Klarinet Archive - Posting 000665.txt from 2001/11

From: HatNYC62@-----.com
Subj: [kl] So, you want to do this for a living
Date: Sun, 25 Nov 2001 13:43:12 -0500

I thought I would start a thread devoted to the kinds of things young,
aspiring clarinet players need to know and/or think about. I hope the other
full-timers on the list will chime in. I will not be around for the next week
or so unless someone lends me a computer in Key West, but I am sure the
thread will continue if proper care and feeding is given.

So here are some things that I think a pre-conservatory student should know.

If you want to PLAY the clarinet for a living, basically you're going to do
it in an orchestra. There are other ways to make a living in the clarinet
field, primarily teaching related. The number of soloists and chamber
musicians who make a decent living off of their concerts can probably be
counted on two hands, at most.

Therefore, it is never too early to learn the orchestral literature.
Recordings are a superb way to become familiar with what my teacher called
"the most profound utterances of the greatest composers." Recordings have
never been cheaper per minute than they are today. If you are serious about
this, you should be familiar enough with the Symphonies and Concertos of
Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart and Tchaikovsky to identify them by a few measures
(Along with many other works, of course).

You can never have too much technique or too good a sense of RHYTHM. Baermann
III with a metronome at reasonable speeds is truly your best friend (even if
you aren't on speaking terms at the moment).

Playing in tune has more to do with listening to the context in which you are
playing than with putting the needle in the center, although that's a good
place from which to begin.

Deciding where you will go to school and with whom you will study is the most
important decision you are going to make. Do your homework! You will have
more options (will get into more schools) if you practice a lot of scales and
arpeggios during high school. If you want to play in an orchestra, think very
carefully about studying with someone with extensive orchestral and audition
experience. If you want to teach, there are certain teachers who are
miraculous at placing students in university positions.

No matter how talented you are and how hard you work, there is someone at
another school who is more talented and who is working harder. Someday, you
might be in the finals of an audition against this person. Then what will you
do?

The more you practice when you are young, the more it will pay off on a
per-hour basis!!!!

No one who doesn't play the clarinet cares what kinds of things are hard.
Master the register break by practicing it. Eliminate grunts and subtones
from the upper register. Learn to produce clear articulation of ALL lengths,
including stopped staccato.

Think about how much you love classical music and opera. If you are not sure
you really love it enough, there's no shame in persuing another field of
study. You can continue playing on a part-time basis and you may preserve
your love of the music far more as an amateur.

There is more, but that's enough for the moment.

David Hattner, NYC
www.northbranchrecords.com

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