great things about Nuvo instruments is that they are all in the key of C (concert pitch)
which means you can share music across instruments and if you want to add piano, guitar and even
Orff music, it’s easy to do.

Why not perform at your school or in the local community? If you’d like to share your WindStars or
individual performance videos, please contact us through the Nuvo website and we will happily post
them on our YouTube channel.

To access the free WindStars music, go to www.nuvo-windstars.com and search the relevant instru-
ment. You can listen to demonstration tracks as well as download backing tracks and sheet music.
There is also a free iPad app that has playback options as well as interactive fingering charts for Nuvo
instruments.

For more information, please visit www.nuvo-instrumental.com and www.nuvo-windstars.com

 Clarinéo

Contents
Video Page
01 02
Introducing the Clarinéo 4
Holding the Clarinéo 6
03
Playing your Clarinéo 7
Introducing the Staff or Stave 8
Let’s Play Some Notes: E, D and C 9
Introducing Articulation 10
Introducing Note Lengths 10
Introducing the Half Note Rest 12
Introducing the Quarter Note Rest 12
Introducing the Repeat Sign 13
Introducing Duets 17
Introducing Eighth Notes 18
Let’s Learn 2 More Notes: F and G 20
Introducing Slurs 21
Introducing the Dotted Half Note 22
Let’s Learn 2 More Notes: B and A 24
Let’s Learn High A: Introducing the 2nd Octave 26
Introducing the Dotted Quarter Note 28
Let’s Learn Low G 30
Introducing Time Signatures 30
Introducing Ties 32
Introducing the Flat Sign 33
Let’s Play a New Note: Low B 33
Let’s Play a New Note: High B 34
Introducing Key Signatures 35
Let’s Learn New Note: High F# 36
Introducing the F Major Scale 37
Introducing the Sharp Sign 39
Let’s Learn New Note: Low F# 40
Let’s Learn New Note: B 41
Introducing the B Major Scale 42
Introducing the G Major Scale 42
Let’s Learn 2 More Notes: D and A 43
Introducing the A /G# and D / C# Exercise 43
Congratulations! - First Steps Certificate 46
Clarinéo Fingering Chart 47
2
Copyright © 2016 Nuvo Instrumental Ltd. All rights Reserved
 Clarinéo

Clarinéo – First Steps Book

The Clarinéo is fantastic fun to play and a great way to introduce younger players to the joy of playing the
clarinet and other woodwind instruments. This First Steps book will guide you through the basics of playing the
instruments and reading music notation. It doesn’t matter if you have never read music, or even picked up an
instrument before. This book is written to be used either on your own, or as part of a larger group or class.

Teacher Tips
You don’t have to be a woodwind specialist to have fun teaching Nuvo instruments. Be sure to check out our
Nuvo Top Tips for Teachers download, where you can find games and activities to engage classes of all sizes
regardless of your own musical ability.

Nuvo Superstars & First Steps Certificate

Look out for the 9 stars as you progress through the book, you can color them in when you reach them to show
that you have learnt everything up to that point. You can also color the stars below to track your progress.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

When you have finished the book, and can play all the tunes perfectly, you can print out the “First Steps
Complete” certificate, fill in your name and put it on your wall!

Backing Tracks and Videos

Throughout the book you will find backing track and video icons as shown.
01
VIDEO 01 - Introducing the Clarinéo
01
TRACK 01 - E Tune by Graham Lyons

If you are viewing the PDF while online, you can click the icons to access the track or video. You can also
download all the tracks and videos and manage them from your computer when not online.

3
 Clarinéo

Introducing the Clarinéo

01
VIDEO 01 - Introducing the Clarinéo

Your Clarinéo comes in three easy to assembly parts.

Mouthpiece Cap

Mouthpiece

O-Rings
Reed

Ligature

Right Hand Keys

Left Hand Keys

Bell Left Hand

Thumb Hole & Key

Right Hand
Adjustable
Thumb Rest

4
 Clarinéo

The Reeds and Mouthpiece

02
VIDEO 02 - Changing the reed on your Clarinéo

The reed on your Clarinéo is very important, this is the part that vibrates and makes the sound. Your
Clarinéo comes with 3 synthetic reeds numbered 1, 1½ and 2. The reed marked 1 is the softest and
should be the easiest reed to create an initial sound. The 1½ reed is a little harder and offers more
resistance when it is played, and the number 2 reed is harder still. We recommend starting with the
number 1 or 1½. reed, and try moving to the 2 reed as you progress through the book. There is also
a cane reed provided. If you want to buy more cane reeds, be sure to ask for E clarinet reeds, as the
more common B clarinet reeds will not fit the mouthpiece. If you look after them, your reeds should
last a long time. Biting or chewing your reeds will damage them, and they will not work properly. Check
the tip of your reed from time to time to make sure it is flat, and always replace the mouthpiece cap
carefully when you have finished playing.

