Klarinet Archive - Posting 000043.txt from 1996/10

From: Fred Jacobowitz <fredj@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: saxophone methods vs. clarinet
Date: Wed, 2 Oct 1996 22:43:08 -0400

Susan,
I haven't come across any such manuals but now that you mention
it, one WOULD be a good idea. As my first instrument was clarinet and I
didn't learn sax until college, I never had any real lessons on it. So
teaching it was seat-of-the-pants flying until I got the hang of it. I'll
outline a couple of things I learned to teach, hoping that they aren't
redundant for you.
I wait until the student is somewhere in the middle of the Rubank
advanced before I teach vibrato. By then they usually have a good concept
of support and embouchure. I teach it by having them do slow, exaggerated
glisses down and back up to pitch on one note. When they can do those
very smoothly, I let them go faster... Eventually they get faster and the
vibrato gets narrower (how narrow depends on the style and the speed).
I also stress to my students that they should use a fairly stiff
reed, contrary to most clarinetists' conceptions of sax playing.
Another thing I teach is the use of the side C fingering (finger
the B and add the middle of the three RH index finger keys). This is VERY
useful in smooth scale passages (in legit playing).
There are lots of other little pearls but that's for another letter.

Fred Jacobowitz
Clarinet/Sax Instructor, Peabody Preparatory

On Fri, 27 Sep 1996, Susan E. Pontow wrote:

> I have some questions about teaching saxophone as compared with teaching
> clarinet. This semester I've been assigned to teach a couple of saxophone
> lessons against my will (I don't really like sax but I do have a minor in it).
> Anyway, I have an eighth-grader for both clarinet and saxophone lessons. I've
> taught him clarinet from the very beginning for about 2 years now. His first
> instrument was saxophone and is more advanced with that. My problem is
> although I have some experience with levels of achievement and method books fo
r
> clarinet, I am not sure what to do with saxophone. I know Southern Music puts
> out that pamphlet by Hite as a guide for clarinet study. Does such a guide
> exist for saxophone? ( I would call Southern myself, except that I'm rarely a
t
> home before midnight.) I know some things are important for all wind
> instruments (breathing, posture, embouchure, finger placement), but are there
> any differences in what you should look for in saxophone, as compared to what
> you should look for in clarinet (aside from vibrato). And when should vibrato
> be taught? We've only had two lessons on saxophone, and so far I've
> concentrated on breathing, the differences between sax and clarinet
> embouchures, intonation, and rhythmic problems. As far as I can see he hasn't
> learned vibrato yet in his 4 years of study. (He's in the Rubank Advanced
> Method, book 1.)
>
> Thank you in advance for your help. And if this topic has been discussed
> before, I apologize for not having the time to look in the archives first.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Susan Pontow
>

   
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