Klarinet Archive - Posting 000035.txt from 2001/11

From: lubydjackson@-----. Jackson)
Subj: Re: [kl] Re: voicing/was "Band vs orch eefer range"
Date: Thu, 1 Nov 2001 14:25:39 -0500

This is much needed info in a a time such as this. I was talking with a
voice teacher and he was telling me much the same and how to accomplish
these things.
----- Original Message -----
From: <EClarinet@-----.com>
Subject: [kl] Re: voicing/was "Band vs orch eefer range"

> <<<Before I post a more detailed response to what you wrote, could you
> explain what you mean by voicing?..... Is your usage of voicing refering
to
> positioning the tongue to bring out certain harmonics in a pitch?>>>
>
> Hi Mike!
>
> I'm not sure if you saw the definition of voicing I gave to Luby in that
long
> post I made, so I wanted to let you know it was there. To further answer
> your question about bringing out certain harmonics, yes, it does do that.
> That is what Ed was referring to, I think, when he said: "I suspect that
a
> lot of people are aware of the importance of vowel sounds, shape and size
of
> the oral cavity, etc. in determining tone quality on wind instruments."
>
> It is usually the higher partials that are lacking in young, inexperienced
> players' tone, and voicing helps bring them out. But when I speak of
> voicing, I am mainly talking about teaching it to beginners so they
> understand that the clarinet uses a fast airstream, and that the way to
> acheive the proper air speed is to 'funnel' the air when it gets to your
> mouth by raising the back of your tongue---you 'voice' a particular vowel,
> "eeee", to acheive this. Ed also mentioned raising the center of the
tongue,
> and I know I do this to color certain notes, although I am not aware of
using
> the center of the tongue to reach certain high notes.
>
> The idea of the fast air is essential for the students to understand if
they
> are going to be playing an instrument where they are overblowing all
> registers above the fundamental. It's not just a matter of tone, but of
even
> being able to play the notes. For instance, usually all I have to do to
get
> the typical beginner to be able to play a high C is to tell them to use
fast
> air, to say "eeee", and 90% will get the note. For the others I have to
talk
> about the lower lip stretch allowing the reed to vibrate, etc.
>
> Recently we have been having discussions on the list about when to
introduce
> the clarion register to beginners, and I did not chime in, but I will now,
> because it relates to what I am saying about voicing. I usually have a
kid
> try the clarion register after they have been able to play an in-tune (by
the
> tuner) open G. I have them play low C, and then I say that if they are
using
> fast air, they will get a high note to pop out when I reach over and hit
> their register key. If they get the note, I have them watch the tuner
needle
> to see where it goes. I call the tuner, at this point, the EEE-O-METER,
and
> I tell them that it will show whether they are using "eee" or not. This
is
> very effective for my visually oriented students....it helps if they can
see
> a representation of what they are hearing. For my aurally oriented kids,
> it's always best to play the note and have them match pitch, which I
> eventually do with the visual kids too. After all of this, I explain that
> the fast air they use to make the higher notes will make their lower notes
> sound better, and I always have the tuner out in the beginning so they can
> see this. I also play along with them a lot so they can hear it.
>
> Tom Ridenour says that often when you focus on voicing (airstream shaping)
> first, the student will make a natural embouchure without too much
explaining
> from the teacher. I have definitely observed this to be true in about 75%
of
> my students. The rest require specific embouchure work apart from
voicing.
>
> I hope this is a better approximation of what I was talking about with
> voicing and that it proves enlightening in some way. :-)
>
> Elise Curran
> Orlando, FL
>
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------

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