Klarinet Archive - Posting 000108.txt from 2008/06

From: Fred Jacobowitz <fbjacobo@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] method books for beginners
Date: Sat, 21 Jun 2008 23:15:03 -0400

If you don't do Jazz yourself, you can't teach it. It's like a
foreign language such as German. Uses the English alphabet but
pronunciation, inflection, etc. are completely different. If you
don't speak German, there's no way you could teach someone to speak
it. If you want to give them some stuff to do, "Take 10" and "Sounds
For Sax" are two play-alongs. I think Mel Bay also has a couple.

If you can actually improvise and do Jazz vibrato and bend notes,
etc. I've found the Abersold play-alongs to be wonderful. I teach all
my Jazz students with them.

Fred Jacobowitz

Kol Haruach Klezmer Band
Ebony and Ivory Duo

You don't get harmony when everybody sings the same note.
~Doug Floyd

On Jun 21, 2008, at 10:59 PM, Alicia Byer wrote:

> Hi Fred,
>
> Well, I've been forcing my poor kids to do the Rubank without
> realizing that it might bore their delicate sensibilities, and they
> didn't complain at all! I've been doing exactly what you said,
> choosing the relevant exercises and writing out solo songs. to keep
> them interested. They like that a lot, because I just ask them a
> song they want to learn, like Happy Birthday or Jingle Bells and
> write it out on the fly for them to keep. When they get to a high
> enough level, I choose a solo book with other songs (they do love
> Disney or movie themes and I figured that was fine to keep them
> playing). So I guess my gut instincts were right all along, I just
> wanted to make sure that I wasn't missing some fantastic method book.
>
> All that said, does anybody have suggestions for jazz books for
> beginners? Like just starting to learn blues, jazz phrasing,
> chords, swing, improvisation, maybe a CD to play along with, things
> like that?
>
> alicia
>
> Fred Jacobowitz wrote:
>> CAUTION!!! These are band books. They are essentially useless for
>> private lessons. They only cover notes and keys that work with the
>> particular tune the band is playing. They have virtually no
>> exercises for the kids to use. They are excellent for band and
>> well designed for it. Just like a van is well-designed for carting
>> people around but not that good for parking and maneuvering in a
>> city.
>>
>> Also, I disagree that beginners must be kept turning pages. I have
>> never yet had a student quit because they weren't going fast
>> enough or were bored with their progress. They almost always quit
>> because they don't want to sit down and practice. Bells and
>> whistles like CDs aren't going to work for very long. They still
>> will have to practice. I tell all my beginner students that, "I
>> GUARANTEE" that they will be first chair within 6 months if they
>> practice as I teach them to (as long as the first chair players
>> aren't taking lessons - in that case I tell them that they will be
>> at least first row). **That** keeps them interested. I also write
>> out some simple solo songs. They don't have to be pop or rock
>> tunes - just the fact that they are a SOLO is fun for the kids.
>> Don't sell kids short. They can and will stay interested
>> (especially if parental 'reminders' are part of the deal).
>>
>> Finally, I did a pretty exhaustive search about 20 years ago at
>> every music store in the Baltimore/DC area. There were only 2 or 3
>> methods worth the paper they were printed on and Rubank was
>> clearly the best. Hymie Voxman really was a genius at clarinet
>> pedagogy. Naturally, I don't use every exercise in them (some are
>> really pedantic) but picking and choosing is easy enough. Like I
>> said above, I supplement it with little solos and finally books of
>> beginner solos (such as the AMSCO series or Mel Bay).
>>
>>
>> Fred Jacobowitz
>>
>> Kol Haruach Klezmer Band
>> Ebony and Ivory Duo
>>
>> You don't get harmony when everybody sings the same note.
>> ~Doug Floyd
>>
>> On Jun 21, 2008, at 8:42 PM, Glenn Kantor wrote:
>>>
>>> The most popular method books now being used are the Accent on
>>> Achievement series and the Essential Elements series. Both books
>>> have a cleaner, less cramped layout than Rubank, progress at a
>>> decent pace and include reinforcing CD's with band accompaniment
>>> for each exercise and song.
>>>
>>
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