Klarinet Archive - Posting 001187.txt from 1997/10

From: Dee Hays <deerich@-----.net>
Subj: Re: long tones
Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 18:25:44 -0500

Comment to Roger Garret: Thanks for the support on this one.

HatNYC62@-----.com wrote:

> Now wait a minute. You make it sound like it is impossible to listen to your
> own sound without playing long tones. Ideally, you should be observing your
> tone quality at all times.

It is virtually impossible to accurately evaluate your tone in fast passages.
Medium speed yes you can.

> I write all this because I have never played long tones and never had a
> teacher who espoused them. My main teacher was against it. He always felt
> that scales were the true studies for tone and embochure development, because
> those were basically what you would have to play as a clarinetist, not
> sustained tones. He used to say that the true clarinet tone was contained in
> the c major scale and that you had to practice it until you found it.

BUT did you always play these scales as 16th notes at a quarter note = 132 beats
per minute?I bet not. Surely he often has his students play them "molto
adagio." Which in reality IS long tones.

> ..... play an extra half hour of Baermann III every day.
> It works without fail.

Yes that's because there are many adagio and legato passages. Again "long tones
in disguise."

Since no clarinet can be acoustically perfect and in tune throughout its range
(study the math of harmonic series sometime and the acoustical characteristics of
stopped pipes) it is the clarinettist's responsibility to play in tune. On the
best clarinets with the best players this will result in minute, subconscious
embouchure adjustments especially in the slow passages. Those players who say
such and such a clarinet is perfect throughout its range are making these
adjusments without realizing it. Of course on a poorly designed clarinet, the
imperfections in intonation are abvious and easy to find and require a lot of
conscious adjustment (this is not good by the way).

Poor tone on long notes guarantees poor tone on passage work. Good tone on long
notes makes it possible to have good tone on passage work, but does not guantee
it. It's like life. To run, you must be able to walk. But being able to walk
will not make you an Olympic runner.

Now if you can achieve the tone without this exercise, no problem. This may not
apply to you. But it sounds to me as if you are trying to avoid what is
generally a boring but beneficial exercise.

However, I have said all that I care to on this subject. I suspect that you will
remain unconvinced until you have to teach and find that you will need to have
students do this just to achieve even a tolerable tone. Or you will prescribe
slow scales ("long tones in disguise").

Dee Hays
deerich@-----.net
Canton, SD