 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Morrigan
Date: 2006-05-25 01:15
I'd love to know what everyone does in their practice sessions, and how they feel about it before, during, and after.
Do you feel motivated? Do you procrastinate? Do you do it first thing in the morning, or last thing at night? Do you like to do it at home in the lounge, bedroom, study, home studio, or at a private studio away from home? Prefer quiet, or a little noise around?
Are your practise sessions a process of discovery, a chore, or you simply do what your teacher says? Is it focussed, or is your mind on something else the whole time? Do you like your sound, or hate it? Do you get frustrated or is practice fun?
Afterwards, are you satisfied? Motivated to do more? Wish it went better, wish you concentrated more? Wish you did more? Loved every second of it and you wanna go back and do more?
What are we trying to do in a practice session? How important is your time management? Is there a better term than 'practice session'?
I know I posted a more specific thread on practicing and while ago, but I didn't feel like I got enough out of it; I wanted more general responses and I'm really interested in other people's practice sessions so that I, and anyone else who might read this, can incorporate other people's ideas into their own practice.
One last thing: Is it "practice" or "practise"?
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Author: nes
Date: 2006-05-25 02:16
Practise
because Practice is the Doctors Practice, but we practise the clarinet.
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Author: smithy
Date: 2006-05-25 02:33
It's both. Practice is a noun and practise is a verb. So, you practise your scales on the clarinet- but have you done your piano practice?
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2006-05-25 08:49
The way to remember practice/practise is by reference to advice/advise, which are pronounced differently. *ice is the noun, *ise is the verb.
I would tell you about my practice sessions, but I not sure that my very amateur approach would help you!
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If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2006-05-25 08:52
"To practise" is British English, "to practice" is AE.
I am a hobbyist and practise half an hour each day after work. I usually retire to the bedroom just as not to annoy the heck out of my family.
I usually warm up with some long notes for the mouth, then I leaf some pages back in my book and start with something familiar, this time for the fingers. Five minutes later we (clarinet and me) have reached service temperature. Then I usually start with the "current" pieces. (I usually have around four current pieces, one's new, two are familiar, the last one is to be phased-out. Two are etudes, two are actual pieces).
Sometimes I want more, sometimes I give up after twenty minutes. That depends on the reed's mood, my condition, the weather and so on. I don't practise with a clock in sight. I try to keep it fun.
--
Ben
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2006-05-25 10:52
David Peacham wrote:
> The way to remember practice/practise is by reference to
Not here in the US; both spellings are valid for both forms.
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2006-05-25 11:26
Mark - maybe so, but Morrigan is in Oz, where they speak proper (more or less)
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If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2006-05-25 15:05
I start with the Baermann scale and arpeggio studies. With my teacher's guidance, I work on one key at a time: the major, followed (after "mastery") by the relative minor. The Baermann runs the full range of the clarinet and frequently tangles my fingers --my teacher helps me with the awkward finger switches and slides needed to play at 17/6 horn.
Next, I work on a few of the Kroepsch studies. These work the same key for a couple dozen exercises (exercices?); and I take on 3 or 4 a week. With 416 of them critters, this will take a good long time.
I play each of these slowly --striving for perfect execution; and I stop to review each attempt before repeating. My reaction to my performance is often negative; but I have learned that this work is improving my playing and my ability to sight read; so I take them very seriously.
On each of these, I repeat until I can get through them cleanly. Some times, I'll move on to the next exercise when I just can't get a good result. I return to the passed-over exercise(s) and make a second attempt. Usually, I won't put them away until I have played them through error free --if slowly-- a couple of times.
Both of these exercise sets cross into the altissimo --a current problem area for me. The Kroepsch stuff has marked dynamics and sticky articulations. The Baermann has various articulations. I work on those dimensions of the work, too.
Often, the choice between a finger slide and a pinky switch depends on the articulation in use --extending the amount of work to do.
A couple times a week, I'll record these exercises --just to get a feel for how my poor teacher suffers at my lessons.
By now, I've been at the music stand for 30-45 minutes.
