Klarinet Archive - Posting 000787.txt from 1997/05

From: "Lisa K. Clayton" <clayton@-----.edu>
Subj: "Growl" question
Date: Thu, 29 May 1997 01:13:19 -0400

>Please; signoff klarinet It's driving real humans NUTS !!!!!!!!!!.
^^^^^^
You misspelled "jerks". You're welcome.

I'd like to take this flame, er, opportunity to ask a question that, yes,
has been asked before (and yes, I'm cruising Sneezy for more answers). I've
been trying to cultivate a clarinet "growl". The advice I've seen so far
says simply, "growl and play your clarinet at the same time." However, that
action only leads to considerable choking, coughing, and ridicule from
the trumpet player. Apparently I'm not "growling" correctly. For those
who've actually mastered this technique, I'd like to know, as tastefully
as possible:

-- Is the growl in question low in the throat, like a gargle,
or is it done more forward in the throat, like the German "Ach"
sound?

-- How long did it take before a decent sound was produced?

and finally,

-- Could your average low-life Clarinet amateur (ie, me) do this, or
does it take someone with loads more experience than I'll ever
have in my pitifully short clarinet lifetime?

Thanks for *any* advice.

------ Lisa K. Canjura-Clayton * clayton@-----.edu
/ http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~clayton * http://www.jonsimsctr.org
/
/