 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Kes
Date: 2003-09-05 05:10
Alright...I've taken up the arduous task of tutoring some freshman clarinetists who have some, well...serious problems. Lol. Naturally. But anyway, one of them cannot even recognize that they are playing flat when they're over a quarter step flat! And when they're playing with other clarinetists who are in tune!
I tried all the tricks I know to get her to play more in tune...A firmer lip, more support, better posture, and a stronger reed (she was playing on a very soft one). One of the causes also seems to be her clarinet, because when she plays on my buffet, she is a bit more in tune, but still flat. But all of this does absolutely no good unless she can recognize that she is so incredibly flat!!! Any tips?
Thanks!
____________________
"I speak reedish. Long live the language of the clarinetist!"
_________________
-kes
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Author: clarinetgiggirl
Date: 2003-09-05 07:16
My problem was that I knew I was out of tune, but not whether I was flat or sharp. I have found it enormously beneficial to learn to play (simple) tunes by ear. It helps focus on intonation and has lots of other benefits too. Also, long tones with a tuner helped.
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Author: Pam H.
Date: 2003-09-05 11:14
Maybe she should practice with a tuner on her stand so she can see how far off she is and which way.
Maybe a different mouthpiece/barrell would help.
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2003-09-05 11:27
Again Brethern and Cistern, I say unto ye;
Thou shalt practice thine long tones.
Thou shalt progress through the scale CHROME- etically.
Thou shalt play each as a quarter note, in 4/4 at 60 BPM with a metronome,
the arbiter of time.
Thou shalt do so daily, using whatever equipment is currently at hand.
Thou shalt show patience and firmness in guidance of beginning players.
Thou shalt develop a side business lest this be thine meal ticket.
Observance of this ritual on a daily basis will provide facility and confidence when progressing through more involved ablutions in preparation for actual music and the partaking of syncopated joy!
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Author: hans
Date: 2003-09-05 12:49
If, as Garret suggests, she is tone deaf, you are probably (and unfortunately) wasting your time.
Otherwise, positive reinforcement in the form of praise when she shows the slightest improvement might nudge her in the right direction.
Good luck!
Hans
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Author: Noel
Date: 2003-09-05 13:40
I have read somewhere that it is easier to recognise flatness than sharpness, and that to tune the clarinet (assuming it is the right length mouthpice) one should pull out the mouthpiece and tune 'upwards'.
If she was able to do this, I suppose it would show that she is not, as someone suggested, altogether 'tone deaf'. Does she enjoy the noise she does make by the way?
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Author: Brent
Date: 2003-09-05 13:41
One thing you might try is having her play with her eyes closed. This helps to focus the other senses and instead of looking at the needle on the tuner she will be more inclined to actually listen to the notes she is playing.
Not to say that i don't agree with using a tuner; i do--but doing this in addition may improve the chances that she will hear the problem for herself.
This doesn't work for everybody, but it has worked for some of my students.
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Author: ken
Date: 2003-09-05 17:44
Ear training and "concept" building in the finest qualities of the classical clarinet must be stressed and developed in lockstep with the fundamentals already cited ... gotta listen to more Mozart and Weber, not Brittney Spears and Snoop Dog. v/r Ken
Post Edited (2003-09-05 17:47)
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Author: lllebret
Date: 2003-09-05 19:31
There is a cd available from www.thetuningcd.com that is very helpful for intonation problems. It basically is open 5ths played chromatically in very pure tones so that beats can easily be heard.
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Author: ron b
Date: 2003-09-05 20:04
Just a passing thought: Does she really want to play or is she being pushed into music by someone, a parent, boyfriend, other kids or... ?
I've discovered that if the idea isn't really part of the students attitude toward making music it is indeed a lost cause. Some students who are persuaded to take up music 'for your own good' will quickly find a way to "sit down on the job".
- r![[cool]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/cool.gif) n b -
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Author: 'nifer
Date: 2003-09-05 21:55
You can always try two tuners that play a tone(one in which you can manually adjust the pitch output) and then have one play a steady pitch, and with the other, have your student try to match the pitch, start it out matching so she can hear the sound and explain how the "beats" are in the out of tune note. Gradually make the out of tune note, closer to the pitch you are trying to match and hopefully your student will begin to hear the difference between in tune and out of tune. It works great with my middle school band kids, they are learning to tune themselves, as long as i give them ample time to experiment by moving up and down with their pitch to match. ;-) Good luck!
'nifer
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Author: supernova_khr
Date: 2003-09-05 22:18
I'd also suggest the idea of a shorter barrel. That solved the problem on my son's clarinet (although he could hear that he was out of tune.) Depending on her hearing, she may never be able to recognize she is playing flat. When I was in high school, one of our clarinet players really did have impaired hearing (she always wore a hearing aid). She really couldn't tell when she was out of tune, but someone next to her would help her out. She was never going to make a professional, or even college band, musician, but she did enjoy listening to and playing music.
So, help her get equipment that works better, and then the other possibility is to tune the band slightly flat. That's what we did in high school...tune to the instrument that couldn't adjust anymore (this was before electronic tuners).
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Author: Kes
Date: 2003-09-06 00:04
A lot of these things are great suggestions...I just have to go with ones that don't cost any money. Or at least, very little. I'm not rich...we've only got the schools (very...pitiful) instruments to work with.
Sometimes...she seems to be able to recognize when other students are sharp or flat, but not herself.
Oh...and botch...it's not for pay.  I'm helping them out of the goodness of my heart (via the ocassional pains in my ear...lol)
____________________
"I speak reedish. Long live the language of the clarinetist!"
_________________
-kes
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Author: jbutler ★2017
Date: 2003-09-06 18:23
Get them a copy of Larry Guy's Intonation Training for Clarinetists, read it, and use it.
jbutler
Post Edited (2003-09-06 18:26)
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