Klarinet Archive - Posting 000311.txt from 2000/01

From: "Dee D. Hays" <deehays@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Delurking and SF Peninsula Clarinet Teachers
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2000 23:12:06 -0500

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mitchell Halpern" <dotcalm@-----.com>
Subject: [kl] Delurking and SF Peninsula Clarinet Teachers

> Howdy Folks:
> After having resubscribed to this list several months ago, I figure it's
> about time to delurk, especially since I've decided to resume playing
after
> many years.
>
> After having played all through elementary school, high school, and
college
> (Columbia University Wind Ensemble and Orchestra), grad school and the
"real
> world" "conspired" to curtail my active clarinetting. A few times in the
> last ten years, I've picked up the instrument, but I've never generated
> sufficient momentum to make it a habit, probably because I really enjoy
> playing in groups rather than woodshedding by myself exclusively, but I
need
> much woodshedding before I have regained enough proficiency to play in a
> group.
>
> To this end, it probably would be a good idea to find a teacher on the
> Peninsula (Menlo Park/Palo Alto area preferred) who would be willing to
take
> on an adult who is likely to become frustrated periodically since he knows
> what the instrument is supposed to sound like ;-) Any suggestions would
be
> appreciated.
>
> Mitch Halpern
> Menlo Park, CA
> (30+ year old R-13 currently being repadded and adjusted....)

Yes do take lessons but I'd say get into a group as soon as possible. If
you played that much, I'm sure that you can still read music moderately well
and it will be a motivator to your practice. The hardest part is that your
embouchure is apt to die part way through the practice session. But if you
get active, it will come back sooner than if you wait.

You see I had over a twenty year hiatus in my playing due to allowing the
"real world" to run me ragged. But I found that I had retained enough
proficiency to be a real contributor to the community bands that I joined.
Matter of fact, I was a bit surprised that they had me playing first
clarinet parts but I think that was due to the fact that my altissimo notes
were good and a lot of the others had problems with them. Of course at
first, my lips would die in about 10 or 15 minutes but they "shaped up"
rapidly.

Dee Hays
Canton, SD

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