Next, I'll work on my assigned etude from the Rose 32. These are challenging to me. They work from C-major to 5-sharps and 5-flats in the relative minors. The exercises alternate between a lively challenge and a "slow" challenge. I work them up to tempo and then attempt to play them with the John Walker accompaniment CD. More work is required to bring most of the faster exercises up to Walker's tempo. Many will have to wait for a reprise.
The slow etudes are quite expressive, and frequently have rapid flourishes --requiring careful development.
Again, I'll record these to check my progress. Usually, I'll listen to my recordings later --so as not to wildly extend my practice session. I can listen while working in the shop or driving and get something else done, too. Usually, the listening experience is painful: reality creeps in and reminds me of all the work left to do to turn my playing into musicainship.
By now, the session has been going for well over an hour.
Next, I work on repertoire and my ensemble pieces. I play through the year in a few ensembles: a woodwind quintet, some other "pick-up" chamber groups, and the community orchestra. I've given up playing in a "big" band because the saxophone distracts too much from my need to improve my clarinet playing.
I always keep a solo performance piece on my music stand. Currently, its the Crusell 2nd Concerto; and its taking a whole lot of work. I work one or two phrases at a time and then try to integrate them into the developing piece. The 2nd movement of this piece is a gorgeous spin-off from one of the Rose etudes, by the way: very rewarding to extend the basic work on the Rose to something truly beautiful.
I'm preparing a handful of piano/clarinet DUOS and chamber with piano for a two-week session with a visitor from Santa Barbara and want to be able to play those well: the Mozart Kv498 (viola, pia, clar), the Sant Saens Sonata, a Brahms or two.
The ww5 has a half dozen more pieces: Joplin, 'zart, Beethoven, and a work with piano.
For the comm'y orch, Ive got the Mozart 40th symphony, some Strauss, and a challenging mass with chorale, written by the director.
All of these pieces require better than competent playing and at least one rehearsal per week.
The repertoire work adds another hour or two to my day's practice time. I often do this work/play in two sessions a day --every day. To warm up for the second session, I'll play slowly through each of the week's exercises --so slowly that they won't (often) trip me up and call for more work right then.
I try to be picky with the rep work and often play short passages working on expressiveness. I also do passage work with the metronome --just learning how to make good use of that tool.
I'm human, so my feelings at the end of each session varies. Some days, there's just no good to enjoy; and some days, there's progress or some small accomplishment. I'm enjoying the journey.
Bob Phillips
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2006-05-26 11:18
I don't procrastinate about practicing music so much as I use music to procrastinate about doing other things. I'm an amateur, turning 58 next week. I started playing when I was nine years old, "quit forever" at 18, then un-quit, I think about nine years later. I practice the piano every day unless something unusual is going on (editor threatening to nuke my house if I don't turn the article in right freaking NOW, for instance...). Since I play too many wind instruments, I rotate which one I practice, but I do try to make sure I play one of the soprano clarinets at least three times per week. Soprano clarinets require firmer embouchure than any of my other horns. If I slack off on clarinets for even a week, I start losing my lip. Most of my practice sessions run about an hour. That means I tell myself I only have time to practice for half an hour. I promise Shadow Cat it'll only be half an hour, too (as she runs away kvetching down the stairs). At some point, whoops--look at the clock! Either that or Shadow Cat comes roaring back up the stairs and starts yowling in outrage and scratching the carpet or attacking the instrument case. (I know better than to leave a reed case out or a mouthpiece where she can grab it and roll it....) I'd practice one instrument or another all day long if I didn't mind crippling myself or getting blacklisted by every editor who's waiting for work.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
Post Edited (2006-05-26 11:19)
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2006-05-26 13:28
I've most recently gotten into the habit (easy where I live/work now) of practicing a few sessions a day. About an hour each. So one session (usually the first), I spend the entire time on scale studies, left hand/right hand studies, staccatto studies, etc. I mix up which scales I study and whatnot, but I run through all majors, minors, arpeggios and diminished sevenths every day.
The next session is usually spend on etudes and sightreading. Since I'm at the United States Army Element School of Music (officially training to be a military musician), most of my sightreading is through marches. If I get frustrated with this, I'll work on a piece that I'm currently working on for concert band or something like that around that time.
