Klarinet Archive - Posting 001002.txt from 2002/06
From: w7wright@-----.net (William Wright)
Subj: Re: [kl] Re: one-hour warm-up
Date: Thu, 27 Jun 2002 16:05:49 -0400
I'd like a add a true anecdote to this thread.
I once took snow skiing lessons. At one point, I got frustrated with
parallel turns, and I blurted out:
"How the <!deleted!> long is it going to take me to learn this !!??"
The instructor replied: "I gave some lessons to OJ Simpson a couple of
weeks ago.... he's a football player, you know.... and when I was
showing him how to do parallel turns, I told him to put his shoulder
this way... <demonstration> and to put his opposite knee this way...
<more demonstration> and to put 80% of his weight here... <more
demonstration> and to keep his eyes off the snow.... and guess
what?"
"What?" I replied.
"He said 'OK' and he did exactly what I said. He made perfect parallel
turns on his first trip down the hill. Since he didn't want to learn
anything else at that particular moment, the lesson was over in 5
minutes instead of the normal 60 minutes. I went back inside and drank
hot chocolate and chatted with the girls. It was the easiest money I
ever earned.
"Now, in your case, Mr. Wright..... I'm going to give you a full 60
minutes of instruction. This time, I want you to _really_ turn your
left shoulder this way, just like I've told you several times
before....."
I think that some of the folks on this list are saying the same thing
about clarinet playing. The path from mind to <body part> is less
easily travelled by some of us than by others. Also more easily
forgotten without continual practice.
Cheers,
Bill
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
What is the purpose of a language? =A0 To be beautiful or wise or
pleasurable in itself? Or to describe many different things ---
beautiful or not --- to other people? This is why the question of
whether music is a 'language' is relevant.
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