 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Emily Jayne
Date: 2002-04-23 19:01
Help! At the beginning of Gershwin's Rhapsody in blue after the trill, there is a slide, how do I do this??!??!?!?!Has anyone got any advice for me?
Also, is rhapsody published in it's full form in a book or is it best to get the sheet music?
Thanks in advance!
Emily Jayne
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Author: Richard
Date: 2002-04-23 19:17
I've been practising it for ages and just started being able to. I'm not totally sure what I'm actually doing. I think it's about dropping your jaw, taking the pressure off the reed and then...well I finger a chromatic scale but really lightly, and half holing the notes - sort of sliding the finger over the whole. I didn't explain that very well - someone else'll do it better, and probably in a more professional way than me.
Richard
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2002-04-23 19:30
There's a good number of posts with many suggestions. Try searching "rhapsody smear" or "rhapsody glissando"
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Author: Keil
Date: 2002-04-23 20:20
Mark, i have a GREAT idea... you know the old saying "if i had a nickel for every time i heard ..." well, what if you got a nickel for every time this question got asked... how much would you have? ;-) I see an early retirement in your future... hehehe
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Author: Heidi
Date: 2002-04-23 21:40
This very slide is what got me interested in playing the clarinet. I thought it was the coolest thing when I was younger (still do). It was my first exposure to the clarinet in big band and what it could do. *ahhh memories*:)
Heidi
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Author: Roman Eller
Date: 2002-04-23 21:46
Well, you have to knid of blow soft at the beginning and then as you are going up the scale blow hard and keep on moving the fingers just slipping over the holes no need to stop, now remember your scale has to be as fast as a trill so be fast
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Author: Wes
Date: 2002-04-23 22:38
Ben Kanter played that cadenza many times with Gershwin. He said that he played the first register as a chromatic scale and slid up the second register. The slide was done with jaw relaxing and sliding the fingers off the holes. However, I find that the slide can also be easily done on a plateau model clarinet. Good Luck!
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Author: IHL
Date: 2002-04-24 06:34
I know I asked this before, but what about the fingerings in between chalumeau and clarion (esp F-D)? I still can't do it, it just sounds like a very bad scale!
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Author: Sandra F. H.
Date: 2002-04-24 13:13
You may want to search past threads. There are many good postings on just this. Sandra
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Author: William
Date: 2002-04-24 14:58
Larry Combs (Principal clarinetist, Chicago Symphony Orchestra) demonstrated his method at an IMS clinc last year. He simply played a very quick and "almost slurred" (jazz) diatonic scale from the low G to the middle-line B, and then glissed on up to the high C. His comment, "That's all it is!" The effect was very "bluesy" but definately not a pure gliss all the way. Hope this helps--Good Clarineting!!!!
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Author: Larry Combs
Date: 2002-04-25 02:10
William- I may have over-simlified in saying that. Actually I learned the solo from listening to the Paul Whiteman recording when I was about 12 yrs. old. The clarinetist was Ross Gorman and he played it with great style! So you don't really have to analize it if you have a strong image of what you want it to sound like.
That having been said, however, I suggest to my students that they start with the last note of the run (the high C) and slowly and smoothly but minutely maneuvering the embochure and jaw pressure to lower that pitch to 1/2 step below (B natural) and back. When you can do that comfortably then drop C to Bb expanding the interval by half steps Be patient;go slowly until you can easily lip down to G using no help from the fingers. Then going up the gliss do it diatonicly to $th-line D and the "find that lower setting of the jaw-embouchure combiation to carry you back up to a beautiful resonant high C--don't forget to use lots of jaw vibrato!!
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Author: jez
Date: 2002-04-25 03:14
I think a true glissando gets us into a whole different way of using the clarinet. Instead of hearing the note produced by the air column in vibration, or one of it's partials, as normally, we hear the sound of just the reed vibrating with the pitch controlled by the by the size or shape of the cavity inside the mouth: all this being merely amplified by the air inside the instrument.
The only other inst. that uses this method of changing pitch is the ocarina where the pitch is determined by the size and shape of a resonating chamber, rather than the length of a tube.
The trick is to get into a state where you're sort of nearly covering the holes to provide the resonance, but not enough to create a definite column of air and using the throat to control the pitch.
Remember that Gershwin didn't write a glissando, only a scale, so it's up to you how you interpret it.
best of luck
jez
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Author: RogerM
Date: 2002-04-25 11:47
It is gratifying to have a clarinetest of Mr. Combs' caliber respond to a posting on this BB. No where else could pros and amateurs interact as on this Board.
Thanks to Mr. Combs
and Thanks to Mark C. for running this board!
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Author: Bob
Date: 2002-04-25 13:07
I second the kudos....What a distinct pleasure and surprise..
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Author: Jim S.
Date: 2002-04-25 16:11
I've found working on the gliss very valuable too. By experimenting, you stumble upon the realization that your tongue, raised to change the area of your oral cavity, has an enormous effect upon the intonation (and also, more usefully, resonance) of your notes. It opens up a whole new area of tonal color and intonation control.
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