Klarinet Archive - Posting 000656.txt from 1995/05

From: "Anne M. Schnack" <sam@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: weird keys
Date: Tue, 23 May 1995 14:35:27 -0400

I agree with John on that it is all too easy to pick up music in an easy
key but slightly harder technique. I'm a music major (still in college)
and I'm trying to build my own personal music library. I'm thinking that
I've got a pretty good handle on what music is appropriate for
high-school level, but I'm not very sure on what literature is
appropriate for my own level. My private instructor keeps me going in
etudes and studies and occassionally gives me a new solo to work on, but
does anyone have any ideas for pieces that I could get on my own to look
at and add to my library?

I'm also giving private lessons to a student of my own. I know the
direction I took when it came to methods, but I was wondering if anyone
had suggestions for a methods series starting at a beginning/jr. high
level going through to at least a high school level.

Thanks!

Anne Schnack

On Tue, 23 May 1995, John Baetens wrote:

> Rich Copeland, after reading the discussions about keys,
> wonders why he doesn't have trouble with "weird" keys.
> Maybe it's because he has a masters degree in music with
> concentrated clarinet study.
>
> One thing we all have to realize is that with something as
> global as the Internet, on a mailing list with a topic as general
> as clarinet, we are going to get input from people with a great
> variance in background on the instrument.
>
> I was the one who started this thread by asking why stage show
> composers write in such weird keys. My formal training in
> the clarinet ended in high school. Even though I was !st chair off
> and on in a high school band that was very competitive, I chose not
> to pursue music in college. As the years went by, I became less
> and less active in music. Now that my daughter is in the high
> school band (same band, incidently), I once more became
> interested in playing and got out my old clarinet. One of the
> reasons I joined this list was to keep my interest active and to
> keep me playing.
> So far it has worked. I am amazed at how much I have learned
> just by reading messages from musicians with so much more
> experience as me. When you are practicing on your own, selecting
> your own music, the temptation is there to pick out music
> that makes you sound as good as you can, instead of music
> that will help you learn. This usually translates into picking out
> pieces in easy keys that has the most difficult technique that one
> can handle. After all, I am doing this mostly for my own enjoyment.
> But Rich's message, along with others on this thread, made me
> realize that to really get the most out of the instrument, I should
> go back to the basics.
> I am not familiar with the Klose books, but I still have my Rubank
> books from Junior High School. I seem to remember that the
> Advanced I and II books had scales and arpeggio exercises, that
> between the two books, covered all the major and minor scales.
> Would it be a good idea to go back to these lessons, or would
> the Klose book be better?
>