The last practice session I use to work on etudes and whatever solos or pieces that I need to know for the future.
All in all, I practice about 2 two 3 hours a day, and the bare minimum of required hours on the weekend (four hours, usually split up two each day). I just like to have the weekends as a break.
This is in addition to playing a few ensembles a week, so all in all my chops are being used about seven hours a day, and I let them rest as much as possible on the weekends.
Alexi
PS - I'm loving it and doing pretty well over there. Definitely looking forward to starting my career in a few months with my first unit!
US Army Japan Band
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2006-05-26 13:56
I sorta remember what a 'practice session' is, but it's been so long......please refresh my memory.
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Author: Ah Clem
Date: 2006-05-26 22:38
I have no professional goals or aspirations and have no instructor (I am hoping that my life will settle down enough next year to get some lessons-schedule-wise, it is impossible at the moment).
I practice almost every day and usually for a couple of hours. I love playing (or trying to). I have taught myself to read music to a small degree (I have one of the CD/Music book combinations).
Most of the time, I just try to mimic old records and enjoy myself. I am constantly working on tone and tongueing (I can hit all of the Chalumu and Clarion register notes now (just not necessarily when I want to), and am starting to explore the Altissimo).
The only time that it feels like "work" is when I am extremely tired.
Ah Clem
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Author: tetiana
Date: 2006-05-27 00:40
I'm motivated, but know that procrastination is a very bad habit of mine, ready to sneak in to sabotage my efforts, so march myself to my practice room, early in the morning, every day, in the basement which is relatively out of earshot of my kids, husband and long-suffering dog.
Practice is both a chore and usually a discovery, and I certainly do what my teacher assigns, especially on technical work, but I will often explore stuff on my own. I try to focus and usually succeed, but my mind will drift off during scales, which I know I must fight, because if there's any one segment of my practice where I know I can consciously strive to improve technique, it is scales, so drifting off ought not be an option.
Whether I like my sound or not will depend on the reed, the weather, the phase of the moon (just kidding), how acute my hearing is that day and plain old dumb luck.
Practice lasts usually a bit under 2 hours, sometimes 1 hour. I start with long tones, then sometimes a simple scale tongued two, three and then four to a note (to wake up the reed as well as my tongue), followed by chromatic scales, then scales (all harmonic and melodic minors and majors -one octave in chalumeau) then the scales du jour (selecting about four for the day)with patterns, argeggii, thirds etc. That will usually consume a good half hour to 45 minutes. Sight reading comes next (a short session - 2-5 minutes on a randomly selected piece), then etudes and other repertoire. Sometimes, if I have time, I'll add Baerman or Klose, which I consider to be the cod-liver oil of technique.
When I approach the tricky passages in the repertoire, hope springs eternal that the work I did the previous day will have "taken" - but sadly I am often confronted with the same mistakes and botched passages, (sometimes brand new ones), so I resign myself to working them out patiently again. "Fun", is definitely not the right word for this, but it's a bit like sit ups - a certain sadomasochistic pleasure =if I'm in the right mood.
Time management is crucial. I begrudge every second of non-productive time during my practice sessions (changing reeds, even swabbing the clarinet). But then every once in a while I'll pull out something like Gershwin and doodle around. Not often though.
As to what I expect from the session: first and foremost, music and playing my clarinet are an escape and a release. A personal achievement (eventually). Work in progress with the belief that today's work will "take" - if not tomorrow, then maybe soon. I'm a bit perverse in that when I make unexpected or brand new mistakes, it's an a-HA! experience - gotcha! - finally "ve haff de truth" - and it brings out the clarinet-nazi in me. Tventy lashes!
