Klarinet Archive - Posting 000975.txt from 1998/09

From: LeliaLoban@-----.com
Subj: [kl] A Hard Interval
Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 19:49:09 -0400

Karen Horvath wrote,
> Hello! I'm a freshman at college and I'm currently workin out of book one
of the Kroepsch Studies. There's quite a few difficult intervals in some of
them but the one I'm having the most trouble with is from open G to high C. I
just can't seem to get it smooth. Does anyone have any suggestions?>

Shouryu Nohe replied,
>>Well, this may sound elementary, but again - embouchure embouchure
embouchure! The embouchure must be set correctly and firm so that it doesn't
move an iota between registers. >>

The wisdom of this advice may depend on the type of clarinet. On my soprano
clarinet (a 1958 wood Conn Director with the original plastic mouthpiece --
stop laughing!), if I used the same embouchure for either mid-staff C or first
C above the staff that I'd just used for an open G, I'd get a very sharp C,
and if I went back down to the middle G from a good note anywhere in the
clarino, I'd get either a squeak or a flat, weak note. On that clarinet with
that mouthpiece, good tones from the E at the bottom of the staff to the Bb in
the middle of the staff require a considerably stiffer lower lip than the
clarino. The same is also somewhat (but less) true on my 1979 Selmer alto
clarinet.

Lelia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q: How do you define a minor second?
A: Two clarinetists playing in unison.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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