Klarinet Archive - Posting 000117.txt from 2008/01

From: Margaret Thornhill <clarinetstudio@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] voicing
Date: Sun, 06 Jan 2008 21:51:59 -0500

The great challenge in all clarinet playing is the balance between unity
and variety.

Most of us would agree that "voicing", an element of variety, is
essential to truly artistic playing.

Among other things it is:
1. creating tonal "colors" to suit effects called for in the music
2. modifying tone to blend with another instrument in an ensemble
(essential, for example,in a really good woodwind quintet)
3. modifying intonation or tone so that isolated individual notes don't
stick out from the rest of your scale

Jonathan's description of his method of playing by voicing every note of
the scale really reminds me more of the experience of playing historical
clarinet where the tone, resistance and resonance of the individual
notes is more colored than on the typical modern instrument. I
personally find this a radical description when applied to modern playing

"every note on the instrument requires slightly different
oral cavity (i.e. tongue, throat and soft palette) shape"

It's been very interesting to see so much dialogue taking place on this list in recent days.

Margaret

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