 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 1999-03-10 01:58
I think every clarinet player seeks a tonality based on his own ideal.What kind of ideal tonality do people set?
In my case,the first ideal was French sound: soft,bright,and round tones like French artists,Michel Alignon and his Concervatoire predesessor Guy Deprut(I do not know the correct spelling),whereas I enjoyed also German tones by Karl Leister only for Brahms sonatas and Gervase De Peyer for Mozart only(sometimes Brahms).Then,I found American artists,Drucker and Wright,who seem darker than French and now I found a Belgian clarinettist,somewhat mingled.Among them there seems to be big differences.
But at the same time,even among U.S.major orchestras,there seem much differences:Pittburg literally German,Philladephia european,NY international(eclectic).
I know my ideal does not mean mimicry of an artist,but frankly in these days I am at a loss what tonality should I seek.Maybe this feeling comes from the fact that I tried clarinet,flute,alto-sax,and sop-sax(too many).
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Author: Dee
Date: 1999-03-10 02:41
Seek the tonality that pleases you in the type of music that you play. It can easily change during your life and you can change with it. The result will be more freedom of expression in your playing as you will be able to choose what you sound like.
Also different music requires different tonalities. Many French compositions sound better with the bright sound you describe because that is what the composer was "hearing in his head" when he wrote. Yet Brahms seems to sound better with a darker tone. Perhaps that is what he "heard" as he composed. A extremely accomplished artist might choose the tonality to suit the music he was playing.
When I play Brahms, the tone is darker than when I play Mozart yet I play the same instrument, mouthpiece, and reed. Something in my mind wants a different tone in these pieces and the emboucure and breath support respond. I just wish I could consciously select the tonality better.
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Author: Katherine Pincock
Date: 1999-03-10 03:05
It's true that everybody tends to find one sound they prefer to create. (By the way, just to avoid confusion: it's better to refer to the sound you create as tone, because tonality also refers to the key signature of a piece.) In North America, in general, teachers tend to prefer a darker tone, versus the brighter sound in some parts of Europe. However, even if you choose to duplicate the sound of a player you particularly enjoy, your tone won't sound the same: differences in the shape of the mouth, the mouthpiece, clarinet, barrel, reeds, etc. all combine to give your tone some personality that is your own. In any case, try to determine what it is specifically that you like about each sound: do you like the fluidity of one sound, the evenness of another, the texture of the third, and the different characters of a fourth? Well, you can create a tone that has all of those qualities--it takes work, but it's worth it.
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 1999-03-11 03:51
These are the tunes I am now practicing in 'my' order of brightness FYI(the left brighter).
Introduction,Theme and Variations(Weber),Vocalise(Rachmaninoff)>Mazart Concerto(this is a life-time fun piece)>>>Solo de Concours(Raboud).
Compared to flute,which I play too,clarinet seems easier to change sound color and dynamics:this is why I prefer clarinet than flute,although mecanically more imperfect.
I will continue to work.Thank you.
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Author: Dee
Date: 1999-03-11 04:48
Hiroshi wrote:
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These are the tunes I am now practicing in 'my' order of brightness FYI(the left brighter).
Introduction,Theme and Variations(Weber),Vocalise(Rachmaninoff)>Mazart Concerto(this is a life-time fun piece)>>>Solo de Concours(Raboud).
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I am curios. Do you like the Rabaud "Solo de Concours"? I've played the piece and just don't care for it. When I was in school (over 30 years ago), I used it as a contest piece and did very well with it but I didn't like it then either.
Weber and Mozart are two of my favorites though. I'm not familiar with the Rachmaninoff piece.
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 1999-03-12 01:58
Dee:
Solo de Concours consists of three parts.I like the second part,which is very melodious.
Vocalise was composed by Rachmaninoff initially for Soprano and transposed to other instruments.James Galway plays flute,and John Harre(I may misspelling his name as usual) plays saxophone for this tune.
As FYI:my sheet music for this is:
"Rachmaninoff VOCALISE transcription pour clarinette et piano par ZOLTAN KOCSIS" EDITIO MUSICA BUTAPEST Z. 12 484.
This is a very beautifull song.Worth playing!.
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