More seriously, I believe that practising is hopefully wearing that groove in my brain and that repetition and patient focus, will one day pay off. At least I hope they will. I'll let you know.
tetiana
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Author: BTBob
Date: 2006-05-31 01:09
I practice the following things on clarinet:
a. boredom
b. frustration
c. perseverance
d. satisfaction
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Author: leonardA
Date: 2006-05-31 23:07
I usually practice between 9 and 11 PM. I mix it up between sax, clarinet and flute--mostly clarinet because that's the hardest one for me. I wish I had the discipline to do scales and arpeggios, but mostly I practice "real" music-the songs I like and want to learn to play. I try to find music that has built-in challenges that I might otherwise find in method books. I usually only do one instrument per session, but sometimes I switch from one to another to practice "doubling" since I would like to play pit for shows. I have improved over the last four years, so I guess this method is working. The only thing that would motivate me to do scales is that I would like to develop improvisational skills and I know scales are useful for this. So maybe I will some day.
Leonard
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Author: 2E
Date: 2006-06-13 10:18
As I'm in my final year of school, I normally "play" clarinet everyday in various ensembles that im the leader of. However "playing" the clarinet is different to "practising" the clarinet, which time management makes difficult. Today I did get around to practising and instead of my usual random scales then songs approach, I did something a little different. I wrote myself a list of all the stuff I wish I could play and then seperated it into four sections. Scales, Studies, Pieces and Fun. In the scales section I had stuff like the Baermann method for Clarinet etc. In the Studies section I had stuff like the Jean Jean Etudes, Polatschek Advanced Studies and a few Lazarus works. In the Pieces section I had classic solo clarinet repetoire like the Mozart concerto, Brahms sonatas, Poulenc Sonata, Debussy Premiere Rhapsody, Weber concertos and Grand Duo etc etc. (I know these are probably basic for you Bboarders but im at school here haha) In the Fun section I had a few jazz books to run through and pieces from the youth orchestra that Im in. Then I said to myself "Self! play one thing from each of these four sections from your list for x amount of time, each day for x days." Sure enough, I did this and it worked GREAT! a very simple way to get a good workout without spending loads of time on each! You dont get bored of one thing as you're constantly switching between each of those sections!
Give it a try!
Write a list!
Make a goal!
Stick to it!
It works!
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Author: pmgoff78
Date: 2006-06-13 13:59
I practice about an hour a day on average. I spent probably 3 years doing nothing but scales and 5 note segments, but recently I've begun preparing music again and researching different playing techniques.
I'd have to say that if you practice frustration, etc. then you might want to try branching out and doing new things. Learn to double tongue, circular breath, extend your range beyond Double C (This applies mostly to the Soprano Clarinetists), etc. Learning these things is quite empowering! It'll give you a new challenge that may spur you to get back to your etudes or music.
As an aside. I've noticed that it seems as if many people on this board are comparing themselves to great Clarinetists. If this is the case I would encourage anyone who feels this way to forget about playing like a great clarinetist and start playing like you. You might surprise yourself! You may be the next Bonade, Gigliotti, or Drucker and not even know it, and all because you were trying to live up to a standard that doesn't fit you.
One of the most liberating experiences you cna have as a musician is to realize that A) All Pros screw up as much or more than we do, and B) Professionals do NOT know every piece in the literature from memory and moreover don't even enjoy some of the biggies. They don't have all of the Rose etudes memorized. They haven't committed to memory that page 4, line 5, measure 3 of X Concerto has a misprinted Db in it. They know what helps them. That, in turn, is what they teach their students.
Example, I never "went through" the Rose 32 in College or High School. I'm learning the etudes I'd never done with some students now. I'm learning what works and what doesn't.
My college professor and I bopped around and did all kinds of things. We weren't on a strict regimen. He taught me virtuoso technique the easy way. No 6 day practice schedules, no B.S. He told me once that when he was teaching middle school band (for two years after he finished his undergrad) he had 3 private Clarinet students. He had never been through the Rose either. He learned the entire book along with his students and learned, just as his students did, which etudes were helpful and which weren't. Hence, he doesn't teach them all. He knows what works and what doesn't.
He doesn't play the Brahms Sonatas because he doesn't enjoy them, never cared for them, only knows them from a listeners perspective. BUT, he is a master technician when it comes to the works of Mozart and Weber. He enjoys them. He doesn't care for the Copland. So, he doesn't deal with it. If a student came along and wanted to learn it he would learn it along with them and decide anew whether he enjoys it or not, but he's not holding himself to a standard that is not of his own doing.
