Klarinet Archive - Posting 000550.txt from 1997/02

From: Neil Leupold <nleupold@-----.EDU>
Subj: The bless'ed clarinetists
Date: Sun, 16 Feb 1997 11:00:18 -0500

On Sun, 16 Feb 1997, Carolyn Stock wrote:

> Here's my two cents. I've been doubling since eigth grade. I think
> some people can naturally do the embouchure adjustments and some can't.
> Just my opinion. I have no prob with it and it has always come
> naturally to me. Any comments?

Bully for you. But I've never believed in this notion that "some people
are blessed with the gift, and some are not." It's just like this whole
business about being able to tongue fast on the clarinet, or that having
a Chedeville mouthpiece will instantly make you sound like {insert name
of your favorite principal/solo clarinetist}. Regarding tonguing, it
took years of 7-hour days in the practice room before I acquired a
specific awareness of my body, enabling me to invoke the type of relax-
ation necessary to single-tongue at 156. Now, after having spent several
years away from the instrument, I find that I can barely sustain a
staccato open G at better than 116. Had I not achieved the relaxation
and delicacy which facilitated a 156 articulation speed 5 years ago,
I would think to myself, "Whelp, those people are just favored by
the gods, because I know I'll never be able to tongue that fast."
It just isn't true. Practice, and practice relaxing your body to
increase awareness and sensitivity, and all sorts of blurry impossi-
bilities will magically begin to come into focus. My tongue speed
wasn't the only thing that improved as a result of those daily 7-hour
sessions. And for some, I imagine it's not necessary to spend so
many hours in the practice room, because they're predisposed to
efficient and relaxed practice technique as a function of their
personality and lifestyle. Things to consider...

Neil