Klarinet Archive - Posting 000893.txt from 1999/12

From: Clarguy3@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] re: RC Prestige - now Oral Cavity
Date: Sun, 26 Dec 1999 22:49:23 -0500

In a message dated 12/26/1999 4:57:03 PM Eastern Standard Time,
reedman@-----.com writes:

>
> Subject: Re: [kl] re: RC Prestige - now Oral Cavity
> David
> I guess I didn't define my terms clearly enough. I do realize that one can
> open and/or close the soft palate and use different syllables for
> articulation
> (and this will change tone colour) , and that a person has an individual
> concept of beautiful tone, but what I really meant to ask is this:
> is the original shape and size of an individual's oral cavity a determining
> factor? For example, for those of us who are in awe of Robert Marcellus'
> tone
> quality and colour - is there a possibility of actually duplicating his
> sound
> if one had his tonal concept in mind and was actually able to play on his
> own
> equipment? Same question for Harold Wright's tone colour or anyone else's.
> I'm not convinced that anyone has yet succeeded in sounding identical to
> Marcellus even though they made want to, try to, having heard him live many
> times and listened to recordings innumerable times. Why can't anyone do it?
> Is one factor perhaps the uniqeness of the shape and size of the oral
cavity
> one is given? That's what was meant by a factor one can't control.
> Cheers
> Audrey
>
This has been an interesting disucssion in the past few days. My own
perspective comes from one time in a lesson with him, he picked up my
clarinet and played for a moment on MY equipment. You know--he sounded Just
like Robert Marcellus--it was uncanny! (And he said he liked my equipment!)
This was a tremendous lesson to me, whereafter I even more carefully
catalogued every detail that he spoke about the position of the tongue, the
airstream, the embouchure.

Of course, it's one thing to produce the sound, but another thing entirely to
use the sound as he did. I think that this is the larger question. He was a
wonderful student and a great listener. And he had a lot of sweat equity in
his playing--it wasn't just something he did without effort in the practice
room!

My opinion and 75 cents might buy you coffee, anyplace but Starbuck's. Happy
holidays.

Chuck West

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