Klarinet Archive - Posting 000023.txt from 2004/06

From: "mark" <cpaok@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Legato in general (was, glissando help)
Date: Wed, 2 Jun 2004 11:27:06 -0400

OK.
----- Original Message -----
From: <Tom.Henson@-----.com>
To: <klarinet@-----.org>
Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2004 9:47 AM
Subject: RE: [kl] Legato in general (was, glissando help)

> 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
>

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