Klarinet Archive - Posting 000121.txt from 2002/04

From: Tony@-----.uk (Tony Pay)
Subj: Re: [kl] Another slide
Date: Wed, 3 Apr 2002 04:35:26 -0500

On Tue, 02 Apr 2002 22:04:56 -0800, gir@-----.net said:

> Avrahm Galper wrote:
>
> > Since we are talking about sliding, there is another important slide
> > to consider:
> >
> > In the scale of Ab, when one want to play the passage: Eb in the
> > fourth space, down to Db and then to C, the best way to accomplish
> > this is: when you press down on the Db (with the Left) , one should
> > AT THE SAME TIME slide the Right hand little finger to the C. Then
> > all you have to do is release the key of Db. Not a hard slide at
> > all. It is useful all the time.
> >
> > Abe Galper
>
> Mr. G:
>
> Why slide at all?
>
> I may be mistaken, correct me if I am wrong, but, in the note sequence
> you cited, I have never had to slide between the Eb and the C in the
> right hand because the intervening Db in the left gives the right hand
> freedom to make the change. (Unless you are speaking of Albert System
> of course.)

It's true that on the Boehm system the moment you take the C in the
right hand, after taking the Db in the left, is a matter of choice.
Taking it at the same time, though, avoids the rather funny feeling of
pushing on a C key that's already down.

But I'd say that Abe's point is rather (he'll correct me if I'm wrong,
I'm sure) that it's worthwhile getting yourself accustomed to this
particular RH little finger slide, and perhaps some other slides too,
because having them in your repertoire often simplifies matters.
They're easier than you think, even without rollers.

An example would be taking the C on the right in a descending Ab major
arpeggio. Once that's fluent, I find it gives a unity to the feel of
the arpeggio that it's difficult to achieve with the R/L switch.

Of course, it's rather natural for me to do what Abe suggests, because
that's what's required on the classical clarinet. (The LH Db doesn't
work without the RH C.)

The Albert system, as several people have pointed out, includes
rollers to facilitate little finger slides. But in fact, I find rollers
sometimes make such slides more difficult rather than less difficult.
That possibility might be worth consideration for the group here
yearning after rollers. Talk to a few bassoon players, some of whom
have lots of rollers fitted to help with the many slides they have to
make, whilst others of equal and sometimes greater facility do without.

My Albert system clarinet has an alternative C# that you get by just
fingering LH B natural, without the RH little finger at all. Of
course, that has the disadvantage that adding the RH C key is the only
way of getting a B natural.

In conclusion -- look, no bad words, even "just for the heck of it";-)

(Oops, forgot the automatic tagline!)

Tony
--
_________ Tony Pay
|ony:-) 79 Southmoor Rd Tony@-----.uk
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... Starkle Starkle Little Twink What the hell you are I think?

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