Klarinet Archive - Posting 000542.txt from 1999/08

From: Richard Bush <rbushidioglot@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Hamelin-Gammes et Exercises
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 1999 12:21:19 -0400

Soo Goh wrote:

> Hi everyone,
>
> I am writing to find out if anyone have purchased the Hamelin scales book
> recently and how much they cost. The copy I have right now belongs to my
> teacher and he said that when he purchased the book, it was difficult to
> find not to mention expensive (30 dollars!!). I am wondering if anyone
> have purchased it at a lower price recently and where I can get them. I
> haven't tried Eble Music yet, but I will.
>
> Also, does anyone have any good recommendations on scales studies, or
> technique books that can help me develop an independent and surety of my
> finger positions. I frequently squeak because my fingers moved or didn't
> cover the holes properly. I am in the process remedying the problem with
> my teacher and I was hoping for additional help from anyone on the list.
> Any good suggestions are welcome!
>
> Soo
>
>

If your fingers are moving or sometimes don't properly cover the holes, you need to
take a very careful look at how you're holding it and how your hands look as you
play. With the exception of Bundy soprano and bass clarinets, most makers strive for
a key layout and feel that is ergonomically designed for human hands. A proper hand
position will allow all commonly used keys to be right under the fingers, requiring
no shifting or repositioning of the hands to play the instrument. Also, a proper
hand and finger positioning will not and should not require any arm or wrist
movements. (The only exception is a slight adjustment to open the top two jumper
keys with the right forefinger.)

The fingers must also assume a proper shape and curvature when covering the holes.
How and where they hinge as they go up and down is a critical consideration. If the
player suffers from double-jointedness, achieving a high level of fingering
efficiency and accuracy may be compromised or hindered in direct proportion to the
extent of the malady. Clarinet fingering technique is most seriously compromised
when the double-jointedness is found to be in the thumbs, particularly the left
thumb. (This is, however, a whole and separate subject and I will not address it
here.)

There are two ways to take inventory and evaluate your present technique and
fingering habits. One is to spend time in front of a mirror as you play. Unless you
have a major work committed to memory, you will probably just want to play up and
down scales and probably include a chromatic scale that runs the full range of your
instrument. Observing yourself in a mirror is much easier if you don't have to
bother with a music stand and reading music.

The second way to observe yourself is to set up a camcorder and videotape yourself
as you play and practice. An advantage of this is being able to put sound with sight
and to be able to replay countless times while you analyze in detail what you have
recorded. You would probably want to put the camcorder on an appropriate tripod, and
if such a feature is available on the machine, run it with a remote control.

While a picture is worth a thousand words, I must try to describe a correct hand
position in words. Good pictures of good hand position are in Keith Stein's book,
"The Art of Clarinet Playing," published by Summy-Birchard.

The right hand should come into the clarinet in a natural and relaxed position. The
fingers should be "slightly" curved at both joints. The fingertips lay across the
rings using the bottom, fingerprint area. Do not curve the fingers so much that the
very tip ends of the fingers are pointing down into the holes. It is all right for
the long index finger to slightly overlap the middle ring. The right thumb should
extend past the thumb rest only so far that the back of the thumb nail lines up with
the middle of the thumb rest. The bottom part, the thumb print part of the thumb
should be against the wood and the inner side of the thumb should butt up against
the rest. The thumb should be anywhere from straight to slightly curved. Do not
allow any of the joints to buckle inward or hyper extend.

Now, bend the wrist slightly upward so that the first finger is over the first side
key (the D#/A# or Eb/Bb). This should cause the three fingers to come onto the holes
at a slight angle from above. (The fingers should not be coming into the clarinet at
a right angle to the bore.) The baby finger should just reach the F/C key.

The left hand is somewhat different. The wrist is bent inward more and rotated
clockwise as if one were screwing in a screw left handed. This position of the wrist
will allow the left thumb to properly approach and cover the thumb hole and operate
the register/Bb key. The left thumb should be fairly straight, should come across
the hole at 45 degrees (half way between straight in and straight up, or as if the
thumb were a hand on a clock pointing to seven minutes after the hour). The flat,
thumb print part of the thumb, opposite the thumb nail should cover the hole. The
tip of the thumb should be scooted enough past the ring to be hovering over the
register key. No joints, particularly the first joint, should be hyper extended or
kinked downward. KEEP ALL JOINTS STRAIGHT OR VERY CLOSE TO IT.

When the wrist is providing a proper approach for the thumb, the fingers will then
assume a correct position. All fingers should come into the fingerless from above,
creating a downward angle. All fingers should be slightly curved and no joints
should kink inward or collapse in a hyper extended position. When all is correct,
the first finger will be cutting at an angle across the top of the throat tone A
key. This will require a greater bend in the first finger's joints and the first
finger will have much more curve to it than any of the other fingers. The first
finger uses more of the tip of the finger to cover the top ring key. This is okay
because the hole is very small and easy to cover.

The left hand baby finger should be able to just barely reach the left hand E/B and
F#/C# levers.

Review check list: Left thumb close to straight, coming in at 45 degrees. First
finger left hand quite curved, cutting over the bottom tip of the A key from above.
Other left hand fingers coming down at an angle and all being parallel with each
other (different fingers of the same hand should not be approaching the holes from
different angles).

All fingers, with two exceptions hinge at the knuckles. Curve of fingers should
remain constant and no flexing or bending at the finger joints should occur when the
fingers come onto or leave the finger holes.

The first finger left hand hinges at the knuckle when simply opening or closing the
first finger hole. It rolls or hinges laterally and upward when going from the hole
and onto the A key. The shape of the finger (in the more exaggerated curve) should
keep that curvature when "rolling" onto the A key. This will keep the tip of the
finger poised and over the finger hole so it can "roll" back down. NO HOPPING
ALLOWED WHEN GOING FROM THE HOLE TO THE A KEY OR VISA VERSA. For that matter, no
sliding allowed either.

The first finger must also hinge at the second joint when back and forth between the
G# key and A key. Ideally, when the first finger roles onto the A key it also
touches the G# key and bars across both, even though the A key automatically opens
and drops the G# key down. Going from A to G# then requires lifting the fore part of
the finger and going from G# to A requires bending down at the second joint.

The left thumb must be able to go from thumb hole to register key or to stay closed
and then also open the register key, or to go from register to thumb hole or from
register key to both. These actions are accomplished by lifting up at the first
joint, or from this lifted position, by "snapping" the first joint back down. This
can't be done if the thumb is not in a fairly straight position to begin with. IF
the wrist position is correct, IF the thumb is at a correct angle as it approaches
the thumb hole, then the lifting and snapping action can be perfected. This
technique is essential if the player is to achieve a high degree of mastery.

Without doubt, mastering and perfecting the unique and independent movements of the
left thumb and first finger are fundamental issues that make the clarinet so damned
hard to play.

Hope this helps. Best of luck to you.

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