Klarinet Archive - Posting 000020.txt from 2004/06

From: X-MailScanner-tom.henson@-----.com
Subj: RE: [kl] Legato in general (was, glissando help)
Date: Wed, 2 Jun 2004 10:51:27 -0400

Tony,

I have heard it also explained another way, that in order to play perfect
legato, that one has to learn to play between the notes. It sounds so
simple, maybe it is and it is just one of those secret's that great players
know about.

This was a concept that was foreign to me at first. Many teachers stress to
their students that their finger motion must produce a clean transition
between notes, and many times the student, in trying to meet this goal
simply learns to use excessive finger motion resulting in snapping or
popping of the notes.

There is also an easy exercise which I do and show my students and that is
simply to play a scale very slowly, or even just one note to the next and
very slowly pull or slide off your finger(s). All the while maintaining a
full breath support. This works best on the open tone holes. I teach this as
an exercise to improve the breath support to keep from breaking it between
the notes and it does wonders to improve your breath support, but also does
wonders for your fingers as well. There should be no interruption of the
sound at all. It should be full and smooth, no squeaks or dropouts.

When you are able to do this without any break in the air, then you can
start to increase the speed at which you slide your fingers off. Again, the
purpose of this exercise is absolutely NOT to have any break in the air at
all. I can see using the term glissando also as a way of explaining this
exercise. The end result is a much smoother legato.

This brings up another thing I have always felt regarding proper breath
support and moving the fingers.

I don't know why, but it seems that moving the fingers while blowing through
a clarinet is somehow connected in the brain in such a way that the finger
movement seems to want to impart a physical break in the airflow or change
in the throat area. This is something that if one can overcome, will lead to
a very smooth legato also. The exercise above is also something I learned to
help counter act this tendency.

In taking this concept a little further, one has to learn to move the
fingers almost as if they are disconnected from the autonomic function of
breath and blowing. It's as if someone else is moving the fingers for you.
Here is a little test. Have someone help you with this. Take your mouthpiece
and turn it around on the clarinet 180 degrees and have the keys facing you.
Now, while blowing through the clarinet with a good supported breath, have
the other person manipulate the keys and play a scale. You will be amazed at
how smooth it sounds. This shows what I have just mentioned, that if you can
mentally disconnect the movement of the fingers from the physical act of
blowing, that you will have discovered something so basic, but so hard to do
well.

Once you have started to understand and see this in action, you can then
work on lightening up the finger action in general. It is also my opinion
that many people simply use too heavy of a finger action. All that is
required of your fingers to play efficiently is simply to make sure that
they seal the tone holes properly. If your clarinet is set up properly, this
will only require a light pressure. Pianist learn this also. A pianist is
taught to move the fingers, not the hand itself when playing. I think this
idea translates well to clarinet and can be applied in finger motion.

Tom Henson

Tony Pay posted

<< Making a previous post, I was reminded that my friend Jens Schou used to
insist that his students be able to use glissando techniques even in such
standard pieces as the slow movement of the Mozart concerto.

This insistence had a technical rather than a musical intent. But there was
a musical bonus, in that when someone could play the opening solo clarinet
line of the Mozart slow movement using glissando between notes, Jens was
able to say:

"Now do it with a very fast glissando between notes....

....OK, now do it with an *infinitely fast* glissando between notes!"

...thereby achieving a perfect legato (the thing about legato being that you
have to keep blowing at the join between notes -- which is what playing a
glissando requires, so you're already almost there). >>

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Klarinet is a service of Woodwind.Org, Inc. http://www.woodwind.org