Klarinet Archive - Posting 000442.txt from 1995/09

From: bassethn@-----.ORG
Subj: Undertones & Air Speed
Date: Wed, 20 Sep 1995 20:26:44 -0400

On 09-19-95, Jonathan Cohler wrote:

I hate to contradict, but the undertones are not a function of airspeed.
Ic> If a certain airspeed were required to play the notes without an
Ic> undertone, then it would be impossible to play the notes from
Ic> niente, which, of course, requires the lowest possible (approaching
Ic> zero) airspeed.

Yikes!

Niente is produced by reducing air *volume* to nothing. No *air flow*,
i.e. volume, no reed vibration, no sound. Really loud playing requires
maximum air *volume*. Lots of air volume, lots of reed viration, lots of
decibels.

Air *speed* is the velocity at which the air (no matter what the volume)
passes by the tip of the reed. Air speed is used to control colour, both
elemental clairnet colour and variances required to make music. Generally
speaking, air speed on the clarinet is fast (with variations to effect
colour changes) and air speed is generally slow on the bass clarinet,
again with variances to control colour.

On the clarinet, air needs to go fast for all notes and especially for
upper notes of the clarion and all notes of the altissimo range. Some
teach the placing of the tongue in the position that it would be if you
were saying "ee". This narrows the space between the tongue and the back
of the soft palate. The same volume of air (lots or a little) rushing
though a more confined space makes the air go faster.

Really soft playing requires very fast air. If the air is moving too
slowly at low volumes and there is an embouchure/reed/mouthpiece
imbalance, an undertone problem is inevitable.

In fact, I feel that the less volume of air, the greater the required
airspeed else the sound drops off before a true niente. The *airspeed*
disappears at niente when there is no more air *volume* to drive.

Jonathan, if you are playing good high clarion & altissimo notes without
making the air go fast, I'd like to arrange to take a lesson with you as
there is a major component of clarinet pedagogy that I have not learned.
However, I suspect that if you are a good player, you have been properly
using airspeed all along and were unaware of it.

=========================================
David Bourque
Bass Clarinet, Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Internet: bassethn@-----.org
=========================================

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