Klarinet Archive - Posting 000074.txt from 2003/02

From: Rigel Keffer <rbkeffer@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] question replies
Date: Mon, 3 Feb 2003 01:56:36 -0500

Thank you to everyone who has replied with so much useful information!!! I
have archived your responses and will be referring to them repeatedly. I
look forward to hearing the insights of others as well.
Some points that may need clarifying:
Amy is a friend who is a gifted clarinet player. She's really serious about
her playing. She has never given lessons before, but she is trying to help
me get started. I have bartered babysitting for lessons (her son and my son
are friends). Our get togethers are irregular due to our husbands working
rotating shifts.
I have another friend who has played clarinet for more than 30 years, but
her clarinet is currently in need of major restoration which she cannot
afford to have done until on into the summer (she homeschools *5*
children...wow). Once she is back to playing, she has offered me lessons as
well.
I do not bite my reeds. I am certain of that. However, there are not so
rare times when I cannot make a note come out because I am compressing the
reed too hard with my mouth. That's why Amy suggested that the tensing up
when really concentrating on something difficult may be what's causing me
to splinter/crack reeds at a sad rate. But, I am 100% positive that I do
not bite my reeds.
I, too, have come to the clarinet later in life ... when I turned 30
*gulp!* I feel this sort of frantic need to make up for lost time.... like
why haven't I been playing this fabulous instrument for years?!!??! Oh the
wasted time! I must practice, practice, practice.
I have the coming down the register screechy squeak problem when doing
scales or when playing a song that has had a few/several measures in the
upper register and then dips down briefly into the lower register for a few
notes. I don't transition well coming down, however I have no problems
climbing. When I do the staccatto tongue thingie between notes, it helps,
but when I'm flowing, the problem occurs often enough to make me disgusted
with myself.
I use #3 reeds because that's what Amy had when I started playing on her
clarinet, and that's all I know. I tried backing up to a 2 but despised
it....this thin, wiggly, overvibrating thing going half crazy on my
lip...ugh! So aggravatingly easy to over compress!!! I'm firmly a #3 girl!
I have been trying to ease off on breathing so hard because when I started
trying to acquire some of the higher notes, I started seeing glitter lights
and realized that couldn't be right.
Whenever I can't get something, I have a little checklist I go through: Is
it a fingers thing? Is it a mouth thing? Is it a posture/breathing thing?
The fingers things are quickly enough fixed. The mouth things are
reasonably fixable early - mid practice but become more difficult to manage
the longer I practice (my bottom lip starts to swell and go a wee bit
numb). The posture/breathing things....well, I can take care of the
posture, but I'm still trying to get the feel of the breathing thing. I can
get every note to sound. I can play about 4 measures between breaths. But,
my control and ability to vary as needed for register shifts, etc. are
hopeless... I am so inept. I just cannot get the feel for the changes. I
get a good thing and hold onto it, but ask me to vary and my mouth and
breath fall apart.
Love and hugs,
Rigel

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