Klarinet Archive - Posting 000195.txt from 1999/09

From: "Paulette W. Gulakowski" <pollyg@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] 52 year old 'beginner' needs help - please!
Date: Tue, 7 Sep 1999 16:13:12 -0400

Okay, we are the same age with a similar affliction. The biggest help
I've had lately, is to join a community band - you HAVE to play fast
sometimes! It will build your self confidence, too and you'll find that
as you practice with a group, your skills will increase (often without
even trying very hard)
I, too, have occasional dates with "Art". I try to massage my fingers
and stretch them as often as possible - like during the sermon, or
waiting for my e-mail to download. Don't crack your knuckles, though ;-)
, when I'm driving - finger combos on the steering wheel (used to commute
2 hours a day), spider pushups and so on. This seems to help me. Also a
couple of aspirin prior to a playing session seems to help keep things
even. None of the above is scientific - empirical for my self only -
none is proven (or disproven for that matter).
It's probably bushwah about the scales - go ahead and learn them. You
know that bumblebee can't possibly fly!
Good luck!
Paulette
<==ooo'=ooo;;=<)

On Sat, 04 Sep 1999 20:25:21 -0700 Audrey Travis <vsofan@-----.com>
writes:
>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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