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Klarinet Archive - Posting 000096.txt from 1997/05
From: "Robert D. Shaw" <theshaws@-----.net>
Subj: Re: Air speed
Date: Sat, 3 May 1997 13:32:20 -0400
I have to agree with David on this one. I use the fast-cold method all
the time with 4-6 grade students. It is a concept that helps them to
understand not only using more air, but also helps them to play without
tensing neck and jaw muscles.
Just a question-has Jonathon taught young beginners? If so, please
explain how introduce tone production to young students. I am always
willing to learn.
(Just an extra) I sometimes give my young students a 1" square, 1
ply piece of facial tissue and have them see if they can hold it up
against the wall for 5 seconds by standing about one inch from the wall
and blowing directly on the middle of the tissue. This forces them to
use the correct amount of air and helps them to focus the air in a
certain spot. I them tell them to notice how their abdomen feels when
they are successful at this. This helps them to focus on filling the
instrument with air rather than tensing the neck and jaw. It may sound
strange, but it has been a very successful excercise for many of my
students.
David C. Blumberg wrote:
>
> I have to disagree with the part that states that you can't control air
> temperature. It is possible to blow on your hand warm air with a small
> mouth opening by changing the air speed. Fast air, or slow air- what is
> difficult about that concept. I think a 4th grader could easily grasp that
> concept. I teach Flute, and Sax also - I use those concepts every day. When
> you push out the air hard - doesn't it come out faster?
>
> Jonathan Cohler wrote:
> On the subject of fast/slow, cold/hot air etc. here are my brief thoughts.
>
> People have no conscious mechanism (to my knowledge) of controlling the
> temperature of the air that comes out of them. When we blow on our hands
> to warm them (and the air feels warm), we do so with a wide open mouth so
> the air moves relatively slowly onto our hands. Therefore there is no
> "wind chill" effect and the air feels warm.
>
> If we blow faster air, the wind chill kicks in and the air feels cooler.
>
> However, in both cases the temperature of the air is the same (presumably
> somewhere between body temperature and room air temperature).
>
> Furthermore, we have no direct mechanism of controlling air speed.
>
> Therefore, in teaching students how to play the clarinet, I find it
> completely useless to talk about things like hot/cold, fast/slow air with
> them, because it is nothing that they have any direct control of.
>
> On the other hand, they do have direct control and immediate understanding
> of the physical parameters their body. The two important ones here are how
> hard you push the air out (with your various abdominal muscles), and the
> openness of your throat and oral cavities.
>
> Telling students what to do with air speed is analagous to telling someone
> learning spins in figure skating that they need to "spin faster", when what
> they really need to know is "bring your arms in closer". Of course, once
> the skater knows how to spin, you could tell him/her to spin faster, and
> presumably he/she would know what to do to accomplish this. However, there
> are more than one way to spin faster, and the student may do the wrong
> thing (i.e. push off too hard with the foot, etc..)
>
> Therefore, being precise about what it is that the student needs to
> actually do to accomplish the desired effect is very important. Too many
> vague, non-physical and inaccurate "concepts" float about this musical
> world that obfuscate the real issues and confuse students who are working
> hard to learn *how* to play.
>
> - ---------------------
> Jonathan Cohler
> cohler@-----.net
>
> David C. Blumberg
> Principal Clarinet Riverside Symphonia
> Adjunct Woodwinds Instructor Univ. of Penn., Bryn Mawr College
> reedman@-----.com
