Klarinet Archive - Posting 000097.txt from 1999/09

From: "BHunter" <bhunter@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] 52 year old 'beginner' needs help - please!
Date: Sun, 5 Sep 1999 02:36:39 -0400

Audrey,
-----Original Message-----
From: Audrey Travis <vsofan@-----.com>
Date: Saturday, September 04, 1999 8:26 PM
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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