Understanding Clarinet Breathing Fundamentals Clarinet breathing is the hidden engine behind tone, articulation, and musical flow—less about “taking a big breath” and more about letting the body coordinate efficiently so air moves freely and quietly. When the ribcage, diaphragm, and throat stay mobile instead of fixed, inhalation becomes reflexive, exhalation becomes expressive, and phrasing starts to feel both more stable and more flexible. At Fujiyama Clarinet Studio in Yan

Clarinet Left-Hand Tension: Why the Thumb and Index Finger Matter Many clarinet players experience tightness in the left hand, especially around the thumb, index finger, and wrist. Some players feel that the left hand “locks up,” while others notice thumb pain, stiffness, or difficulty moving smoothly between notes such as F♯, A, B♭, and the register key. In many cases, the problem is not a lack of finger strength. It is often caused by the way the left thumb supports the cla

Welcome back to the Fujiyama Clarinet Studio Blog. We are located in Yanai, Yamaguchi, Japan, providing bilingual lessons both at studio and online. On January 15th, I held the first online breathing workshop via Zoom. Participants Students who had started the breathing training challenge joined the session. Some participants were only two weeks into their training, creating an enthusiastic atmosphere from the start. Being held online, participants from distant locations coul

What a 2-Hour Journey Connects: Passion for Clarinet Lessons 2026—a new year has begun. Thank you for your continued support. Recently, watching a student travel two hours by train for clarinet lessons brought back my memory. Their earnest dedication to professional clarinet instruction overlapped with my own past. High School Memories: My Clarinet Lesson Journey Senior year, when I finally decided to pursue music for university entrance exams, I began lessons with Professor

Yamaguchi-based Fujiyama Clarinet Studio in Yanai specializes in clarinet lessons for adults. In this blog, I’d like to share highlights from a November lesson with an adult student, using Boccherini’s “Minuet” and Yukiko Nishimura’s “Smiley Moon” as our main examples. If you are aiming for ABRSM Grade 3 or coming back to the clarinet as an adult, I hope you find some practical ideas here. What We Learn from Boccherini’s “Minuet” Boccherini was an Italian composer of the Clas