Klarinet Archive - Posting 000059.txt from 1998/01

From: benevolent1@-----.com
Subj: Re: rapid fingering help!!
Date: Sat, 3 Jan 1998 01:25:35 -0500

One thing that I have done when I get a piece of music that seems way too
difficult is to "visualize" myself playing the piece. I just hold the
clarinet in my hands, I don't finger or blow, I just try to hear the
music slowly at first, and then a little faster. It helps YOU to believe
that you can do it. I think some of the problem at times is that we
defeat ourselves when we see a bunch of black things extraordinarily
close together.
After I get it into my mind, I play through it very slowly, and move up
the metronome two clicks after I play it well three times through. It
gets the fingerings into a sort of muscle memory, and gradually it feels
easier and more natural.
The one drawback to that practice is that you sometimes solidify bad
habits. Make sure that you fingers are (as everyone else has already
suggested) close to the tone holes, and relaxed. If the exercise is
tongued, try just fingering through it all slurred, or tongue two and
then slur two, try "swinging" the rhythm. (And then add some more
variations.) Try breaking up an extended passage into a bunch of smaller
ones (I know that some of my suggestions are rather elementary, but
sometimes I forget to do the simple things). Scales, arpeggios and
broken seventh chord exercises have been extremely helpful and useful to
me.
I hope that everything goes well for you.

Sarah
benevolent1@-----.com
ICQ # 6585512

P.S. I've been under strict orders since December 13 not to play my
clarinet at all due to a bout with pneumonia. He is letting me practice
a little now, so I was wondering if anyone had some short pieces that I
could be working on that are still challenging. I am getting very
frustrated that I cannot go through any of my concertos because I am in
pain by the end. Even a movement of some works is physically trying.
Hopefully, I'll be able to play longer stretches as the week and month
progresses, but I don't want to push things too far too fast. Thank you
very much.