Klarinet Archive - Posting 000357.txt from 1997/05

From: "David B. Niethamer" <niethamer@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: College Auditions)
Date: Sun, 11 May 1997 11:49:51 -0400

>On Fri, 9 May 1997, Roger Shilcock wrote:
>
>> Why people need *books* for scales? It's much more instructive to write
>> them out yourself. For one thing, it teaches you to write music so that
>> you can read it - useful and maybe revealing???
>> Roger Shilcock

on 5/9/97 12:45 PM, Douglas Sears wrote:
>
>Without disagreeing with the value of learning to write music notation,
>I'd like to go a step further: why do people need written music of any
>sort for scales? It seems to me that scales and arpeggios are the most
>basic stuff of music, which everyone should be able to learn by ear and
>play from memory almost without thinking.

Well, yes, eventually. But everyone has to start where they are, and to
aid with memorization of the basic stuff for the first time, writing it
out is a help for most students. They can visualize it better as they
play, and remember the key sigs better. Eventually they don't need to
read it any more. I learned mine this way way back in the dark ages, at
the suggestion of Joe Allard.

Bkruse wrote:

>What about Hamelin? I've seen it cited before as hellishly difficult but
>how does it measure up in terms of completeness? BTW, I couldn't find
>Hamelin on Pepper. Does anyone know where it might be available?

Hamelin isn't all that difficult, at least in terms of finger dexterity.
It's published by Leduc, and available from most of the usual suspects -
my favorite is Yesterday Service, in Cambridge Mass. Last time I had a
student get it (last fall) it was about $14 or so. Speaking of memory,
I've practiced this book so much I can do it all from memory. I prefer it
to Baermann for my own personal practice, because with all the playing I
do, I need scale stuff for control and muscle relaxation, not raw speed.
Baermann for me seems to generate a lot of finger tension.

I'd also like to mention J.B. Albert "24 Varied Scales and Exercises",
pub. Carl Fischer. It's also in the middle of Lazarus Method, part 2,
which has lots of great material in it, including 24 great duets from the
opera and ballet repertoire arranged by Henry Lazarus. But I digress...
Robert Schmidt included a scale game for Albert Scales in his "A
Clarinetist's Notebook" v.2. Maybe Michael Galvan or Richard Faria could
tell us whether this is still available from Hickey's Music in Ithaca,
and provide an address/phone.

Also, read the chapter in Rosario Mazzeo's "Excellence and Artistry" on
scales. That's where I learned about Hamelin for the first time many
years ago. He also mentions the Eugene Gay Method, Gillet, and the
Slonimsky "Thesaurus of Scales". Worth the reading time.

And Jacqueline, I'm with you. Given 1/2 hour to practice, it's scales
every time.

David

David Niethamer
Principal Clarinet, Richmond Symphony
niethamer@-----.edu
dbnclar1@-----.com
http://members.aol.com/dbnclar1/

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