Klarinet Archive - Posting 000116.txt from 2001/11

From: lubydjackson@-----. Jackson)
Subj: Re: [kl] Re: voicing/was "Band vs orch eefer range"
Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2001 17:44:53 -0500

I've really been experimenting with voicing and is this the same thing as
blowing the 12ths or the harmonics? I've been trying this with different
levels of the tongue to some really great stuff. My embourchure has gotten
better, more stable and things.

I still can't get past high F# on the effer those. Now, I can blow a really
high Bb on my Bb with ease.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Dowler" <syo@-----.com>
Subject: [kl] Re: voicing/was "Band vs orch eefer range"

> Hi, Elise (and the list :) )
>
> I do understand what you're saying about voicing now. The back (and
> perhaps the middle) of the tongue rises to help the intonation and
> bring out the desirable harmonics in a certain note (ie. good tone).
> I like the way you introduce the tuner to your students, and I think
> I will use it in the same manner with a group of 13 high school
> students I have recently started teaching. One thing to be careful
> with when using the tuner is that they are in fact using "EEE" (or
> the french EU, which brings the front of the tongue down where it
> should be, but I find difficult for Americans who haven't studied
> French to produce. Suggestions?) and not just pinching the reed to
> force those harmonics out (and causing a number of undesirable things
> to happen at the same time!)
>
> What I still don't agree with you on is the fact that it is the "EEE"
> that is the main contributor to making the different between an F
> (played with the thumb, in the first partial) and a C (thumb, 3rd
> partial). Throughout my first year of my undergraduate degree, I had
> difficulty with "ghosting", where the 1st partial could be heard
> almost at the same time as the 3rd partial on many of the left hand
> notes. I was "EEE"ing until I was blue in the tongue, but it was
> doing no good. I see this problem in the majority of the 13 high
> schoolers I am teaching, and the solution is always to push up with
> the right hand thumb and "jam the clarinet in your mouth". Have you
> tried this method? This is somewhat dependant on the angle of the
> clarinet, but I've yet to sit down and figure out exactly how. I
> usually leave the angle up to them to find the "sweet spot". Next
> time one of your students is having trouble getting to a higher
> partial, ask them to push up gently with the thumb until it "pops"
> out (jumps to the next partial), as an experiment.
>
> Mike
>
>
>
> At 2:33 AM -0500 11/1/01, EClarinet@-----.com wrote:
> >
> >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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