 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Anji
Date: 2000-11-24 16:15
I have one persistent difficulty, the "A" above the staff is more than a little unstable.
The G# and Bb are just fine, and can be attacked from pp to sfz with some degree of certainty. The A is unpredictable.
I've verified this problem on my backup horn and with other mouthpieces; I can mitigate the problem but would like to understand more clearly what it is that I'm working around.
Both of the horns are in good regulation, with fresh pads.
Any recommendations/exercises/votive offerings to the M'pingo goddess?
Anji
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Author: mark weinstein
Date: 2000-11-24 18:13
Barring "machine malfunction" ---
Much has been written. Of course, there is no substitute for professional teacher. AND, after all, A is pretty high now, isn't it? :-)
When I go HIGH I concentrate on my *tongue position*, air support, precise fingerings w/any "resonance help" that I can find, & by making sure that I don't change my setup (no biting or *tension*, etc.) (Alfred E. Neuman "who tense, me ?")
Practice slowly. Practice by coming up to A from lower note(s).
Tom Ridenour recently gave a Master Class I attended. Tom (repeatedly) did tongue slurs from Chalumeau C to places where few dare go. Tom did so in an effortless manner ... *EFFORTLESS*. Tom can do it from pp to FF. WOW!
Oh well, I'll just keep practicing my long tones ! Good luck. mw
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-11-24 18:42
mark, it sounds like this person is talking about the A that is merely one ledger line above the staff while it sounds like you are talking about the A above that. However the tips about breath support, etc are always good things to keep in mind.
Anji, if it indeed occurs with a variety of equipment, just keep practicing. Slur up to the note and slur down to the note. Then practice tonguing up and down. On the tonguing, be sure that only your tongue moves and that your jaw is steady as a rock. Some notes are less stable than others. You will find that as you play higher and higher, that it requires more control on the part of the player to keep the notes steady and even to get the correct note.
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Author: Nate Zeien
Date: 2000-11-24 23:16
One thing that should help... From what I've heard from Mark C, he's got a "standard" for notation, to avoid confusion, in the making. That would help things considerably. -- Nate Zeien
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-11-25 01:36
Nate Zeien wrote:
>
> One thing that should help... From what I've heard from
> Mark C, he's got a "standard" for notation, to avoid confusion,
> in the making. That would help things considerably. -- Nate
> Zeien
It would if people remembered to use it. However many won't remember to use it and beginners don't know it or other typical conventions. Actually on the clarinet most notes (but admittedly not quite all) can be adequately described by including the register descriptor or other descriptor along with the note name. For example, for the note A, we can speak of the low chalumeau A, throat A, clarion A, or altissimo A (anyone who goes higher than that is on their own however). Again the problem is that many people never learn these traditional terms. Most method books are woefully inadequate in this area.
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Author: Nate Zeien
Date: 2000-11-25 02:15
Dee, yes this is very much correct. The only thing I might add, is that I assume Mark will have reference here on Sneezy, to a standard system, once he gets it figured out. Rather than trying to carefully explain each note, it would be easier to use that system, and that way if anyone is unsure about it, they can just look at the reference. -- Nate Zeien
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-11-25 02:17
It's still a ways away before it's available. I've got a mobve to Austin underway this weekend, and a few days before my computer is set up - then a backlog of things to update on the site.
Pehaps early next year ...
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Author: Anji
Date: 2000-11-26 00:20
To clarify, it is the first A above the staff. The clarion range.
This is less pronounced on my Selmer, more pronounced on my Buffet.
The Buffet does so many other things well and remains my main horn.
This is odd in that it is always the same note with the problem, and it feels like feed back from the horn. Descending to the note is no problem, but making any sort of approach from below (outside of arpeggia) is unpredicatable.
As to the stratospheric notes, I'll leave those to the virtuosi... I just want to play with the local Chamber ensemble.
Thanks for your info, this sort of thing is maddening.
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Author: Rene
Date: 2000-11-26 12:15
Maybe both horns have the same type of leak? Probably a very small leak in the A key. This will be noticed from clarion A above, starting at A. Of course, larger leaks will affect the long chalumeau tones, which may even overblow.
I just had this failure, when I tried to use cork on the A key and could not get it right. The problem was exactly like you describe, with any combination like C-A and so.
Rene
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