He's an accomplished musician, but he's not listening to the premiere recordings of the Copland, Corigliano, and God knows how many other pieces and thinking "If only I could play like that person!" He told me when we were preparing for my Senior Recital "Only play what you like, or you'll never enjoy your own playing." Isn't that the truth!
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Author: 2E
Date: 2006-06-14 00:35
Thanks for the life story of your college proffessor! :P Haha
No, I agree with you to an extent. You should play what you enjoy playing, but i think to get better you have to practise what you dont enjoy practising. And theres that difference between play and practise again. I dont like practising scales but i love playing the weber. I practise my scales anyway so that i can PLAY the weber! haha, anyway it all depends on the musician. I find what works for me doesnt work for other people and vice versa. Just my thoughts, nothing more ...
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Author: Morrigan
Date: 2006-06-14 03:41
I have to diagree with your teacher I'm sorry. From college to professional, you rarely get to play what YOU want. The point is that you become great at what you DO play; that the conductor can ask for anything to be played in any way and you can do that for them.
A professional doesn't have the luxury of playing only the music they like. They're worked hard their whole lives to play music that they may or may like as if they love it.
That's where the challenge lies.
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Author: 2E
Date: 2006-06-14 07:02
Another cool way to make practise interesting and to get better at the same time is to alternate instruments. I often practise my clarinet pieces on saxophone and my saxophone pieces on clarinet. It helps jazz improvisation on saxophone mainly because you have to start thinking in it one register as opposed to two for clarinet. Its tricky, worth a shot!
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Author: Laurie
Date: 2006-06-18 19:31
Sadly, I don't enjoy practicing like i used to. Over the summer/breaks, when its my own chosing of music at my own pace, i'm better.. but at school its a chore. Teachers are pulling you every which way, everyone is convinced their class is the only class you're taking and nothing else matters. Any given day i'm in class till 2, have band and chorus till 5. Then meetings, papers, homework, and practicing... between clarinet, any secondary and piano, you can find me in a practice room for hours. I normally start my practicing at 8ish, and leave around 2. I rarly get dinner before 10pm. I try to practice in segments. I usually get an hour in early, but thats not always feasable.
I play long tones and technique stuff. I'm currently working on the Kroepsh studies, but i work from Vade Mecum, Jean-Jean, the Baerman and Albert books for scales, and my course packet that my teacher wrote when she was studing with Elsa Verder.
Next is working on Lit. I usually do a etude a week, and work on any numberous pieces of work. Last semester, i played the Horowitz for juries, and worked on tthe Poulenc, Stravinsky,Bernstein,Kokai and Sutermeister. Horowitz was a great piece, but challenging in its own ways. Etudes are from a numerous books.
I work till i am satisfied. It doesn't have to be perfect, but as long as i feel as if i had accomplished SOMETHING then its a good session. I will often swtich, play piano for a while, or french horn.. then go back to clarinet if necesary.
Essentially.. I'm the typical burnt out music student, I have a recital coming up this year and the beginings of carpal tunnel in my right hand. Itshard when you have to make the choice- practice and be prepared or take a break and hope the pain goes away. There are days i don't even want to practice because i don't want to deal with the physical pain or the frustration. Its hit or miss.
I use to love playing. I would practice for hours and look forward to lessons. I'm really hoping once school calms down, I find love in music again.
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Author: mnhnhyouh
Date: 2006-06-22 10:25
I have been playing for 6 about months of the last 12.
I am working through the second beginner book, and do at least 1/2 an hour per day, and try for 1 hour on the weekend. Last week, during the holidays, I managed 8 hours and thought this a lot, until I read this thread.
I did 1.5 hours today, including 1/2 hour with my teacher, but that was not a solid 1/2 hour.
Generally I have about 4 short songs I am working on to show my teacher on our weekly 1/2 hour. I start the week working on one of them with metronome set on 60. When I have it through once, I go for 65, 70, etc until I can go no faster. Sometime I have to step back down.
As the week progresses, I learn more of the songs, and start each session repeating the earlier songs at a good pace with the metronome. I have the metronome on most times, unless I am just going through the passage for the first couple of times.
