Klarinet Archive - Posting 000424.txt from 2000/02

From: Tony@-----.uk (Tony Pay)
Subj: Re: [kl] daily playing
Date: Wed, 9 Feb 2000 17:39:02 -0500

On Wed, 09 Feb 2000 17:35:25 -0500, znjb@-----.net said:

> It has always been my own opinion that students should try anything
> that interests them. There may be appropriate times to lay off
> experimentation, such as when preparing for some important event or
> when the student is having a hard time with certain techniques and
> would benefit more from a dedicated period of study with the teacher's
> recommendations. How else does one learn what's available and what
> works for the individual?

It's always been my opinion too, Nancy.

One of the many fortunate things that happened to me when I was a young
player was that there was a local music store, quite independent of my
teacher, that sold reeds and equipment. I was never able to buy large
quantities of reeds, mostly having to put up with a purchase of three at
a time, to last me around a month or so -- sometimes shorter if I wept
a lot. (Of course, this situation got better as I grew older!)

But the proprietor was very helpful, and tried to sell me what would
work, by choosing for me the reeds that looked as though they were the
best ones -- though he couldn't let me actually try them before I bought
them. And it was from this shop that we bought the instrument I should
have stayed with -- an Imperial 926.

But somehow, there, was born the idea that it was my responsibility to
find equipment that would give results that would satisfy my teacher.
And then quite quickly, listening to recordings of people like Reginald
Kell, I started to have my own standards -- so I had to find reeds that
satisfied *me* as well.

Some of my students never make this move. (I should explain here that at
the moment I no longer have regular students that visit me every week; I
see my 'regular' students monthly.) Sometimes I interfere, and find
myself giving them reeds that quite clearly work better for them, and
that the class agrees work better for them, but that they don't find
comfortable, and therefore don't like.

I try to explain *why* it's better, and that being 'comfortable' is a
very temporary phenomenon; but some of them just don't live enough in
the world that would make that clear to them. The world that would make
that clear to them is the world of performance with others, and
awareness of what works within that world -- but that's quite difficult
to organise, for some of them. (Either that, or the world of wanting to
have the flexibility of a marcellus on a recording.)

I really don't know what to do about this problem, because if they don't
recognise that something that works better, works better, they'll never
go any farther on their own.

> I have always kept a great "toy box" for my students and they are
> welcome to try anything I have before they lay out the money to buy
> their own.

That sounds fascinating. What do you keep in your black, magic box?-)

Tony
--
_________ Tony Pay
|ony:-) 79 Southmoor Rd Tony@-----.uk
| |ay Oxford OX2 6RE GMN family artist: www.gmn.com
tel/fax 01865 553339

... I know so little, but I know it fluently...

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