Klarinet Archive - Posting 000268.txt from 2001/09

From: Tski1128@-----.com
Subj: Re: [kl] Long tone discussion again
Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2001 17:18:07 -0400

I think it's important to define what long tone practice shouldn't be. It shouldn't be playing a un, de, or non musical note at a fixed volume, intensity for as long as you can hold it. Letting it sit there motionless for no other purpose than seeing how long you can hold it, or because your teacher told you to.
To me, the purpose of long tones or slow tones is to work on the placement of the sound, the mechanics of the air, position of the tongue, and to take a few min. focusing on the sound.
Practicing scales, chords, long tones or anything without trying to put it in a musical context means you're not getting as much practice putting the "building blocks" in a musical context. There is a story about a flutist that had an audition with Toscanini for the NBC orchestra. He was instructed to play a C major scale at MM 60 to the quarter note. He got hired. So is a see scale that slow a scale study or long tones?

Tom Puwalski, Author of The Clarinetist Guide to Learning Klezmer Former principle clarinetist with the U. S Army Field Band,

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