Klarinet Archive - Posting 000201.txt from 2005/01

From: Roger Garrett <rgarrett@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Rhapsody in Blue Gliss
Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2005 20:50:51 -0500

I was just getting ready to sign off on the list again and saw the various
posts about Rhapsody in Blue.

I'm recalling when I studied with David Shifrin, and I had to learn the
part for him. I could play the smear without problems - but only from the
D. I did the chromatic run and smeared from D on up to high C. He said
that would be acceptable, but then he suggested I smear up from low g and
then over the break by fingering the throat A natural and opening up the
third trill key to voice up over the break. He demonstrated several times
- and he really did smear the entire passage!

I still can't do it - never could figure out exactly how he did it. He was
frustrated after my third attempt and told me just to practice it - not
wanting to spend any more time on it than that. Since that time, I've
played the piece several times with the Peoria Symphony Orchestra - always
smearing from the D up. Played it with Dudley Moore once - and that was
interesting............

Just thought I would share that I have heard it done before, but I really
can't tell you exactly how to do it.

Signing off now. See you in the trenches!

Best wishes,
Roger Garrett

At 06:42 PM 1/13/2005, you wrote:
>I don't think it can be done successfully or smoothly because the clarinet
>must break into its first overtone at B natural, the twelfth above the
>fundamental register.
>
>RB
>
>On Jan 13, 2005, at 4:37 PM, Karl Krelove wrote:
>
>>Bryan,
>>
>>I've never heard anyone seriously attempt the gliss from the bottom of the
>>passage (after the trill) and I don't know if it can be done effectively (I
>>know I can't). But you've left out a third way that I've heard as often as
>>your #1 - many players on recordings I've heard finger all the way up to G
>>before starting to slide. And it isn't universal to go up to wherever the
>>slide starts chromatically - it's effective to just finger a diatonic C
>>major scale up past the break and then start into the smear wherever you're
>>able to do it reliably. The notation in the part, after all, is for a
>>diatonic scale all the way up, not chromatic.
>>
>>Karl Krelove
>
>
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