Klarinet Archive - Posting 000550.txt from 1999/08

From: avrahm galper <agalper@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] New Clarinet Concerto
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 1999 14:49:32 -0400

New Clarinet Concerto

There was a new clarinet concerto written by Hampeter Kyburz for soloist
Ernesto Molinari which was played at a Berlin Philharmonic concert.
The work by 39 year old Kyburz was first on the program.
The 15 minute work received tumultuous approval from the audience, not
only for the shimmering virtuosity of the composition itself, but for
the sheer pyrogenics of soloist Molinari.
The five movements played without a break, alternate between fast and
slow, between furious washes of sound and moments of quiet static calm.

--
Avrahm Galper
CLARINET TONE TECHNIQUE AND STACCATO
CLARINET UPBEAT SCALES AND ARPEGGIOS
http://www.sneezy.org/avrahm_galper/index.html

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From donax-m-return-22-archive@-----.com Thu Aug 19 20:11:22 1999
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From: "J & K Morgan" <morgan@-----.com>
References: <19990819163218.8232.qmail@-----.org>
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 1999 13:00:45 -0700
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Subject: Re: [donax-m] mail volume

I think that in spite of the few complaints regarding certain
topics and lack of consideration with respect to how some people
see discussions and arguments, basically most are quite happy with
the discussions on Sneezy. I may be wrong but this is perhaps the
only message I may post to donax. Perhaps the moderated list was
brought about by the intensity of the moment, but only time will
tell.

John Morgan

----- Original Message -----
From: <charette@-----.org>
Subject: [donax-m] mail volume

> Lest anyone think that the moderators are busily rejecting
messages ...
>
> We're not. There aren't any messages coming in.
>
> Feel free to use this list, especially those of you who may not
feel comfortable
> posting on the free-wheeling Klarinet list.
>
> Mark C.
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
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> For additional commands, e-mail: donax-m-help@-----.com
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From donax-m-return-23-archive@-----.com Thu Aug 19 20:11:44 1999
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Date: Thu, 19 Aug 1999 14:05:47 -0600
From: Richard Bush <rbushidioglot@-----.net>
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Subject: [donax-m] Finger technique

The following article was posted in Klarinet. I don't know if all who
are subscribing to this new news group are continuing their
subscriptions to Klarinet, but with the chance that I might be the first
official entry, I am cross posting. If you don't like what I have
written or if you disagree with my ideas, fine. At least the post could
be a seed to get the thing off the ground.

From:
Richard Bush <rbushidioglot@-----.net>

10:21 AM

Subject:
Re: [kl] Hamelin-Gammes et Exercises
To:
klarinet@-----.org

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
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 going 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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From donax-m-return-24-archive@-----.com Thu Aug 19 20:17:33 1999
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Date: 19 Aug 1999 20:17:19 -0000
Message-ID: <19990819201719.16445.qmail@-----.org>
From: charette@-----.org
Subject: Re: [donax-m] mail volume

John wrote:
>I think that in spite of the few complaints regarding certain
>topics and lack of consideration with respect to how some people
>see discussions and arguments, basically most are quite happy with
>the discussions on Sneezy. I may be wrong but this is perhaps the
>only message I may post to donax. Perhaps the moderated list was
>brought about by the intensity of the moment, but only time will
>tell.

I've have requests for a moderated list for the last 3 years, not
much because of the "intense" discussion, but more because of the
inability of many people to keep up with the volume on Klarinet -
especially during long & off-topic discussion - and because some
subscribers don't want to expose themselves to unwarranted ridicule.

There are always more requests during the "flame fests" for a
moderated list - as well as when the "marching band" threads roll
around.

Cheers,
Mark Charette@-----.org

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