Klarinet Archive - Posting 001526.txt from 2000/10

From: Richard Bush <rbushidioglot@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Left Hand
Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2000 08:26:19 -0500

For the last two days, I've been working on a draft of the left hand and how it
needs to do many different things to successfully cross the register break.
Maybe some day I will complete it. At present, I find Ken's thoughtful post more
than adequate. Quite fine, actually. Others have also added greatly about such
things as breath support and keeping the air going. In light of these
enlightening posts, I will add to the thread in just one small way.

Spring tensions of the throat tone G# and A keys can be an extreme obstacle to
young players, particularly if they are playing on student grade instruments
that most often have very heavy and inconsistently set spring tensions. Also,
since opening the A key also includes the key closing spring tension of the G#
key, the 'double' tension can be way too heavy.

Traditionally, the A key is sprung with a flat or leaf spring. Some makers, such
as Selmer, use a wire spring for the A (and I wish they didn't) on their student
line clarinets (use to be Bundy but is now Selmer USA) and for a few years,
LeBlanc even tried a coil spring. On those clarinets with a leaf spring, keeping
or bending the spring so that it doesn't touch the key piece on the underside
between where it is attached by the screw and where it comes to rest on the body
of the clarinet is important. Also, the baring point where it slides on the body
needs to move freely. Spring tension might also need to be relieved by taking a
bit of the bend out of it.

Similar reduction of spring bend on the wire or needle spring might need to be
done on the G# key.

The glide point between the two keys is also important. Some makers use a teflon
tipped adjusting screw. They provide low friction and are silent. Some A keys
are set up with thin cork on the flat surface where the screw makes contact.
Cork tends to drag, become pitted where the screw makes contact, and in general,
is not a good material to use. Specially treated teflon sheeting provides a much
better sliding surface.

By attending to these small details, the player can have a much easier go of it.
The player shouldn't have to fight a clumsy mechanism.

MVinquist@-----.com wrote:

> Audrey Travis, discussing "Slur across the break," asks:
>
> >...my own problems in smooth slurring from low to high are a reflection
> of how quickly (or not ) I manage to press [the register] key, i.e.
> coordination of thumb and the remainder of my fingers. Could you suggest any
> more exercises that might address this?<
>
> Audrey -
>
> The key (pun intended) is economy of movement, which you get with a left hand
> position that puts your index finger and thumb near the Ab, A and Bb keys. I
> have long fingers but a short thumb, so my left index finger naturally curves
> around the A and Ab keys, in the way a flutist's left hand does (though much
> less extreme). Keep a straight line in your wrist (from along the top of
> your forearm to your knuckles), and then rotate your wrist clockwise a little
> bit so that your index finger nearly touches the keys. You'll probably have
> to extend your left ring finger completely straight to cover its hole.
>
> Beginners are taught to "roll" the left index finger onto the A key, but the
> word "roll" invites rotation of the wrist to get on the key and rotation back
> to get off. Once you find a hand position that has most of the roll built
> into it, the motion is small and mostly sideways, with the edge of the
> finger. It's the same for the register key -- a nudge up with the upper edge
> of your thumb.
>
> No two hands are the same shape, so you'll need to experiment to find a way
> that's relaxed and efficient.
>
> The three Etudes for the Left Hand in Vol. 3 of the Langenus Method are
> excellent for working on this. When you first try them, you will feel your
> fingers flying all over the place. Work on them until you can look in a
> mirror and barely see your fingers moving.
>
> Best regards.
>
> Ken Shaw

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