Klarinet Archive - Posting 000120.txt from 2001/11

From: EClarinet@-----.com
Subj: [kl] Re: voicing/was "Band vs orch eefer range
Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2001 18:41:13 -0500

Mike said:
<< 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 >>

Tom Ridenour calls it the 'thumb lift' and also speaks of 'snugging' the
mouthpiece into the lip until you find that place. He also advocates the use
of the double lip, although I have not been able to figure out how to do it
myself, so I am not using with my kids yet. One more thing to try to get an
even better sound!

I know what you mean about having to tell the kids to put more mouthpiece in
to get the thumb F to become a thumb C, but I don't usually encounter this in
high schoolers--it's more common with middle school kids, esp. ones without
private teachers. The reason it works, as does changing the angle, is that
it frees up the reed, esp. near the tip, to vibrate so the note can be
produced.

Even though kids who could never play a high note before can finally get one
this way, it is usually not an in-tune note---it's still flat, usually, and
harsh sounding, and they can only play it if they blow really loud. That's
where the voicing comes in. I have them use the 'eee' to bring the pitch up
and to improve the tone. They still want to try to blast to get the high C,
but to combat this tendency, I make them play their high C very softly. If
they can't do that, it means they need more 'eee'. I've never had a kid who
could not do this when shown what to do.

<<One thing to be careful with when using the tuner is that they are in fact
using "EEE".....and not just pinching the reed to force those harmonics out
(and causing a number of undesirable things to happen at the same time!)>>

This is an excellent point! We as teachers should be able to hear the
difference in tone and overall pitch when a student is pinching. It is
somewhat like the sound they get when the throat is too tight, but a little
investigation will uncover where the source is.

I teach mostly 5th-12th graders, and so these have been everyday affairs for
the first 20 years of my teaching, and I have a feeling they always will be!
I have had to use trial and error to figure out a lot of this stuff, I've
learned from people like Tom Ridenour, and I've been able to exchange ideas
with other teachers on this list like we are doing right now! Thanks,
Mike, Robert, and all! :-)

Elise Curran
Orlando, FL

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