However things changed this week. I joined a development band, and have 5 or 6 songs to learn, and have been given a bunch of scales to learn as well as three more songs.
So I figure this is how I will go....
10 minutes to run through the 3 scales I have learnt so far to warm up.
20 minutes working on the band songs.
20 minutes working on the 3 songs from the book
10 minutes on scales again.
If I can do more, I will... however at times my job is draining enough to reduce my practice time to 1/2 hour, and some of this will have to go :(
Hi Derek
h
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Author: marzi
Date: 2006-06-23 15:33
I REALLY really don't believe the pros screw up as much as we do, how could they, (unless their 10 pages of music blow off the stand, which does show they don't have everything memorized at least) because i screw up a few times per rehearsal,(and really annoyed our usually unannoyable pro director this last time, but hey, where was the rest of the section?)), at least somewhere in a concert, and they don't. they can count. me on the other hand, the brain goes who knows where...
or were you comparing music major "soon to be pros" to pros?
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Author: ginny
Date: 2006-06-23 15:55
I am not sure how much I practice as just play and work on tunes.
On clarinet I usually go over the scales a bit, work on tone a little (while doing scales) and then slowly play the difficult parts of my band music trying to improve them. I have started doing some recommended scales and arrepeggios (GBK's I think.) I sometimes play along with mini disc recordings of my old lessons. I doubt it's the most effective but I always look forward to practice (I don't care how it's spelled or where.)
My son (now a double clarinet/mathorphysics major) is giving me lessons this summer. I thought that teacher was wrong on the embouchere! Instant improvement with my son's suggestion.
I have taken up accordion, playing Klezmer recently. Again, I really enjoy my time playing and learning new songs. I occasionally work on the basses and new rhythms there or on scales. I tend to just work on the sticky bits of pieces slowly or sloppily (can't have it both ways.) I took a lesson from a random lady, a great player, but I am not convinced what she says about technique is correct and it did not improve my playing (made playing a misery in fact) so I will probably move along.
At least I enjoy doing this.
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Author: ClarinetMaster
Date: 2006-06-26 00:53
Here's how my typical practice session go:
1. 3 or 4 different scales
2. Playing some familiar pieces to keep warming up
3. Exersises out of one of my books (about 5 to 10 mins)
4. Playing whatever I need to work on for concerts
5. (sometimes) Playing fun extra stuff if I'm not totally blown by now
I don't keep my practice sessions the same ammount of time. It varies from day to day. If I'm excited about new music then the session could last 2 or
2 1/2 hours while if I just have old stuff I may just play 1/2 hour. I also change depending on how tired I am. When my lips start hurting or my thumb I take that as a cue that I've practiced enough. I also change depending on my instrument, if my clarinet's being annoying (those little problems that pop up and "magically" fix themselves) (squeaking a lot, or a real problem with my clarinet) then I'll probably skip steps 2, 3, and 5 and just do a simple warm up and what I need to do. I hope I helped.
~ClarinetMaster
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Author: clarinetmaniac101
Date: 2006-06-26 01:37
Hey Board,
To tell you the truth I really don't fee like getting up to practice somedays and then somedays I feel like practicing. When I start practicing I get more into it and I have to be motivated to practice for 6hrs(not all at once) In general though my practice sessions do go very well I try to set goals to what I want to achieve in my practice sessions and if I have a bad day I might just not practice because my frustration could lead to something getting thrown at the wall or something(metronome). Below is what I practice.
30 mins Long tones
30 mins Scales( minor, major, thirds, chords, chromatics)
30 mins Etudes(Rose)
30 mins All-District solo
30 mins Sight Reading
30 mins Random things
For the next three hours it is the same thing but instead of the All-District solo and Etude I am working on Audition Material. That's basically it until new material come in then I will fit them in to the schedule.It varies day to day though.
Rashad
*clarinet
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-06-26 02:05
clarinetmaniac101 wrote:
> 30 mins Long tones
> 30 mins Scales( minor, major, thirds, chords, chromatics)
> 30 mins Etudes(Rose)
> 30 mins All-District solo
> 30 mins Sight Reading
> 30 mins Random things
You can eliminate the 30 minutes of long tones and use the half hour for something else.
