Klarinet Archive - Posting 000664.txt from 1998/01

From: Matthew Snyder <msnyder@-----.net>
Subj: Re: Vibrato
Date: Wed, 14 Jan 1998 16:24:40 -0500

At 10:25 AM 1/13/98 -0000, Michael Whight wrote:
>I also have a particular problem at the moment with regard to use of
>vibrato.I am recording the Ebony Concerto on Sunday with Robert Craft and am
>still unsure whether to use vibrato or not.Or if I do use vibrato ,what kind
>should it be?
>
>My apprehensions are based on the fact that this piece falls in an
>uncomfortable territory between jazz and neoclassic style.If I use too much
>vibrato will I be sending the piece up and not allowing the piece to express
>it's parody of jazz? If I don't use any I'm afraid that it will be too
>square. Here the question of vibrato is not a clear one.Any suggestions will
>be gratefully received.

The Ebony Concerto was written for Woody Herman. Of course it uses
vibrato! If you want some guidance, just listen to Woody's recording and
imitate him to the best of your ability. Or, form your own concept. But
it seems pretty clear that Stravinsky expected some kind vibrato to be used
if he was writing for Herman.

This entire discussion points up, once again, the strange fear on the part
of classical clarinet players of vibrato. Do ANY other instruments have
such a hangup regarding a particular technique? What else can explain such
an insulting comment as this (sorry, I don't know who originally wrote it):

>Use of vibrato can be an
>artistic choice only if it is a technical choice. Maybe it is more
>likely that those with heavy classical experience and training have the
>"chops" to make that choice.

Please, spare me the condescension. I and countless other jazz musicians
have had to deal with crap like this for far too long. Jazz musicians also
spend hour after hour honing their chops, and also regard vibrato as a
choice. Just listen to any recording of a player such as Dexter Gordon, or
Stan Getz or Jimmy Giuffre on either clarinet or tenor sax: vibrato is not
constantly present, it appears only when the player calls on it.

It seems to me that far too many CLASSICAL players are unable to call on
vibrato when necessary and actually have to ask "what kind of vibrato do I
use" simply because they have never been encouraged to employ it and have
never heard it done often enough to make some artistic judements on it on
their own. And I won't even get into the fact that most of them can't even
improvise! Who's missing the technical skills here?

Matt Snyder

msnyder@-----.net

http://www.interactive.net/~msnyder
The Clarinet In Jazz Since 1945
Various Writings On Jazz

   
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