Klarinet Archive - Posting 000794.txt from 2002/11

From: John Dablin <johnd@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Centred tone
Date: Tue, 26 Nov 2002 00:00:22 -0500

Thanks to everyone who tried to answer my question by defining "centred
tone" (or "centered" for my American friends?), particularly Karl Krelove's
long discussion. I can understand a definition like "a tone that is clear
- i.e. not mixed with air or "fuzz," gurgles, etc." - it's unambiguous and
suggests how it might be achieved, but I feel that often the phrase is used
in a more mystical sense, trying to define in words something that you can
only hear. As Karl says, "its meaning varies so widely that, once you've
gotten an idea in your ear of what it means to you, you still won't know
what it means to anyone else who uses the term - unless your discussion is
taking place within a group that has developed a common
understanding." Like Humpty Dumpty, it can mean whatever we choose it to mean.

So it looks like describing someone's tone in words is ultimately futile,
although I wouldn't condemn anyone for trying. This seems a shame, because
undoubtedly there are many variations in the sound produced by different
players, but we lack the verbal tools to discuss them. You may be amused
by my own terms, but they're so personal they only have meaning for
me:- many eastern European players seem to have a "round, plummy" sound,
whereas some English clarinettists (particularly 20-odd years ago) have
what I call a "hard, glassy" sound. Where on earth did those words come
from? Presumably they have some subconscious association with the sound
that I'm hearing, but what that is even I don't know. Most of my listening
experiences have been with recordings or radio broadcasts, so I can't even
be sure they were valid in the first place.

Still, I do know how I would like to sound, even if I regularly fall short
of achieving it. I suppose in the end, that's all that matters.

John Dablin
3Com Europe Limited
Boundary Way
Hemel Hempstead
HP2 7YU
UK
Tel: +44 (0)1442 438040
Fax: +44 (0)1442 438333

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