Klarinet Archive - Posting 000531.txt from 1995/09

From: Everett J Austin <BrendaA624@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: undertones controversy
Date: Tue, 26 Sep 1995 11:59:03 -0400

Dear Mr Cohler,
Thanks for taking my comments in the proper (friendly) spirit. It actually
takes a little reflection to translate those tables and dry comments into the
real world of playing, so I didn't want the people who were actually
following your argument to be derailed by a slip of the keyboard. I am not a
professional or full time player, as my day job as a neurologist takes up
far too much time. However, I have studied saxophone and clarinet for a some
years and am very interested in the physics and physiology of playing
fundamentals and how these might apply to teaching and learning. It would
seem that these kinds of analyses, properly presented, might really amplify
more traditional teaching of fundamentals of these instruments. I wonder if
you are influenced by some of your teachers in this, feel more like you are
striking out on your own? I have found that my original teacher, now 86, has
a remarkably profound understanding of the physiology of playing, which I
only appreciated after studying medicine, and that my current teacher, who
plays in the SF Symphony, has a much more "externalized" approach dealing
with the physical characteristics of the instrument and the various kinds of
manipulations you describe in relation to playing higher notes on the
clarinet, but not so much of what might transpire in
of the body of the player.

Anyway thanks for sharing your ideas. I have enjoyed your CDs, by the way.
Do you plan any chamber music recordings with strings??

Sincerely,

Everett Austin