Removing the Reed Lift Ligature

Pull Out
You should not have to remove the reed very often, as it is
ok to leave it on the mouthpiece all the time. When you
do need to change the reed simply lift the ligature as shown
then carefully slide the reed away from the mouthpiece. Try
not to touch the tip of the reed.

Assembling Your Reed and Mouthpiece

There is a location rib on the reed which fits into the groove on the mouthpiece; slide the reed into the
groove and then snap shut the ligature as shown. This should enable you to position the reed perfectly
every time. The tip of the reed should now be lined up with the tip of the mouthpiece.

Snap Shut Ligature

Reed Level With

Reed Location Slot Mouthpiece Tip

When attaching or removing your Clarinéo mouthpiece look at the rubber O-rings which seal the
mouthpiece with the body. Make sure they are in their slots before attaching the mouthpiece to the
body.
5
 Clarinéo

Holding the Clarinéo

The hand positions for playing the Clarinéo are a similar to a recorder with your left hand at the top and your
right hand at the bottom. Your left hand will cover the top 3 holes and your right hand the bottom 3, with
your little fingers playing the remaining keys. Your right hand thumb goes under the thumb hook on the back
of the Clarinéo and your left thumb will cover the hole on the back, and play the register key.

Good Posture
It is important to stand upright and bring your instrument up to your mouth. This will help you to
produce good notes. Remember not to bend forward or dip your head towards your instrument.

Bad Good

6
 Clarinéo

Playing Your Clarinéo

03
VIDEO 03 - Playing your Clarinéo

Make sure your mouthpiece is positioned so the reed is on the bottom. Start by resting your top
teeth on the top or “beak” of the mouthpiece about 1cm from the tip (Image 1), and close your
mouth around the mouthpiece (Image 2). Your bottom lip will cover your lower teeth and make a
cushion for the reed to rest on. Now take a breath and without puffing your cheeks out, try to blow a
note on the Clarinéo, don’t let your cheeks puff out. You need not think about your fingers yet, just
think about blowing! You can experiment with a little less and a little more mouthpiece in your mouth
and listen to how it changes the sound.

Image 1 Image 2

Not Making a Sound?

If you find you can’t make a sound, you might be biting down on the reed too hard, try to loosen
your mouth a little around the mouthpiece. If you are making a lot of squeaking noises, you might
have too much of the mouthpiece in your mouth, try sliding the mouthpiece out a little and have
another go. Don’t worry if you can’t always do it the first time!

7
 Clarinéo

Introducing the Staff or Stave

Musical notation is written out using 5 lines called the staff, or stave. The notes are placed either in
the spaces between the lines, or on the lines depending on which notes they are.

Time signatures tell us how many Bar lines divide the music staff
beats per measure. into measures

Final bar line, found at

Treble Clef
the end of the piece.

The first 3 notes we will learn on the Clarinéo are called E, D and C, this is what they look like on the
staff. Notice how the E is on the bottom line, the D sits under the bottom line and the C is lower still,
with it’s own little line running through it.

8
 Clarinéo

Let’s Play Some Notes: E, D and C

The first notes we are going to learn on the Clarinéo are E, D and C. Remember how to hold your
instrument - left hand thumb covering the hole on the back, right hand thumb under the thumb hook
on the back.

This is how to play the notes on your instruments;

Now have a go at playing the 3 notes, and try moving between them. Don’t forget that your thumb
should be covering the back hole for all 3 notes. Try playing in front of a mirror so you can see what
your fingers are doing. If you’re not getting a sound you may not be covering over the holes fully,
you don’t need to press hard, just hard enough so that no air can escape.

