Klarinet Archive - Posting 000262.txt from 2001/03

From: Neil Leupold <leupold_1@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] D3 to D2 grace note
Date: Sun, 11 Mar 2001 11:15:12 -0500

--- Dave Gilbert <dgilbert@-----.com> wrote:

> I have a student who came to me seeking a better way to play a D3 grace
> note entrance that leads to a D2. Having tried a few alt fingerings the
> best still seems to be the standard high D ,although the jump is by no
> means clean with this fingering. Any suggestions for this?

The leap, using standard fingerings, can be made crytsal clear and clean
through slow practice. The issue is primarily one of crisp-but-relaxed
finger action, well-coordinated, combined with facilitation of the con-
nection via the air. The embouchure should be firm as usual, but relaxed.
Let the air do the work. The air stream needs to be well-focused and sup-
ported, dropping the jaw away from the reed to allow the reed to vibrate
consistently, without sacrificing pitch integrity. The back of the tongue
needs to be high in the mouth in an "ee" configuration, the tip of the
tongue level with the tip of the reed. This, in combination with clean
finger action, makes the D3 to D2 leap possible and graceful (no pun in-
tended)

An exercise to address the whole thing at once: a surefire way to ensure
that the air stream is focused is to breathe deeply, place the tip of the
tongue on the tip of the reed, and then slowly play single, separated notes
in succession, each one being started and stopped via the air and the tongue.
The embouchure should remain intact throughout, i.e., don't take the mouth-
piece out of your mouth. Do this on D3 a few times. Getting the note to
sound is not enough. It must be produced cleanly, in tune, at a stable dy-
namic level, and without undertones or sputtering. If a player's air or
embouchure are not sufficiently developed, it will become evident during
this exercise. That evidence should also inform the player immediately,
by physical sensation alone, what they need to work on in their basic
technique in order to produce the note to proper effect.

The next step: after sounding the single D3 a dozen times or more in
succession -- ensuring that the air is doing the work, that the tip of
the tongue makes contact with the tip of the reed in exactly the same
place each time -- repeat the exercise, but alternate between octaves.
(1) Sound a clear, distortion-free D3 (2) Stop it with the tongue,
while maintaining air support from the diaphragm (3) In a single
not-hurried motion, change the fingers to a D2 (4) Release the tongue
again, sounding a clean, in-tune, sputter-free D2 (5) Keeping the
jaw dropped but the embouchure firm, stop the D2 with the tip of the
tongue, refinger the D3, and allow that note to speak and be stopped
again via the air and tongue.

Having alternated several times between D2 and D3 via the above ex-
ercise, the embouchure and air support mechanism will have received
a small workout. The next and final step is to remove the tongue
from the equation, without allowing any of the other physical sensa-
tions to lapse. Start the D3 with the tongue and, maintaining the
air support and focus, make the now-practiced finger switch to D2.
It should become evident that the challenge is less with the fingers
than it is with keeping the jaw from biting and the air stream con-
sistent and focused while changing notes. Return to the stopped-note
exercise and alternate between it and the uninterrupted version until
the needed adjustments become intuitive. The less developed the play-
er's air support technique, air focus technique, and ability to main-
tain embouchure firmness while dropping the jaw, the longer it will
take before the D3 to D2 connection is clean. But it will happen.
It may, however, require supplemental exercises to address each of
the technical components separately, i.e.; long tones, legato artic-
ulation exercises, etc.

-- Neil

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