Klarinet Archive - Posting 000092.txt from 1999/09

From: Audrey Travis <vsofan@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] 52 year old 'beginner' needs help - please!
Date: Sat, 4 Sep 1999 23:25:21 -0400

I began playing clarinet two years ago at age 50, and am studying with
Wes Foster, principal clarinet of the Vancouver Symphony. Wes is great
and has helped me tremendously, but now that I'm on the Net, I'd like
more ideas. My two main problems at this stage are finger and tongue
speed. First, the fingers - they don't want to move very fast,
especially the RH pinkie and the finger next to it, and the LH pinkie.
I suspect I may have a bit of arthritis to add to the problem. Does
anyone have any suggestions to limber up all my fingers - perhaps
exercises to develop the strength of my fingers ( a physiotherapist once
told me my fingers are a bit weak). At this stage, I can do 16th note
passages only very slowly and usually only if the notes are pretty much
stepwise. My fingers also seem reluctant to do certain note (finger)
combos quickly - like lifting off several fingers together especially if
either pinkie is involved. Any help out there?

Also, my fingering and tongueing speed are sometimes uncoordinated - I
can often slur a passage accurately, but may not be able to tongue and
move fingers at the same speed - for example the 3rd movement of the
Mozart Clarinet Concerto - full bar 7 - I can play this if I slur the
whole thing, but my finger and tongue speed don't match if I tongue it
all at the same tempo. Ideas? Wes has taught me to move fingers before
I tongue, but I guess I'd have to practice this very slowly at first and
finally speed up.

Any useful ideas that might make sense to a 52 year old whose limbs,
fingers and brain don't move as fast as they used to? A youthful
clarinet playing friend of mine says her teacher insisted on her
learning all the scales, etc. before age 19 (?) because after that it
would be too late. Hope that teacher was wrong!!

Any ideas will help.

Audrey Travis
E-mail: vsofan@-----.com

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