* Teachers, check out our “Nuvo Top Tips for Teachers” for some activity ideas *
9
 Clarinéo

Starting Notes with Your Tongue

On the Clarinéo we should start some of the notes using our tongue. This is called articulation.
Play the note E and then without stopping the air in your throat touch the tip of the reed with your
tongue to stop the sound. When you take it away the sound will carry on. Now play the note D, try
to touch the reed, as if you are saying “Tu, tu, tu,”. Try to make all the notes the same length. This is
called tonguing!

Note Lengths
Music notes don’t just tell us what notes to play, but also how long to hold the note on for.

Whole note, Half note, Quarter note,

count 4 beats count 2 beats count 1 beat

10
 Clarinéo

Let’s Play Some Tunes

The first tune we are going to play only uses one note – E. First try to clap out the rhythm of the tune,
then have a listen to the demonstration track. Try clapping along to the tune while looking at the music.

NOTE E

01
E Tune Graham Lyons

This means rest for the count of 2 beats

Now try and play the tune on your instrument, follow the music as you play, and don’t forget to
tongue the notes.

11
 Clarinéo

Now try the same with this tune which

D
uses just the note D, remember to try
NOTE clapping the rhythm of the tune first.

02
D Tune Graham Lyons

This means rest for the count of 1 beat

Finally try this on the note C

NOTE C
03
C Tune Graham Lyons

12
 Clarinéo

If we want the music to sound more interesting we need to use more than one note in a tune, try
playing these 3 tunes that use E, D and C, look for a repeat sign at the end of each piece, this means
you repeat the tune again from the start.

04
Caribbean C Paul Barker

Rock CD has repeat signs near the start and at the end, we will play the music between the signs
twice, we will REPEAT the music.

05
Rock CD Paul Barker

This means repeat

06
Button Graham Lyons

13
 Clarinéo 1

07
Au Clair de la Lune Trad.

08
Suo-Gan Trad. Welsh

09
Up and Down Bruce Hunnisett

10
Go Tell Aunt Rhody Trad.

14
 Clarinéo

More E, D, C Tunes

11
Baggy Pants 1 Graham Lyons

12
Baggy Pants 2 Graham Lyons

13
Baggy Pants 3 Graham Lyons

15
 Clarinéo

When you play “Time Traveller” first listen to the backing track, then try to play with the music. In the
classroom you could split into Group A and Group B, taking a line each.

14
Time Traveller Graham Lyons

Group A

Group B

Group A

Group B

16
 Clarinéo 2

Playing Duets
Music is usually played by more than one instrument at a time. A duet is a piece written for two
players. Sometimes the two players have similar sounding lines, other times they have very different
lines, but they always sound great when played together.

15
Rock Duo Paul Barker

Part 1

Part 2

17
 Clarinéo

Introducing Eighth Notes

When we need notes that are shorter than quarter notes, we can use eighth notes. Each eight note is
worth half a quarter note.

=
A Single eighth 2 Eighth notes beamed together
note equal 1 quarter note

See if you can spot the eighth notes in Donkeys, clap the rhythm, listen to the track, then try to play it.
As always remember to tongue all the notes clearly.

16
Donkeys Graham Lyons

17
Hot Cross Buns Trad.

18
 Clarinéo

18
Eighth Note Workout! Bruce Hunnisett

19
Disco Duet Paul Barker

Moderato

Part 1

Part 2

19
 Clarinéo

Let’s Learn 2 More Notes: F and G

NOTE F NOTE G

Merrily uses the new note G, see if you can see where the new G note appears.

20
Merrily Trad.

20
 Clarinéo 3

Slurs

If there are notes in a tune which should not be tongued, we connect the notes with a slur; this means
those notes should be played in one breath, moving your fingers smoothly to change the notes.
Remember to keep your air moving from one note to the next, so no gaps can be heard between the
notes.
Try playing Merrily again, this time with some of the notes slurred, try to play those passages in one
breath, with no gaps.

21
Merrily Trad.

Little Hans uses both new notes, G and F. Find the new note F in the music before you try playing it.

22
Little Hans Trad.

21
 Clarinéo

Introducing the Dotted Half Note

A dot after a note adds half the value of the original note, so the dotted half note will be worth 3
beats.

Look out for the dotted half notes in this tune.

