Klarinet Archive - Posting 000745.txt from 2001/01

From: webler <webler@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Sounding like your teacher...
Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2001 23:03:55 -0500

-----Original Message-----
From: Benjamin Maas [SMTP:benmaas@-----.com]
Subject: [kl] Sounding like your teacher...

. It is: Sound like
yourself. You can have concepts of tone, etc... but it is a physical
impossibility to sound exactly like another player, so don't even try. It
is important to have a centered, focused sound that is *yours.*

This is great advice to someone who has a solid concept of what a focused
centered sound is. To say this to an untaught Middle or High School
student is a sure invitation to disaster. Most of these students play in
situations every day, with other Clarinetists, who haven't got a clue as to
what a Clarinet should sound like. Demonstrating the difference between a
focused sound and a spread sound is vital to having them understand why Air
Support and other fundamentals are so important.

I presently have 35 Clarinet students, how much I demonstrate is determined
by the level that any one particular student is at. If I get a student who
has received high ratings at solo and ensemble, but plays a piece with
unwritten grace notes, I'm going to demonstrate what that music should
sound like with fingers that move evenly and precisely. If another student
comes in and plays a piece of music with absolutely no expression, than I'm
going to demonstrate what that music can sound like when played with
expression.

Once you see that the light is beginning to flicker in their minds than you
can back off from the demonstration. Hopefully, they'll hang around long
for that light to start flickering.

If someone can do this without demonstration then great. I guess I haven't
come up far enough in the food chain to be able to, however.

Jay Webler

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