Klarinet Archive - Posting 000257.txt from 2006/08

From: svonjord@-----.com
Subj: [kl] Re: neck and throat tension
Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2006 12:28:58 -0400

With Andre Canabou's permission, I am sharing his suggestion for
dealing with neck and throat tension with the list:

>
Hi Jay:

I don't have experience with your type of throat tension but I suspect
it comes from taking very restrictive breaths as you play. Over a
period of time, that can be very exhausting. I suspect that you are
taking breaths with a closed, tight throat, the result of which is a
high pitched gasping sound during the breath.

Many players work with breathing bags and use a finger breath to relax
and open the throat when breathing and then playing. This is straight
from the teachings of Arnold Jacobs (tuba in the Chicago Symphony) and
Keith Underwood (NY flute player). But I use a much simpler method
with my students. Take an empty paper towel roll and cut in half.
Place it in your mouth, between your teeth and inhale a full
breath..Hold the breath for a second and then play. This fully opens
up your mouth, which opens and relaxes your throat. You'll take much
more air when you do this and your throat will be relaxed. If you do
this for a while, it will help your legato and staccato. And it will
remind you of how easily and deeply you should breath. Hope this
helps. Let me know how it goes.

Sincerely,
Andre Canabou,
2nd Clarinetist, Boise Philharmonic

You can share my comments with the list but I should credit Andy
Crisanti of
the Fort Worth Symphony for showing me this exercise. It is
surprisingly
simple and surprisingly effective.
>

I have experimented with this technique and find that it SIGNIFICANTLY
reduces the tension in my throat, neck, and voice. And it has the
added benefit of significantly improving my playing! I greatly
recommend trying this for anyone who is dealing with tension or air
support issues. It's certainly making playing a lot more enjoyable for
me!

Also, in answer to Margaret Thornhill's question: No, I am not
vocalizing while playing. Although this is a fun extended technique
that I have experimented with before!

Jay Shenk

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