23
When The Saints Trad.

22
 Clarinéo

24
Ode To Joy Beethoven 1770-1827

25
Jingle Bells Trad.

26
Jumping the Steps Bruce Hunnisett

23
 Clarinéo

Let’s Learn 2 More Notes: B and A

We are going to need our right hand for these notes, keep your right thumb under the thumb hook
and try playing the B and A. Look in a mirror if you can, to see what your fingers are doing. Be sure
to cover over the holes fully or the notes won’t sound correct.

NOTE B NOTE A

27
Just As and Bs Bruce Hunnisett

24
 Clarinéo 4

Skip to My Lou has the new note B, see if you can spot it before you try and play it.

28
Skip to My Lou Trad.

29
The Long Way Down Bruce Hunnisett

25
 Clarinéo

Let’s Learn High A

Now try playing this high A, it’s an “OCTAVE”

A
higher than the A we’ve already learnt, an
NOTE octave spans 8 notes.

Try to roll your finger up on to the A key, rather than jump up to it. Try slurring smoothly from an E to
an A without letting any Gs pop out! Like this…..

30
Twinkle Twinkle Trad.

26
 Clarinéo

Here’s another duet to try playing with a friend. Part 1 has the new high A in it. Take it in turns to try
the different parts.

31
London Bridge Is Falling Down Trad.

Part 1

Part 2

32
This Old Man Trad.

This old man. he played one, he played knick knack on my drum. With a

knick knack pad-dy whack, give a dog a bone, this old man came roll - ing home!

27
 Clarinéo

Introducing the Dotted Quarter Note

The dotted quarter note is worth 1½ beats. It is often paired with an eighth note, to make 2 complete
beats as in Michael Row the Boat Ashore

33
Michael Row The Boat Ashore Trad.

Mi - chael row the boat a - shore, Hal - le - lu -

ya. Mi - chael row the boat a - shore, Hal - le - lu - -

ya, Hal - le - lu - - - - ya.

34
Big Jumper Bruce Hunnisett

28
 Clarinéo

35
Old Macdonald Trad.

36
Oh Susanna Trad.

29
 Clarinéo 5

Let’s Learn Low G

To play low G we need to cover all 3 holes at the top and all three holes at the bottom. Look in a
mirror or ask a friend to check your finger are covering all the holes.

NOTE G

Now try playing Hot Cross Buns again, but this time using the right hand notes B, A and G

37
Hot Cross Buns Trad.

30
 Clarinéo

Look at the Time signature of Happy Birthday, notice how the top number is a 3, this tells us there
are only 3 beats in each bar.

38
Happy Birthday To You Trad.

39
Frere Jaques Trad.

31
 Clarinéo

Ties
A tie is a curved line connecting two notes of the same pitch. The two notes are added or ‘’tied’’
together and played as a single note.

These two tied eighth notes would

be played as a single note lasting
one quarter note

Look out for the ties in the next tune.

40
Daisy, Daisy Trad.

32
 Clarinéo

The Flat Sign

A flat sign can be placed in front of any note, it lowers the note by a half-step.

NOTE B
The next note we are learning is a B . It sounds slightly lower than a normal B. Try playing this note, it
should sound half way between A and B. Now play B, A and B and listen to the difference between
the notes.

41
Gee, That’s a Flat B! Bruce Hunnisett

33
 Clarinéo 6

We can also play a higher sounding version of the B

NOTE B
This is played similar to a high A, but we take our thumb off the hole at the back, and instead use it
to press the register key.

42
Blues in C Paul Barker

43
B flat, B tall, B tuneful! Bruce Hunnisett

34
 Clarinéo

Key Signatures
If you look at the start of Yankee Doodle Dandy, you will notice a flat sign on the B line at the start of
every line. This is called the key signature, and it means all the B notes in the tune should be played
as B .

44
Yankee Doodle Dandy Trad.

Yan - kee doo - dle went to town, a rid - ing on a po - ny.

Stuck a fea - ther in his hat and called it Mac - car - o - ni!

35
 Clarinéo

Let’s Learn Low F

Low F is one of the lowest notes on the Clarinéo, to practice the F, try playing a G, and then put your right
little finger down on the F key. Make sure you don’t move your other fingers or the F won’t work properly.

NOTE F
45
“GFGFGFGFG” Bruce Hunnisett

Lets practice some of the notes we’ve learnt by playing the scale below, it goes from a low F all the way up
to a high F. In music we call this a major scale, these types of scale are the foundation for all kinds of music.

