Klarinet Archive - Posting 000130.txt from 1997/07

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: clarinet playing
Date: Sat, 5 Jul 1997 21:31:50 -0400

> From: MX%"klarinet@-----.92
> Subj: Re: clarinet playing

> On Fri, 4 Jul 1997, Nicholas Yuk Sing Yip wrote:
>
> > I just recently subscribed to your discussions group and it seems like
> > it has alot of information that can be very useful. I am glad to have
> > found this group. I hope you keep it going.
> > Well, anyway, I have been playing the clarinet for the past nine - ten
> > years. For the past five years I have been taking lessons with four
> > different instructors and they seemed to have many different perspectives
> > on how to play the clarinet. For instance one of my instructors thought
> > that I should tighten up my embrochure while my other thinks I should not
> > bite at all. One instructor thought that I should not consider the
> > position of my left hand while the others were picky about it. If I play
> > one way to one of my past clarinet instructors my current one may not like
> > it. At the end of the summer I wil be changing instructors again. I have
> > been so confused for the past five years that I do not know what to do or
> > how to play the clarinet. What should I do? What is the proper way to play
> > the clarinet?
> > Also, when I sightread, I mess up alot. I know my keys, and I do go
> > over troublesome parts and slow the tempo down if necessary, but
> > sometimes that does not help, and I sightread all the time. What should I do?

Sight reading problems can be a function of poor vision. Have your eyes
tested by an opthamologist. This is serious business. It may be nothing,
it may be as simple as needing glasses, or it may be something more
serious.

If you are getting seemingly contradictory information from teachers, that
is not necessarily wrong. Each teacher often tells you to do what works
for him or her. But what works for another person might not be
applicable to you. Keep changing teachers if you are not happy.

Teaching and playing the clarinet is having to work within an
imperfect system. Live with it.

> >
> > Nick Yip
> >
> > nyip@-----.edu
> >
=======================================
Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
Rosanne Leeson, Los Altos, California
leeson@-----.edu
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