Klarinet Archive - Posting 000053.txt from 2004/06

From: Tony Pay <tony.p@-----.org>
Subj: RE: [kl] glissando help
Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2004 09:05:10 -0400

On 4 Jun, "Noel Taylor" <r.n.taylor@-----.uk> wrote:

> I wish I could reach Tony's revelatory moment when the tongue position and
> the semi-covered holes would let me do an octave rather than the few
> micro-tones of change I can almost detect when I do it. I seem to have
> tried every form of contortion my tongue is capable of (there should be a
> new chapter in the Karma Sutra for this).

OK, let's have another go. A part of the problem is that it's difficult for
you not to be 'looking in the wrong place' for what I'm talking about.

First off, when you talk of 'a few microtones of change', that seems to imply
that you're starting from a well-defined pitch. Perhaps it's my fault for
suggesting a leaky clarion A to begin with. I think a better beginning is
perhaps just to aim for general loud smears in the upper register. Try a
leaky low F -- that is, *all* the fingers leaky -- and without trying for any
particular pitch, but possibly going up to altissimo G, just try to get
'swoops', even ugly ones:

EEEOOWWWWOUEEEEEOUWW!

Second, the sorts of tongue movements you need to make are rather like the
ones you use to whistle -- another thing that's easy to do (once you can do
it!) but almost impossible to describe. Whistle a glissando up and down, and
then try it with the clarinet in your mouth.

Once you can do the smears, you can begin to get a feel for how to control
them, and begin to focus in on more 'refined' sounds:-)

Tony
--
_________ Tony Pay
|ony:-) 79 Southmoor Rd tony.p@-----.org
| |ay Oxford OX2 6RE http://classicalplus.gmn.com/artists
tel/fax 01865 553339

... Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?

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