As I've written before, long tones by themselves are an inefficient use of your practice time.
I do not use long tones in my warm up and do not advise my students to use them either. I feel that they accomplish very little and take unnecessary time away from scales and arpeggios, which are the building blocks of technique.
A better approach would be to play your scales very slowly, listening for smooth connections between the notes, and checking that the down and/or up movement of each finger is absolutely precise and seamless.
I also do not think that long tones help to improve your tone quality. Playing notes slowly, in context, whether scalewise or arpeggiated, and matching their sonority and color will do much more to develop your overall tonal concept.
Music making is the connections of notes at different speeds, not just one sustained note...GBK
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Author: Avie
Date: 2006-06-26 21:29
At the present time I am playing scales, chords, and arpeggios by ear and working on pretty much what GBK discribed in his post. It works. Thks GBK.
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Author: bsnake1956
Date: 2017-06-15 22:15
Make sure you do an adequate warm-up. I realize that lot of players skip this but it is vital to a good practice session. I do a variation of Robert Springs warm up.
This is what I do.
Long Tones- 5 min.
Klose Scales-60 Metronome Marking
Langenus Arpeggios- 60 Metronome Marking
Klose Scales in Thirds-What you can play perfectly, then increase by 1 metronome marking every day.
Klose Scales- What you can play comfortably, then increase by 1 every day.
Langenus Arpeggios- What you can play comfortably, then increase by 1 every day.
Langenus: Staccato etude. Start slow!!!
I do these twice.
I realize that Mr.Spring advocates a more extensive warm up. For me, this is all the time I want to devote to warming up.
This usually takes 20-25 minutes.
I then move on to etudes that I need to study. (20-25 minutes)
Then compositions. (20-25 minutes)
Then I practice what I need to look at for the gigs I am playing. (30-35 minutes)
This having been said. If the gigs are not taking up the requisite amount of time. Then of course expand on the others.
I believe that on practice days, you should practice between 1/12 and 2 hours with adequate breaks.
I hope this helps.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2017-06-16 02:40
bsnake1956 wrote:
> Make sure you do an adequate warm-up. I realize that lot of
> players skip this but it is vital to a good practice session.
When someone says some practice or other is "vital" I want to know why. You've made a flat, categorical statement and at least implied that a good practice session can't be had without beginning it with a formal "warmup" routine of some kind. Presumably the rest of your routine after the abbreviated Spring warmup is up to individual discretion according to need and not also "vital" or essential to success?
(Sorry, I haven't read the rest of the thread, which is 11 years old, so I don't know how many other "vital" warmup practices have been described.)
Karl
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Author: ClarinetRobt
Date: 2017-06-16 19:24
The above is all very useful ways of laying out a practice schedule. Obviously they have made a schedule to work for them and to achieve their desired goals. Some want to reach a high proficiency, others just to be a solid section member in a community group. Good for them.
But sometimes, for me, time is too tight. I work too much, often to the point exhaustion. If I scrap a few minutes of practice time, more likely than not, I pull out the music that needs TLC and woodshed any tricky technical spots.
I guess sometimes my only performance goal is to not embarrass myself in front of my peers.
Saying all that, I've noticed when I have the privilege of giving a lesson, I always notice going through Long Tones, Scales, Arpeggios, etc, with a student improves my playing immediately. I guess I find it satisfying, even-though I'm not playing to my full potential, in the back of my mind, I could put my nose down and boost my playing quality quickly if I ever needed to. I guess I'm just jealous so many have the time. Keep practicing my friends...I'm glad someone "is getting it done". I'm just scrapping by and hoping I don't "get the look" from an oboe player with my playing. LoL
~Robt L Schwebel
Mthpc: Behn Vintage
Lig: Ishimori, Behn Delrin
Reed: Legere French Cut 3.75/4, Behn Brio 4
Horns: Uebel Superior (Bb,A), Ridenour Lyrique, Buffet R13 (Eb)
Post Edited (2017-06-16 19:38)
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