Klarinet Archive - Posting 000911.txt from 2001/10

From: Virginia Anderson <assembly1@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Re: Band vs orch eefer range
Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2001 08:39:05 -0500

on 30/10/01 9:15 am, EClarinet@-----.com wrote:

> When I am describing this to my students, I tell them to use more "eeee" or
> to make the note 'smaller'. It is exactly the same thing I do when I am
> singing in my extreme altissimo range (we call it 'flute' voice). The note
> feels like a tiny squeak to me, but it comes out nicely and there is no
> trouble with projection. Think of the tiny little space you have to make to
> get double high C---you cannot slam a lot of air through your
> throat/mouth---you must "eeeek" it out, right?
>
Ah, yes, it's the same thing with different terms. I tell them to narrow
and focus the air stream - which is essentially the same thing. There's
also "throwing" the sound, in the sense that a ventriloquist seems to (since
I've never done the "gottle of geer" routine, I don't know what they do);
the projection, as you say, is done through a very well-supported diaphragm,
well-aimed but more a push than a chuck. I suppose I avoid the "small"
description because I'd often inherit students with problems with
throat-tightening and they may relapse into old habits. Of course, the
nomenclature can be defined better by demonstration when in an actual
lesson.

> When I first started doing all my eefer playing, I just kept trying to find a
> harder and harder reed, but this approach has its limits, and was not
> reliable.

This seems to be a mistake we all make, as it has immediate results and
seems to lead toward the solution. I think you provide the method of
working toward a good high a, in answer to Debbie's question. And Debbie,
if you can't get it quite high enough, try the top Ab or A key, or perhaps
the two right-side keys (the ones you use for side throat f#). Experiment
up there and then work it into your repertoire - something's bound to do it.

Cheers,

Virginia
--
Virginia Anderson
Leicester, UK
<vanderson@-----.uk>
Experimental Music Catalogue: <http://www.experimentalmusic.co.uk>
...experimental music since 1969....

---------------------------------------------------------------------