Klarinet Archive - Posting 000357.txt from 1995/03

From: Robin Fairbairns <Robin.Fairbairns@-----.UK>
Subj: Re: It's starting again and I'm feeling faint!!
Date: Sun, 12 Mar 1995 19:09:18 -0500

> If you object to the use of such well-worn words as "bright" and "dark"
> to describe clarinet tone, what words would you suggest? If you
> agree that clarinetists have different sounds (for whatever reasons)
> how should one describe them verbally? How does a teacher descrobe
> to a student the kind of sound he/she should be trying to achieve
> without some the usual words clarinet teachers use?

I have a friend (who I once hoped would be a brother-in-law) who is an
extra-mural professor of clarinet at the University of Exeter. In my
most recent conversation with him I learnt that he's bought himself a
DAT recorder/player.

He said "It's wonderful, I don't have to try and describe what they're
doing wrong -- I just say it's wrong and play it back to them. Then I
can get on with explaining how to get it right: simply playing it is
usually good enough to convince them it's wrong."

Robin