Klarinet Archive - Posting 000087.txt from 2002/12

From: Deidre Calarco <dleigh@-----.org>
Subj: Re: [kl] Benefit of taking time off
Date: Thu, 5 Dec 2002 09:53:24 -0500

On 12/4/02 10:05 PM, "Neil Leupold" <leupold_1@-----.com> wrote:

> As an undergrad music major, I practiced between 6-8 hours per day, doing my
> level best to sustain
> the regimen 7 days a week. Try as I might, there always occurred one random
> obligation or
> another, once every week, that prevented me from touching my instruments for
> 24 hours.

Wow - 6 to 8 hours a day ?! Okay, that's why I didn't major in music.
Didn't want to compete with people that dedicated...

I've recently taken a 12 year break. I wouldn't recommend it. :-)

At first, I remembered my embouchure - at least for about 15 minutes before
it collapsed. In fact, I could sound amazingly good for a little while.
Now, I'm struggling with it. I couldn't find even one playable reed last
night, and it seemed like my attempts at adjusting them were making them
worse. <sigh>

I can still play the pieces I used to know well (Mozart, Weber, Poulanc,
etc.), but my technique is uneven. I've starting to go through the Rose
etudes with a metronome and practice some technical exercises. I'm working
on some new pieces, too. At this point, recovering technique looks like it
will be the easy part. Probably my worst area is breath control. I'm using
soft reeds (since I leak too much air right now with stiffer ones), and my
sound doesn't feel controlled and well supported. I need to take more
breaths than I should have to. It's almost as if I've got less lung
capacity than I used to. Even my reading is rusty. I'm gradually
recovering my concentration and ability to read a couple of measures ahead.
I really have to think hard about alternate and trill fingerings. It's weird
to even be conscious of those things.

There's been one pleasant surprise: all my mental blocks from 12 years ago
are gone. Fast tonguing used to make me nervous, and I was always terrified
of flubbing fast tongued passages. I don't have a problem with it now. I
also have an easier time sliding and doing other freeform types of things.
Actually, when I started playing again, I'd planned to work on improvisation
and sound; try to integrate and move forward in my own direction from what
I'd learned from two teachers in 7 years of lessons. I've got to admit that
in my first couple of weeks practicing again (for about an hour, 3 or 4 days
a week), it's felt good to pound away at technique. I know how to do that
and was always good at working things up to speed and eliminating problem
areas. It's proving to be a great way to deal with stress from my job.
But, my sound is so bad that I can't stand to listen to myself. Tonight I'm
going to do some serious work on sound. If I don't, I'm afraid the
neighbors are going to form a posse.

Done rambling,
Deidre

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