Klarinet Archive - Posting 000521.txt from 1996/09

From: "Joie Canada , Jcanada713@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: PURE v IMPURE TONE
Date: Tue, 24 Sep 1996 11:08:26 -0400

As a player who is in all sorts of groups, from orchestra to dixieland and
big bands as well as regular concert band, I have learned that tone is like
voice--I don't pronounce words or sing the same kind of sound in church as
singing along with a rock group or howling out Didn't He Ramble. My clarinet
also has to speak several languages which it does with grace and ease--which
is why I love the instrument. I meet young players (I am not so young any
more) who have one lovely voice and they use it so well, but they always
wonder at how jazz, dixie and folk players get so many different sounds out
of the same instrument--largely, I suspect, because they have worked so hard
to develop "pure tone" that they discount the value of wild vibratos, furry
sounds, growls and the occasional nasty staccato. They all have their
place--not often in the orchestra (R. Strauss or occasional Berlioz maybe)
but the orchestra's not the only place the clarinet is alive and well.

When I have been asked how I manage to do "that Bennie Goodman sound" I can
only tell them to go get some records and copy the sound--learn to make the
sound the same way they learned to produce their "pure" sound--by listening,
changing minor things in their mouth and tongue and try different reeds and
mouthpieces if necessary. I have a much loved mouthpiece that can produce a
wide variety of sounds and a few more for very special sounds--like drowning
out the trombone in the dixieland band. I don't find that producing the
"impure" sounds affects my ability to produce the "pure" ones. The habit of
a certain tone seems to reside in the ear as much as anywhere else. It might
be best if a young player learned to control and "audialize" one sort of
tone before trying to build a bunch of other sorts of sounds, but considering
how we learn language when young--by listening and copying (bilingual little
kids never accidently mix up the sounds of, say French and English--when they
speak French, they make French vowels and consonants and same with their
English) I believe the same may hold true in musical language.

It's hard to learn new languages as an adult, and it may help young learners
to hear and aspire to different musical languages on their instrument as
well.

Joie

   
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