 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2015-06-27 21:09
What's to be said, good or bad, about the idea of practicing while standing up?
While clearly those with physical limitations, or those playing our larger cousin clarinets are excused, might some believe it to be useful in developing things like stamina for us soprano (Bb/A/C) clarinet players, while others think it will promote things like fatigue in a player and result in shorter practice sessions, etc?
Post Edited (2015-06-27 21:09)
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2015-06-27 21:26
Hmmm- haven't mentioned it much (or at all?) because I just don't think about it, but I always practice standing. When I restarted clarinet in 2010 and resolved to play about an hour a day, 5 to 7 days per week, was about the same time I saw studies claiming that "standing desks" were more healthy than sitting. And since I already sit at a desk way too much, I chose to make clarinet practice a standing activity. I can play fine sitting, but standing feels more natural to me now.
Those health benefits are subject to some dispute now. That's how it always goes.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: grifffinity
Date: 2015-06-29 13:34
To preface: I've very recently started researching posture of Indigenous Cultures, wherein the spine has more of a J shape versus the S shape of most westerners. After allowing these new facts to stew for a few days, I've recently made tweaks to my posture (head position in relation to spine) that have opened up my sound and have changed my playing approach to the clarinet. I've done all of this standing up (and I play double lipped embouchure as well - which never precluded me from standing while I play....but is just some extra background info)
I've found when I transition from standing to sitting, it is much easier to fall into the old poor posture habit. I can round my upper back with much more ease and continue to play while sitting however, the end product (sound, tone, ease of facility) is lost quite quickly.
What I have recently concluded is that playing with my improved posture and clarinet angle while standing is actually easier to maintain than when I am in a seated position. Physically, I do not find it tiresome at all and can go quite a bit longer than I had with poor posture. I now have to make an effort to transfer my new posture to the seated position. The type of chair you practice in also make a difference.
Does anyone practice while seated on an exercise ball?
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Author: kthln.hnsn
Date: 2015-06-29 14:51
grifffinity, that's very interesting, something I'm now curious to learn more about.. And I have an exercise ball in my practice room so maybe I'll give that a try for curiosities sake?
I practice sitting down unless I'm practicing for an audition or performance, which I then practice standing up, I think that's just a nervous tendency though for whatever reason as it doesn't help nor hinder my sound to sit or stand.
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Author: kdk
Date: 2015-06-29 16:42
One important, I think key consideration is that most of us do most of our playing sitting down. Unless you play solo recitals (and some players sit even for those), you aren't performing much if at all standing. So the improvements we can make when we practice standing up must be carried over to our seated playing to mean much.
Griffinity, you mentioned J- vs S-shaped spine. Can you expand more on what conscious changes you've made to your standing posture and what happens to it (what exactly do you mean by "rounding" your back?) when you go back to sitting?
Karl
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