 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: ClarinetRobt
Date: 2017-01-05 06:37
In the spirit the "impossible solos", what's the one section of any piece that after countless hours of practicing and stressing is still troublesome for you?
It can be any excerpt, solo lick, or etude causing the most frustration and your personal hell. Did you truly ever overcome?
~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)
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2017-01-06 05:47
Attachment: Capture.JPG (46k)
Artie Shaw opening cadenza, the line going down right before the end of the cadenza (which ends in a G). Something about that run down (starting at the Eb) and then popping smoothly back up the G just gets me. EVERY time. It just feels SO awkward.
Alexi
EDIT: Looking at it, I KNOW it's just an F7 arpeggio. And I practice my dominant & arpeggios, but trying to play this musically with an accelerando, and not like some mechanical robot every time just doesn't work for me. :(
US Army Japan Band
Post Edited (2017-01-06 05:50)
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Author: ClarinetRobt
Date: 2017-01-06 19:05
I know for decades I fought against learning Rhapsody in Blue. I hindsight I'm not sure why I was against doing anything jazz. It's such a crucial part of being a clarinetist...and frankly jazz is 'cooler' to the outside world. A couple of years ago we headed out to Burning Man and I was going to play with the "Playa Pops"...fun group (I played the unaccompanied solo "Blue Tongue"). My husband told me before going....you're going to need something to play on the fly because people are going to ask. I thought about the Baermann cadenza from Weber I or Copland cadenza. But no one would recognize it. So it became obvious I needed to learn Rhapsody.
I spent hours reading Bboard and practiced. After many failed attempts, I finally just dropped my tongue, supported my guts out and smeared my fingers. The impossible became possible.
Y'alls advise on here was invaluable. Now I get....play Rhapsody all the time. Kinda of funny. I feel like I have a stupid human trick for cocktail parties.
~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)
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2017-01-06 21:12
Rhapsody in Blue is really a lot of fun. A few and I mean very few players can start the gliss down at the low G trill and slide all the way up over the G, A, B, and C, break to high C. I wish I could...That's the way the score was written.
Shifrin was asked to do it really slowly, when he spent 3 or 4 years or so with Cleveland and it must have been 45 seconds. Lorin Maazel was the conductor. That was the slowest I've heard it played and it was pretty cool! Very well done. 1975 I think. There is probably a recording of it somewhere. I strongly feel the trick to this piece is a slightly softer reed with a lot of air support. Not a real soft reed, maybe a 1/2 strength, because if you go too soft the high F may go flat on you.
I think some of us like different genres of music and I found the Copland Concerto to fit me well and played it as a freshman in college, but had trouble getting through some of the Rose 40 studies. The rhythms. At that age even the Weber Concertos were a problem, but again the Copland was a perfect fit.
My point is don't worry about it. Have fun with the pieces that you like most. Oh, I just did the Copland again about 3 weeks ago. I play it with that jazz feel, not fast at all. Copland wrote it for Benny Goodman and he Aaron wanted that 1940's Big Band feel as Benny and Aaron grow up together in NYC, so wicked fast fingers and triple tonguing, to me is not an accurate way of performing the piece. At the same time I'm not saying to go to sleep! The 40's jazz was exciting and the tempo did move right along.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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Author: ClarinetRobt
Date: 2017-01-06 22:43
Bob...
I can't remember, but did Goodman do a full gliss on the World Premiere on Rhapsody? I love to hear from "those who can" explain how exactly one completes a full portamento.
~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)
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Author: DaphnisetChloe
Date: 2017-01-07 06:34
I find the arpeggio sequence in the first movement of the Francaix Concerto impossible to get completely even (up to tempo), even after spending months of my life practicing it!
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2017-01-07 07:35
Robert - Not that I recall. Benny was surely good at it. A few players from New Orleans were able to handle it, but no one really famous.
I'm wondering if Eddie Daniels might be up for the challenge. Hope he reads this and performs it! He did one heck of a job with the Copland Concerto. Aaron would have been VERY happy! I think it's my favorite recording of this piece, even if he takes a lot of liberties. It's a blast to hear! Heck, that is jazz! It's interesting too that Eddie plays with a 1.03 tip opening, so unusual for jazz players. I guess it show us all that finding the right setup is the key to nice performing. Jazz players and single lip players wanting that huge sound really don't need 1.20 tip openings. 1.03 is what double lip players commonly use. Eddie was using a more open mouthpiece, but felt he was biting and didn't have to. Our mouths are all so different.
Shifrin's recording was just amazing with Rhapsody in Blue. Waiting and waiting for him to hit the final C! It took forever! And then finally! There it was! Done perfectly! You couldn't wait for him to hit that note! What excitement! As said before, I'm sure it is available on youtube. I didn't think it could be performed that slowly with such awaited anticipation. WOW! He did it!
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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Author: Philip Caron
Date: 2017-01-07 08:32
Interesting discussion of the Rhapsody in Blue solo. Especially about the low register gliss, which I have assumed was not technically available. I spent over an hour on YouTube listening to different versions of just the intro. It must be pretty tricky to really nail that solo, because not everyone does, even some big names. Following are some pertaining links.
The 1927 with Gershwin on piano has what to my ears sounds like a great clarinet solo, but no gliss in the lower register. Paul Whiteman Orchestra, clarinetist unnamed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYGEES4EPo0
Here's Goodman's, with Toscanini & the NBCSO. Low register run is blurred, probably intending a gliss-like effect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fns2WuzhAbA
Here's Cleveland in 1974 with Maazel - would this be Shifrin? Again, gliss-like.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzHajgzxY6I
This is the closest to a low register gliss I found. I don't know how this is done. (But tomorrow I'm going to try.) Chicago SO & Levine; who is the clarinetist?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPL19IgsEHc
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Author: JonTheReeds
Date: 2017-01-08 00:52
We're not talking anything complicated, but the Gdom7 descending and ascending lick in Wiener's Peregi Verbunk, halfway down the second page. Can't nail it a tempo! My fingers just give up :o) I will get there, but more practice needed
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The older I get, the better I was
Post Edited (2017-01-08 01:17)
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