Klarinet Archive - Posting 001415.txt from 1997/10

From: "Kilgore Trout" <satanspilgrims@-----.com>
Subj: Re: Long Tones
Date: Fri, 31 Oct 1997 05:38:07 -0500

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>To: klarinet@-----.us
>From: SDM@-----. Morrow)
>Subject: Re: Long Tones
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> I have been skimming through this discussion (sorry! I just
can't
>take being yelled at so much!), and feel I understand the participants'
>viewpoints. I don't necessarily "practice" long tones, but I find it
>helpful to ocassionally hold a tone to see what I can do with it. As
>someone who confesses to actually playing only one note at a time on
the
>clarinet, I can understand the theory that "each note requires a
different
>embouchure".
> The point I'd like to make, though, is that each note might not
>require the exact same embouchure every time you play it! The
advantage I
>see to experimenting with a single tone is not so much "muscle memory",
but
>becoming proficient at using your "embouchure muscles" in conjunction
with
>your ears (I know: that conjures up a funny picture!) so that you are
>better able to adjust quickly on any note!
>
> I hope this made some sort of sense!
>
>-Scott
>
>
>
>Scott D. Morrow
>Department of Biochemistry
>School of Hygiene and Public Health
>Johns Hopkins University
>(410) 955-3631
>
>SDM@-----.edu
>
>
>

okay. practicing long tones doesn't necessarily strengthen your
embochure as someone once said earlier in the thread. playing a lot
strengthens your embochure. however, practicing long tones is
imperative for other reasons. it helps you to refine your emobuchure to
enhance certain things such as a beautiful tone quality and precise
intonation. playing something fast, for example, scales helps you to
aquire a uniform sound throughout the range of the clarinet as well as
many other things. but when you are playing your scales you aren't able
to focus on a single notes quality. it is important to play long tones
as well as fast exercises, both for different reasons. i wish we could
all agree on that instead of arguing that we should either always play
long tones or never.

kt

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