Klarinet Archive - Posting 000093.txt from 1999/09

From: "mark weinstein" <cpaok@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] 52 year old 'beginner' needs help - please!
Date: Sun, 5 Sep 1999 00:09:10 -0400

----- Original Message -----
From: Audrey Travis <vsofan@-----.com>
Subject: [kl] 52 year old 'beginner' needs help - please!

> 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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