Klarinet Archive - Posting 001157.txt from 1998/10

From: Jack Kissinger <kissingerjn@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: [kl] What scale exercises and why?
Date: Tue, 27 Oct 1998 11:59:59 -0500

I don't use a book for scales. Our single-reed teacher at St. Louis U. (from
whom I take lessons) gave me a copy of a copy of a copy (it may have been a
mimeo to start out and it might even have been taken originally from one of
the books already mentioned) of a three-page sheeet with a simple but (IMHO)
effective exercise. It would be much easier to illustrate with music
notation but I'll try to do the best I can with what I have. Starting in the
key of C, play the following as all 16th notes (the spaces below are used to
identify beats):

E,F,G,A, B,C',D',E', F',G',A',B', C'',D'',E'',D", C",B',A',G',
F',E',D',C', B,A,G,F
E,F,G,A, B,C',D',E', F',G',A',B', C'',D'',E'',D", C",B',A',G',
F',E',D',C', B,A,G,F

(in other words, two times up and down two octaves starting on the lowest
note of the clarinet that is in a C scale):

then move to the next note in the scale and do two octaves up and down twice:

F,G,A,B, C',D',E',F', G',A',B',C'', D'',E'',F'',D", C",B',A',G',
F',E',D',C', B,A,G,F
F,G,A,B, C',D',E',F', G',A',B',C'', D'',E'',F'',D", C",B',A',G',
F',E',D',C', B,A,G,F

and so on up the scale until the note at the top is G''' or G#''' (depending
on the key signature) or higher if you like (but this is as high as the sheet
anticipates. This should be done strictly with a metronome. The idea is to
start out at a tempo where one can master every key-signature smoothly (both
tempo and "volume" control at the top). I.e., even if you can run C at 140,
if you can only run F# at 80, then you start at 80 for every scale.

Each week or so, take a different key, working through the cycle of fifths or
taking the keys consecutively, etc. When you have mastered all the scales
at, say 80, then add a few (maybe 5) ticks to the metronome so that the
change isn't too great and start over through the cycle again. Keep adding 5
ticks each time you start over. Everything is done from memory. The sheet
simply illustrates the pattern for one run in C. (O.k., so I cheated and
wrote out a couple of the harder ones chromatically the first time through.)

What's "deflating" about this little exercise is that the sheet suggests
target performance levels for people at different stages of development,
e.g., at the "junior high school" level (these may not be exactly right, I
don't have the sheet in front of me), one should be able to play through all
major and minor keys around 60-80. High school is 80-100. College
undergraduate is 100-120. Ph.D. is around 160.

You can vary the articulation. Throw in minor keys, whole-tone scales, etc.

A second sheet with the list includes alternate fingerings for the turnaround
at the top so that it can be done smoothly at the higher speeds. Some useful
fingerings there.

Anybody out there seen this or know its origin?

Best regards,
Jack Kissinger
St. Louis

Daniel A. Paprocki wrote:

> What scale book do people use and why? I've gone through (again and
> again) most of the books (Baermann 3, Stievenard, Hamelin, Stark,
> Jettel, Hanon) and have tried to figure out which is the best for
> staying in shape. What does everyone use and why?
>
> Dan
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------

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