Klarinet Archive - Posting 000493.txt from 1995/09

From: Jonathan Cohler <cohler@-----.NET>
Subj: Re: Undertones & Air Speed
Date: Sat, 23 Sep 1995 20:24:56 -0400

>Johnathan,
>
>I think that "fast air" is more of a concept that helps some understand how
>to use the air. A rather poor analogy is in describing what to do with the
>inside of your mouth when you play. Think "ee" for example. Or I've heard
>some teachers tell the student to play like they have a golf ball in their
>mouth. As far as the air, I don't allow the student to dwell on it in the
>technical sense - "Paralysis by Analysis" (Jacobs). I tell them to breath
>deep and force their stomach out. This sometimes works. There are many
>other ways to try to make a student understand air.
>
>I agree every word of your acousitcal information. I think, though, that it
>might tend to confuse a younger student.
>
>Steve.
>Steve Prescott
>Instrument Rep.Tech./Clarinetist
>Indiana State University
>mipresc@-----.edu

Steve,

On the contrary, I believe that using non-specific "concepts" that have no
simple and immediate physical implementation is much more confusing. For
example, saying to a student, "Use more airspeed and more air volume" has
no direct meaning for a student. They don't know what "airspeed" or "air
volume" is, and in fact, in the ways that those terms are most often used
by clarinet teachers, they don't have a well defined meaning.

Saying "Blow harder" has an immediate meaning for any student. Or "put
less pressure on the reed". Or "put your jaw further forward". These are
all direct physical instructions, that produce specific results. General
concepts are good to have around as broad guidelines, but they are no
substitute for real understanding of the physical mechanisms at work in
playing the clarinet (or any instrument, for that matter).

Unfortunately, many people who can play the clarinet very well don't really
understand in great detail the physical basis of what they are doing, and
in teaching they often pass on misinformation couched as "general
concepts". It is always important to explain to students (even as young as
7th or 8th grade), the physical basis of what they are doing. By knowing
this students can begin to make their own advances without a lot of guess
work and trial and error practice.

-----------------------

Jonathan Cohler
cohler@-----.net