 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: beejay
Date: 2000-01-19 07:52
Another question. Do any of you have thoughts about accoustics? I like to practice in my kitchen, which is tiled and which gives off a nice resonant sound to my ear. My teacher thinks I should play in the living room, which has a carpet and drapes, because he says this does not distort the sound. I'm curious to know if any of you have favorite practice spots, and why. And am I right in thinking that we do not hear ourselves as others hear us?
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2000-01-19 15:23
Just like singing in the shower!, playing into a corner is recommended when trying to evaluate the odd harmonic content of our sounds. I recommend the discussions in the "good books" and especially for those who wish to pursue study, Lee Gibson's "Clarinet Acoustics" and Guy's "Intonation", of which I am awaiting delivery. Don
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Author: steve
Date: 2000-01-19 16:22
Don has made some excellent suggestions....
my 2 cents: playing in a beautifully resonant space is a joy....but it can give you a false sense of "tonal accomplishment"...one of the most memorable 10 minutes of clarinet playing I ever did as a high school kid was sit on stage in Severance Hall, cleveland about 1970 on a saturday morning in marcellus' chair (thank god he wasn't there!!!:) all alone except for a stage hand and ghost light(my cousin, an orchestra member, was down in the locker room), and play the solo excerpts from Schubert Great C major and the noodle stuff from Bartok Miraculous Mandarin....I got off stage and thought...wow...I sound like god's gift to tone!!! of course, I didn't....
I think you should practice in a fairly dead space, but large enough so it doesn't sound ugly....this will force ou to hear all the flaws in your tone and correct them....but most important, the tone you want should be in your head....for me, it was mr marcellus playing schubert....
regards, steve
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2000-01-19 18:48
Thank you, Steve, I just wish I could have had as great an experience in our fine Comm. Center Audit. where the OK Mozart is produced every June!! Don
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Author: Ginger Martin
Date: 2000-01-19 21:43
I often tell my beginners to practise in the bathroom...mainly because it does sound so good. (Beginners need to sound good to keep them motivated.) Also, the mirror is handy, which is a crucial part of embouchure development.
Ginger
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Author: Lelia
Date: 2000-01-20 12:22
A room filled with bookshelves can give a good tone, too. I practice in my home office. It's a small, rather strange space at the top of a semi-closed stairwell, with ceilings that slope in several directions. The walls aren't full height on two sides, but they're wood panelled and mostly filled with bookshelves. I have small carpets over a bare floor. That cluttered little room doesn't look very promising, but the stairwell with the slanted ceiling over it acts as an amplifier. That room has such good acoustics that I'm getting spoiled rotten.
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