Klarinet Archive - Posting 000242.txt from 2004/06

From: ormondtoby@-----.net (Ormondtoby Montoya)
Subj: RE: [kl] Crossing the break - guide/exercises/logic
Date: Wed, 16 Jun 2004 19:31:51 -0400

Umar=A0Goldeli wrote:

> [big snip]

Perhaps I didn't express myself properly.

First, as Mark said, if you watch the world class performers, you'll see
many of them doing some "flying fingers" --- some performers more often
than others, and some pieces of music more than others --- just as
you'll see some drummers, pianists, etc doing a lot of arm waving while
others are super-economical with their movements. (If you become too
intellectual, it isn't music any longer, imo.)

But second, and more important, I was trying to say that if all of your
body --- fingers, wrists, arms, shoulders, etc --- have a 'home
position' and if you tend to return to this 'home position'
automatically (by habit, eventually) without explicitly thinking about
it, then not only do you have less to think about at the conscious
level. but the simpler and shorter motions will help you over the
difficult spots.

An analogy would be walking on the deck of a boat during rough weather,
as compared to walking down a dry sidewalk on land. Perhaps you can
get from point-A to point-B in either environment, but you will move
more smoothly and more easily and more accurately (without risking
falling flat on your face) when you're walking on the stable sidewalk.
In the same way, (imo) it's useful to imagine your 'home position' as
the stable sidewalk to which you instinctually return whenever
reasonable.

You have referred several times to thinking out each movement in
advance, for example:

> So regarding this comment for example - is
> this calculated in "real-time" in your mind - or
> "mental notes" made during prior
> performances of the piece to take note of
> fingers at certain spots etc?

Your words suggest (to me) that you don't have a feeling yet for your
own 'home position', and therefore you are having to think out too many
details of each movement.

I understand your comments about nerve damage, and I can imagine that it
may be inevitable that you'll need to process your fingering motions in
some unique way. But for whatever it's worth, it sounds to me as if
your first effort should be to watch yourself in the mirror and to find
a comfortable 'home position' or 'stable platform' from which you can
launch everything else that you want to do.

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