The F Major Scale

Look at the key signature – remember to the play B s. Try playing the scale both slurred and tongued, it’s
a great way to warm up and get your fingers moving.
36
 Clarinéo 7

46
Kookaburra Marion Sinclair

47
Chinese Whispers Paul Barker

37
 Clarinéo

48
Study In F Paul Barker

49
The Elephant Can Can Offenbach 1819-1880

38
 Clarinéo

The Sharp Sign

Similar to the flat sign, the sharp sign can be placed in front of any note, it raises the note by a half-step.

Let’s Learn High F#

NOTE F#

50
That’s Sharp! Bruce Hunnisett

51
Minuet J.S.Bach

39
 Clarinéo

Let’s Learn Low F#

Low F# uses both little fingers, and

F#
is quite a hard note to play at first.
NOTE Make sure your other fingers don’t
move off the holes.

52
Little Finger Twist Bruce Hunnisett

40
 Clarinéo

To play the next tune, we need to learn how to play another flat note. This time it’s E .

NOTE E

53
We Three Kings Trad.

41
 Clarinéo

We now know enough notes to learn another 2 scales. First let’s play the B major scale. This has B
and E in it, look carefully at the start and notice how the key signature has 2 flat signs, the first is B ,
and the second is E .

The B MajorScale

We can also play the G major scale which contains the F#.

The G Major Scale

Try to memorize the 3 scales we have played, and play them as a warm up each time you start to
practice.
Check the key signature of the next pieces carefully before you play them.

54
Sur Le Pont D’Avignon Trad.

42
 Clarinéo 8

To play the final tune in the book, we need to learn two more flat notes – D and A . To play these
notes we need to use our little fingers again, but this time on different keys!

NOTE D NOTE A

Because D is halfway between D and C, it can also be called a C#. Likewise A is halfway between
A and G and can therefore also be called a G#. Look at the exercise below, it will help you get used
to playing and recognizing the different sharp and flat notes.

A /G# and D /C# Exercise

43
 Clarinéo

In Funky Monkey, look out for all the flats, and also for “natural” signs, this is a sign that cancels out a
sharp or flat and returns the note to its “natural” sound. The first natural sign appears in bar 6, and is
labelled.

55
Funky Monkey Bruce Hunnisett

This natural sign cancels out the effect of the previous

sharp and flat signs until the end of the measure

44
 Clarinéo 9

Congratulations!

Congratulations! You have completed all the music in the book. You now know all the main notes in
the low register of the Clarinéo, and all the notes in the keys of F major, B major and G major. It is
possible to play even more notes and the fingering chart at the back of this book shows you how to
do that.

If you want to learn even more great tunes, you can move on to one of the Windstars books for
Clarinéo, where you can find a whole range of pieces spanning all different genres of music.

Visit our website for more details about this, and other NUVO products.

www.nuvo-instrumental.com

Recorder DOOD TOOT jSAX

jFlute Clarinéo Flute Accessories

45
 CONGRATULATIONS!
You have completed the Clarinéo First Steps Book
Presented to
By Date
 Clarinéo

The Low Register

Clarinéo Fingering Chart

Fingering Chart
continue on next page

47
 The Middle Register
Clarinéo

The High Register

48
 Play It Today!
BY
Bruce Hunnisett, Paul Barker, Graham Lyons, Dr. Cassandra Eisenreich

The Nuvo Play It Today Series have been prepared and edited by 4 widely experienced music educators to
provide a basis for playing or teaching with Nuvo instruments. Introducing basic technique and enough
notes to play simple fun tunes solo or in a group. This is the perfect method for developing the necessary
skills to further explore the wealth of music available to download from the WindStars website.

Play It Today! Play It Today!

Dood & Toot jSax

FREE FREE
DOWNLOAD DOWNLOAD
METHOD BOOK METHOD BOOK
BACKING TRACKS BACKING TRACKS
& VIDEOS & VIDEOS

www.nuvo-instrumental.com www.nuvo-instrumental.com

Play It Today! Play It Today!

Clarinéo jFlute
FREE FREE
DOWNLOAD DOWNLOAD
METHOD BOOK METHOD BOOK
BACKING TRACKS BACKING TRACKS
& VIDEOS & VIDEOS

www.nuvo-instrumental.com www.nuvo-instrumental.com

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