Klarinet Archive - Posting 000042.txt from 1997/11

From: Jacqueline Eastwood <eastwooj@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: long tones
Date: Mon, 3 Nov 1997 17:03:30 -0500

On Sun, 26 Oct 1997 HatNYC62@-----.com wrote:

>
> <<The reason is that the embouchure is a set of muscles. Like
> any other muscle, they will deteriorate without regular training
> exercises. Also if one does not regularly play these long tones as a
> method of checking themselves, bad habits can develop and get pretty
> serious before the player discovers that there even is a problem.>>
>
> 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.
>
> 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.

Yes, and if he (oh sorry, I meant He) didn't like every single detail
of the way you played your C Major scale, you were crap and would never
amount to anything musical. Sorry, I never found the Holy Grail.

Actually, as an opera player, I find myself playing lots of sustained
notes and they have to be in tune with the principal or the other wind
principals. A well-developed embouchure (and the entire oral cavity
involved) is necessary for flexibility. I have found that the best way to
achieve this is to play exercises which allow one to concentrate on the
facial/embouchure/mouth muscles. But that is me, and perhaps others would
have different experiences.

>
> I think you'd agree that Marcellus had a pretty decent tone quality. But the
> true beauty in his sound is in evidence most when he plays an interval! It's
> the quality of his slurring and his articulation that make his concept
> pleasing. These qualities are not addressed in long tones and, in fact can be
> overlooked when playing long tones. Marcellus always said if you were out of
> shape or were in a slump, play an extra half hour of Baermann III every day.
> It works without fail.
>
Well, fortunately there are other teachers in this world. Long tone
exercises do not negate intervallic content; on the contrary, the
exercise I mentioned before was given to me by Russ Dagon and spans three
octaves (lowest E to E three lines above the staff). My copy of Baermann
III has virtually no cover left on it (but I refuse to buy a new one
because it's full of character!); nevertheless, I still believe that
this warm-up is an excellent one FOR ME. Some teachers are very hard-line
and close-minded when it comes to individual needs; what works for some
may not work for all.

BTW, "He" is probably rolling in his grave because I actually have had a
professional job now for 5 seasons, in addition to some freelancing (I was
told many times that my continuing to practice the clarinet was a waste of
time; I'd be better off practicing the phrase "Would you like fries with
that".)

Thanks for listening to my tirade. I didn't mean to deteriorate like
that.

Jacqueline Eastwood
University of Arizona/Arizona Opera Orchestra
eastwooj@-----.edu