Klarinet Archive - Posting 000754.txt from 2002/05

From: Mark Thiel <mark.thiel@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] new clarinet? or just a mouthpiece?
Date: Wed, 29 May 2002 18:51:43 -0400

Nanci wrote:
. . .

> I have played most of that time in a smallcommunity
> band where we mainly play marches and rags--not enough players for
> "symphonic" music.
>
> Finally, the dilemna----. I recently played in a musical and suddenly was
> very focused on tone and intonation. I still can't decide if the horrid
> intonation (from the CD made during performance) is ALL my fault, but there
> are a few passages where I was obviously not "in tune" with another player.
> I also realize my tone is more "buzzy" (sorry, sorry, sorry for that word)
> than I thought.

. . .
I've found that playing with not-very-good bands isn't very good
training for intonation. Usually staying somewhere within the
mass of pitches you hear is the best you can do. Being able to
center a tuning meter is jsut a starting point also. I find that
playing along with a Music Minus One CD of woodwind
quintets to be very demanding intonation-wise -- you
can really tell if you're off with an ensemble like that. (It's
also a lot of fun when you can't dig up any REAL musical friends.)

As for tone quality - - playing in a very live room or playing into the
corner is good for hearing yourself. As BillWright pointed out,
recording equipment lies, and you can waste a lot
of time and money on it.

Mark Thiel

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