 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Gazebo Dealer
Date: 2005-02-24 02:52
I know all of us know our teachers for their helpful advice. I was just wondering if any of you have any entertaining quotes that you can remember from your lesson teachers in the past or present???
Post Edited (2005-02-24 02:53)
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Author: diz
Date: 2005-02-24 03:00
Sure ... Francis Bonetti (the late) said to me once in a lesson ... "if you'd spend more time practising your scales and arpeggios than making me laugh 'til I almost wet myself, you'll be a bloody fine player one day" ... I took it as a back handed compliment at the time (then again I was a teenager).
Without music, the world would be grey, very grey.
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Author: Kevin
Date: 2005-02-24 03:15
"when practicing, pretend you are a retarded special-ed person. they always repeat everything over and over and over, as well as slowly and slowly and slowly"
"if the dynamic is p, it means 'push'. if the dynamic is pp, it means 'push plenty'. "
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Author: diz
Date: 2005-02-24 03:36
Kevin ... having a retarded relative ... I find your anecdote tasteless and inappropriate ... I at least "took the mickey" out of myself by sharing mine.
Without music, the world would be grey, very grey.
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Author: Bob A
Date: 2005-02-24 03:48
Mine told me:
"You don't have the discipline nor the motivation to be a successful musician. Choose another profession."
How right he was!. Successful and good I ain't, but I still have fun.
Bob A
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Author: Dano
Date: 2005-02-24 04:05
I have used what my teacher, Irving Kleffman, used to say to me when I would just pound out scales without any feeling on other posts because it really makes the point. He used to say, "This is not a typing class". Meaning that I was not putting enough feeling into it even though I was making zero mistakes and there was nothing technical that he could complain about. I think about that every time I need to play a piece that I have played millions of times. When I played really well he also used to say,"I am going to give your mother her money back" meaning he did not want to charge me for the lesson. I guess it was his way of lifting my spirit at times. That was back in the late 60's and the clarinet kept me out of alot of trouble....and it still does.
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Author: kal
Date: 2005-02-24 05:18
^^^ There's something that's always bugged me about this board... It's a great wealth of information and advice, but it's so #@%$! PC that people are afraid to speak freely. I was going to say how my teacher used to equate trilling with a certain sexual act, but I'd hate to, ah, offend anyone...
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Author: Dano
Date: 2005-02-24 05:37
Offending should not be bad. Just deal with how people react to being offended. If you don't mind the feedback, as far as I am concerned, offend and make things interesting. All boards seem to be set up to "not offend anyone" and that is what kind of makes them just for info not a forum to speak freely. Too much PC is at best bland and boring. By the way, I think I get the trilling and sex equation. Not offended.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2005-02-24 05:55
Dano wrote:
> as far as I
> am concerned, offend and make things interesting.
[ This board is read and used by youngsters as well as adults. The rules about what is permissable on the board are very clear. Out of respect for all who use it, your cooperation is strongly encouraged. End of discussion - GBK ]
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2005-02-24 10:55
kal wrote:
> ^^^ There's something that's always bugged me about this
> board... It's a great wealth of information and advice, but
> it's so #@%$! PC that people are afraid to speak freely.
No, it's a BBoard read by people spanning a wide range of ages. How I speak to a friend in a purely adult setting is different than how I speak in a setting including children; indeed, how I speak in mixed company is different than I speak in purely male company, and how I speak at work is different than how I speak in an off-work social setting.
It's only common sense that one would be considerably more careful in how they express themselves here than with their peers.
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Author: Kevin
Date: 2005-02-24 12:13
When I first typed that message, before hitting submit, I thought about it for a small portion of time, as I was afraid of something like this. But after rereading, I deemed the post appropiate enough for the purposes of the question posed in the thread. I had thought that people would have been able to see that it was not in any way a attempt to put down retarded people. I guess I was wrong. Apologies for that "tasteless" post. Do realize that my teacher and I do not have any degrading feeling towards these people, but that his remark was made only as a humorous way of getting me to practice better.
Post Edited (2005-02-24 12:20)
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2005-02-24 12:50
Here is something from a teacher I had for one year (I didn't want to contunue with him), showing his "great" sense of humor.... It works better in the combination of English and Hebrew but in English only it's reasonable enough.
He said we should learn this song called "But Beautiful". Someone asked him as a joke (in hebrew) if it meant "pretty like an ass" (that part works better in hebrew). He answered very seriously, "no, it's 'but' with only one T"....
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Author: GBK
Date: 2005-02-24 15:33
My college clarinet professor used to tell me:
"99% of most audiences can't tell a right note from a wrong note. Play to the 1%"...GBK
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Author: Alseg
Date: 2005-02-24 15:58
.
I for one did NOT take offence at the "play it like a retarded person" post, since it reflected poorly on the teacher and not on the person posting. The repetition idea is good....the analogy could be better. Teacher's problem, not that of the poster.
I have an autistic son with retardation
Incidentally, my autistic son has perfect pitch and is very musical.
My other son is "normal" and not at all interested in making music.
