Klarinet Archive - Posting 000084.txt from 2006/06

From: "David Blumberg" <blummy@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] F - D - F fingering
Date: Sun, 18 Jun 2006 11:28:40 -0400

Fred <fred.sheim@-----.net>
Subject: Re: [kl] F - D - F fingering
Message-id: <7.0.1.0.2.20060617230001.02539ba0@-----.net>

Thank you to everybody who made suggestions as to this problematic phrase.

Here is what I found.

NONE of the alternate fingerings made anything easier for me. As a
matter of fact, I tried every alternate fingering in every fingering
book that I have without success. My open D has NO tone quality
whatsoever, and is quite flat, and lifting the thumb while holding
the register key down feels too terrible to try again!

It is NOT a finger problem for me- I have been playing for 46 years
and consider my playing to be at a professional level, although music
is not my profession. I can play the e-a tremolo that one person
described with no problem, although it comes out slightly slower than
an "easy" tremolo.

It IS an embouchure issue. I was playing the study at MM=120, quite
fast. If I slow down there is no problem with the f-d-f. A lot of
experimentation gave me the awareness of the feeling of the
particular tension in my embouchure for the F and for the D. Now
all that remains is to be able to get that switch of tension (coming
down) up to speed! I am surprised- not many things trip me up like
this! I have also been toying with playing the D WITHOUT the RH
pinky down on Ab/Eb.

BTW, the f-d-f is occurs in two places, one preceded by a second
space A and the other preceded by a first space F. I think that the
VERY wide leaps in the quartet of notes is what contributes to its
difficulty.

Fred

-----------------------------------------------

Fred - maybe try the Open D with also adding your RH Eb/Bb bottom side key
or even both keys like you were playing an alternate bottom space F#.
That will raise the pitch!

David Blumberg
http://cdbaby.com/all/clarinetist

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