Klarinet Archive - Posting 000522.txt from 1998/01

From: Mark Charette <charette@-----.com>
Subj: Re: The aging clarinetist
Date: Sat, 10 Jan 1998 17:35:11 -0500

pim2 wrote:
>
> I am one of these - I have started to learn the clarinet aged 43 - never
> having learned any music at all - but love singing and sing in a choir (not
> a very good one). I have an aptitude but after 3 months I am about grade 4
> (not very good on scales tho'). I feel I am not doing very well - I still
> squeak (my middle register B particularly for some reason). I am practising
> hard and am very keen but I have no reference point - am I doing vaguely
> OK - where would the average person with some musical ability be now?

I started early last year. I have _no_ idea what a grade 4 is, but I
still
sqeak occasionally (mostly at my lesson or when under stress - one and
the s
ame thing :^). I'm learning scales (major, minor, harmonic minor,
melodic
minor) and working on a few pieces (Gade Fantasy Piece, 1st part). The
scale
practice is helping phenomenally with my sight reading.

I have some experience in music (a few years of piano, and a
professional
bass player _way_ back when - but it was jazz, and I didn't learn to
read
music until I started piano).

It doesn't seem that you make progress unless you go back a couple of
months
and try what was difficult back then. Yesterday during my lesson I
sight-read a
piece ("Bouree" by W. Babell, Arr by Derek Haydn) without a heck of a
lot of
trouble. 6 months ago I couldn't have done it without a few days
practice.

I practice (on an average) an hour a day, sandwiched in after my dinner.
--
Mark Charette | "This is a very democratic organization, so let's
charette@-----. All those who disagree with me, raise
MIKA Systems, Inc.| their hands." - Eugene Ormandy
Webmaster of http://www.sneezy.org/clarinet, The Clarinet Pages