Klarinet Archive - Posting 000878.txt from 2002/03

From: HatNYC62@-----.com
Subj: [kl] Transposition minus the bullshit
Date: Sun, 31 Mar 2002 12:57:05 -0500

If my sieve-like memory serves, the origin of all this nonsense related to
whether or not to learn transposion as an essential skill. As usual, the
question of the ethics of transposing specific passages or works got in the
way of the answer to the fundemental point.

The question of whether to learn transposition, in this day and age when c
and d clarinets are readily available is still a good question.

I say that transposition is a mandatory skill for anyone planning to perform
professionally on the clarinet. It does come into play and if you don't have
the skill, you are pretty much screwed.

In addition, becoming fluent in sight transposition will definately improve
the intensity of your musical concentration. The ability to concentrate in a
truly intense manner is possibly the most overlooked skill required to play
music well. If you haven't played a pile of concerts under all manner of
circumstances, you might never have really thought deeply about this point.

It has been said by better musicians than I that one must be 120% prepared in
order to perform under pressure at 90% of one's ability. That includes the
mental preparation. And mental preparation cannot be done overnight. It takes
years to learn to get 'in the zone.'

The longer I am in this profession, the more I think that the majority of
'mistakes' that are made in performance are mental in origin. Understand that
by 'mistake' I refer to things that go wrong that absolutely shouldn't (it
would take many paragraphs to break this down, which I can do at another time
if enough of you are confused).

What to do? I suggest taking the Rose etude books and relearning every single
one:
up a whole step
down a half step
up a half step
In that order, which is the order of importance in my opinion.

Don't write anything in. Learn to do the calculations mentally. Play them
slowly.

Bass clef in A (and b-flat for that matter, even though that is not actually
transposition) is important to know as well. I just had Richard Strauss's
JOSEPHSLEGENDE thrown at me. I hadn't done the A bass clef in a while, but
after about an hour of practice, even this rediculous one started to flow
(there are constantly changing key signatures and piles of accidentals).

People ask me how I can sight transpose. It's willpower in the practice room,
plain and simple. And I don't practice it anymore. I paid my dues. Now it's
like a gear I can shift into and out of when I need to.

The beauty of it is when I sightread without transposition. The notes are so
easy that I can concentrate on the dynamics, the phrasing and still listen to
the rest of the ensemble.

The fact is, that no matter how committed you are to 'doing what the composer
wrote,' you will have to transpose from time to time. Best to be ready and
not get caught with your pants down at that gig where you were hoping to
impress everyone.

I will leave the ethical issues and my personal feelings on individual
passages for another place.

David Hattner, NYC
www.northbranchrecords.com

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