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
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Author: jez
Date: 2005-02-24 16:29
My teacher, Sidney Fell, used to constantly compare various aspects of clarinet technique to the game of golf! Surprisingly a lot of this seemed to make some sense at the time, but, even more surprisingly, when I took up playing golf, many years later, I found I could remember his words of wisdom very clearly, and benefited doubly from the experience.
An example of his logic is that while I was studying with him he was constantly searching for a new mouthpiece (aren't we all) to replace one lost in a car crash. It was an Olympic year, must have been 1972, and he described the characteristics of a particular mouthpiece thus:-
"Those pole-vaulters stand at the end of the runway psyching themselves up, that's like forming the embouchure, they start their run-up, that's beginning the breath from the diaphragm, they plant the pole in the slot, that's the tongue releasing the sound, they bend the pole double on itself, that's the air starting to rush down the instrument, the pole straightens out and lifts them up into the air, that's the sound beginning to emerge from the bell, and then at the last minute the very best ones give a last flick of the wrists that takes them a foot above the rest! And that's what this mouthpiece doesn't have!!
A great man.
jez
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Author: mnorswor
Date: 2005-02-24 19:03
"Careers happen with hope and practice. But NEVER hope more than you practice." -- Kal Opperman
Michael
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Author: ebasta
Date: 2005-02-28 19:19
Why would clarinet players be interested in, or asked to play arpeggios?
I understand that it's a good way to learn the chords, but I just don't see the purpose for it. Maybe someone could enlighten me.
ed
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Author: GBK
Date: 2005-02-28 19:28
ebasta wrote:
> Why would clarinet players be interested in, or asked to play
> arpeggios?
> I understand that it's a good way to learn the chords, but I
> just don't see the purpose for it. Maybe someone could
> enlighten me.
Arpeggios are one of building blocks of composition.
Play through the Mozart Concerto. Count the arpeggios ![[grin]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie5.gif) ...GBK
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2005-02-28 21:36
<<Why would clarinet players be interested in, or asked to play arpeggios?>>
Much advanced concert band music is actually transcribed orchestral works. In such pieces, the clarinets are asked to be the "violins" of the group -- constant arpeggios, in every direction and permutation known to humankind. They are SO much easier to read (and play) if you have studied scales and arpeggios ahead of time. In the typical score, the arpeggiated figures come at you fast and furious -- you REALLY don't have time to think about what you are playing; you just have to let your fingers do the walking.
This is doubly true for playing in a pit band. It is my personal experience that many show writers don't care all that much about what a particular instrument can or cannot easily do. They just write the notes they need (often in extremes of the range), and you just have to play them.
Susan
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Author: BassClarinetGirl
Date: 2005-03-01 01:35
My golf coach reminds me constantly of Yogi Berra-
"99% of all putts left short won't go in the hole"
Not exactly a clarinet teacher, but I apply this theory to all aspects of my life. Most of the efforts that you don't fully commit yourself to, whether it be in golf, music, or other aspects of your life, are never going to reach their destination. So if you really want your golf ball to go in the hole, hit it hard enough.
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Author: ginny
Date: 2005-03-01 03:37
My favorite...
when asked what made a piece difficult or easy my old classical guitar teacher replied:
An easy piece is one you play badly, it's easy to play badly. A difficult piece is one you play well, no matter how simple, since it is difficult to play well.
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Author: hornfixer.geo
Date: 2005-03-01 05:52
My Band director always told us to get that sock out of our bells. He was also my Dad.
1973 Allied Graduate
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Author: bob49t
Date: 2005-03-01 06:15
There seem to be a few golfers on this BB. Although not directly related to music or the art of playing clarinet, this quote from Gary Player applies to all walks of life and would certainly apply to the laying down of good technique.
It was often said that he was a "lucky" player, and when faced with this in interview his reply was something like this
"Yes I've heard that - but isn't it funny - the more I practice the luckier I seem to become".
RT
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Author: graham
Date: 2005-03-01 10:06
"The problem with your tonguing is that it seems like a case of 'over to George'." John Brightwell c. 1978
Observing an arpeggio phrase in a piece of Weber "That's a triangle shape, and it needs to sound like that." Sid Fell 1979/80
In respect of another pupil when I happened to be in on a lesson for a young player by my former teacher: "Now pack away, and the music shop you hired the clarinet from will be very glad to take it back from you." Richard Walthew c. 1977
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-03-01 12:42
I played in a wind ensemble with a clarinetist who used to masticate with a cheese steak sandwich during the practice!
She was nasty. Needless to say, I never tried her setup.......
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Author: vrufino
Date: 2005-03-01 15:18
When I was in the 11th grade and a student of Allard's, I wanted him to give me exercises to get my fingers moving faster. However, he concentrated most of every lesson on correcting my embrochure and breathing. Finally, one week when he was not pleased with my progress, he said, If you don't sound good, no one will stay around to listen to how fast your fingers move!" Of course, as always, he was right and I never questioned him again about methodology.
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2005-03-01 16:37
"Play the first of every group of 16th notes a little longer than the rest, and they'll all sound even."
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Author: Julie
Date: 2005-03-01 20:11
"the right hand goes on the bottom..."
Post Edited (2005-03-03 01:19)
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