Klarinet Archive - Posting 000951.txt from 2002/06

From: The Ciompi Family <deal5@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] finger dexterity
Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2002 15:32:40 -0400

Hello,
Speaking of dexterity, and also perfect tone production, are any of you
familiar with the 24 daily exercises for clarinet by Simon Kovar?
Kovar was a bassoonist of the highest caliber. He taught a generation of
great players in the '30's-'50's. He was a member of the N.Y. Philharmonic and a
teacher at Julliard and Manhattan School among many others. After a period of
time, he transcribed and published a version for clarinet.
There are any number of teachers who have "borrowed" his techniques over the
years. In my 15 years of professional playing in New York, it was my bible.
One hour a day of these long tone and arpeggio studies prepare you for the
onslaught of a day's rehearsals and concerts.
I don't know if it is currently in publication. He originally published it
himself, then it was handled by his wife, Rose. Raymond Ojeda of 136 Jones
Street, San Francisco, California, 94102 handled it for years.
I truly suggest this book to anyone at any level to get to know this volume.
If you find out where it is currently available, please contact me. I'd love to
buy more copies.

Best wishes,

Arturo Ciompi
Formerly with Orpheus,
Sylvan Wind Quintet, N.Y. City Opera Orchestra, American Symphony and professor
at S.U.N.Y. Albany, Princeton and Duke Universities.

HatNYC62@-----.com wrote:

> >>>A question for whoever said that you 'age-out' of the ability to add
>
> technical speed to your playing...How long do you have as a player to
>
> build up speed? HS, college, under 30?<<<
>
> I wasn't even going to respond to this, except for the terminology. As I have
> been trying to point out, "speed" is different from technique.
>
> I think it's best to seperate technique from what I call velocity.
>
> There are a lot of clarinet players out there who are what I call "c major
> virtuosos." They can whip around the easy keys on the klarinet as fast as
> anything. However, you put e major or b major in front of them and you might
> as well hand them a cello.
>
> These players have lots of velocity, but no technique.
>
> There are also players who have amazing velocity but also are completely
> facile in any key. Certain names come to mind right away. . .Eddie Daniels,
> Buddy DeFranco, Ricardo Morales, Alessandro Carbonare. I am pretty confident
> all of these players have done their share of scale practice. DeFranco even
> published a scale book. If you've ever heard Ricardo Morales close up
> whipping around an e major sequence (assuming you know how hard it truly is
> to be virtuosic in that key) you remember it well.
>
> Those clarinet players born with natural velocity have to be careful not to
> use it as an excuse to neglect learning comprehensive technique. Those who
> don't have natural velocity may or may not ever develop it, but they can
> become ultra solid at whatever they ultimately do, should they work hard
> enough.
>
> One can also seperate repertoire that requires technique from repertoire that
> merely requires velocity.
>
> As for 'ageing out,' I didn't mean to imply that you would ever stop
> improving. My point was that if you want to be good enough at your instrument
> to compete with those who are going to win jobs, the earlier you start the
> better.
>
> David Hattner, NYC
> www.northbranchrecords.com
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------

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