 Keepers
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Author: mikecbonner
Date: 2005-05-27 18:26
Just wondering, if anyone could suggest a published practice routine. Well, here's the deal. I have been playing for about a year on my own, without lessons, and without the possibility of taking lessons. So, I feel that I'm not able to push myself as I would expect to be pushed while taking lessons or while being part of a group. Now, I have a Rubank book, and some with CD's to play along with, and I try to practice some scales I found in the back of similar books. But, I feel like I could benefit by some regiment or routine, or just some goals as to practicing and putting these elements together. Any suggestions?
Thanks, Mike.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2005-05-27 19:12
I wrote about the 6 day practice routine for basic fundamentals which I teach to all my students:
http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=189083&t=189070
Combine the above with weekly selected etudes, technique, tonguing and repertoire work.
If you need suggestions on method books, I'll be happy to post a few of the texts which you should have in your personal library...GBK
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Author: Nathan
Date: 2005-05-27 20:48
GBK, I would be interested in those method book suggestions. Thanks.
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Author: Llewsrac
Date: 2005-05-27 21:01
The Klose-Prescott First and Second Year Outlines published by Carl Fisher and Schmitt, Hall & McCreary Co.
Authentic Excerpts from Klose's Complete Method for Clarinet for use with the first two years of the Prescott Technic System
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Author: D
Date: 2005-05-27 21:27
I find giving myself a specific goal helps focus the mind. For example, deciding to learn a particular piece by a particular date. For me the best way to ensure this happens is to announce it in advance in the form of a concert to my nearest and dearest (or anyone else) who is prepared to sit still for five minutes next week while their brain bleeds out of their ears.
i.e. find 'twinkle twinkle little star' in a music book. Work on it for a week, perform it to a friend.
It is easy to struggle through pieces when you practice and kid your self that you are getting better when you are actually just practicing bad habits (voice of experience here! *blush*) but having a really specific goal like playing to someone else gives you no let out clause. By the end of the week that tune better be good, otherwise you feel a right wally!
Another thing that really helps is if you can record yourself playing. That tells you where things don't sound so good like nothing else will.
Best of luck, hope the babies like your playing.
D
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Author: GBK
Date: 2005-05-27 21:33
There are MANY method, technique and etude books to choose from, but, if you are compiling and building a personal library I would recommend these as a STARTING POINT, as each has something different to offer:
THE BASIC MUSIC LIBRARY OF ETUDE AND EXERCISE BOOKS
Pares Scales for Clarinet
Demnitz - Fundamental Scale and Chord Studies
Klose - Celebrated Method (complete version)
Kroepsch - 416 Studies (Book 1)
Rose - 40 Studies
Rose - 32 Etudes
Kell - Clarinet Staccato From The Beginning
Kell - 17 Staccato Studies
Polatschek - 12 Etudes For Clarinet
Voxman - Classical Studies for Clarinet (Bach, Handel)
Cavallini - 30 Caprices
Baermann III
Arban's Complete Conservatory Method for Trumpet
I also highly recommend the very comprehensive and well thought out Russianoff Clarinet Method (Books 1 and 2), but, unfortunately, it is long out of print. (keep an eye out for it at used book sites or eBay). It is one of the FEW (if not the only) method that stresses exercises, scales, technique, clarinet fundamentals, etc... and relates it to specific solo and orchestral repertoire. This is one method book which the clarinet community needs back in print.
Note: I have not included any solos, duets or orchestral literature, because they should be geared to your level of proficiency and experience, but they ARE very important aspects to the learning and mastery of the clarinet.
...GBK
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Author: clarinet87
Date: 2005-05-28 03:14
Arban's Complete Conservatory Method for Trumpet? Just curious, but why would someone learning clarinet need a method book for trumpet?
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Author: GBK
Date: 2005-05-28 03:30
clarinet87 wrote:
> Arban's Complete Conservatory Method for Trumpet? Just
> curious, but why would someone learning clarinet need a method
> book for trumpet?
As I had written previously:
The Arban Complete Conservatory Method For Trumpet is the rough equivalent of what the Klosé Method is for clarinet.
Since I began incorporating the Arban Method into my student's studies, I have seen a substantial growth in their playing. Tonguing speed has increased (my students cannot double tongue - but their single tonguing is now definitely quicker), scale facility has greatly improved (as Arban has numerous scale patterns and drills to choose from), and sight reading is markedly more secure (Arban has 150 short phrasing/sightreading melodies taken primarily from operas).
One nice feature of the Arban book is that all the exercises, melodies, duets, themes and variations, etc... all lie (for the most part) between C4 and C6, thus the student gets to build technical skills in the most used clarinet register.
As Allen Cole once said (on this bulletin board) "The Arban Book makes the student USE their scales and arpeggios, rather than just recite them back."
Also, after 30+ years of teaching out of Klosé, Rose, Baermann, Kell, etc... it is rejuvenating to find another supplemental method which builds skills and covers ground in a slightly different way.
The only problem - the book weighs about 2 pounds...GBK
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Author: allencole
Date: 2005-05-28 09:02
One other factor in favor of the Arban book as well as Clarke Technical Studies. Clarinet method books tend to be very clarinet-oriented, often showcasing the instrument's strengths and possibly skirting its weaknesses. Also, a lot of the exercises tend to be conventional scales, arpeggios, scales in thirds, fourths, fifths, etc.
Those trumpet books have some real finger twisters that were not written with our technical limitations in mind and some of them become quite brutal as they cycle through various keys.
Here is my quick-and-dirty warmup routine:
Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring (triplet pattern) in all keys. (essentially, this just the major scales in a mixed-up pattern)
Accidental Tourist (my own composition designed to deal with key familiarity in the face of accidentals...chord changes somewhat resemble Billy Taylor's "Easy Walker")
Intro from "Bebop" (Dizzy Gillespie?) - Use of natural minor scales and diminished chords in a constant Imi/V7-9 pattern. Again, in all keys.
This provides a decent technical warmup in 10-20 minutes, and doing it ear wakes up a lot of things that I need for jazz improvisation. The lack of a visual context also increases the challenge of pinkie strategy, even though this is something that I play regularly.
Given more time, I add more conventional Baermann-style things and some ii-V exercises to the warmup.
Allen Cole
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Author: mikecbonner
Date: 2005-05-28 16:30
Thanks for the suggestions. Now the hard part is putting the stick down and coming up with a routine and goals.
Mike.
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Author: SueSmith
Date: 2005-05-28 16:31
mikecbonner wrote:
> Thanks for the suggestions. Now the hard part is putting the
> stick down and coming up with a routine and goals.
> Mike.
Perhaps creating a practice journal will help you stick to a routine.
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Author: vin
Date: 2005-05-29 21:34
GBK-
That Moyse 6-day pattern has been a very valuble organization of scale pratice for me and I thank you for it. Just out of curiosity- what does he recommend for Sunday- pernod and vodka?
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Author: GBK
Date: 2005-05-29 23:35
vin wrote:
> GBK-
> That Moyse 6-day pattern has been a very valuble organization
> of scale pratice for me and I thank you for it. Just out of
> curiosity- what does he recommend for Sunday- pernod and vodka?
It's going to be difficult finding out the answer, considering that Moyse died in 1984, at the age of 95.
Hmmm ...On second thought maybe it WAS Pernod and vodka...GBK
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Author: Avie
Date: 2005-05-30 13:55
It is interesting to me that the Erban Book is reccommended for clarinet players. I recently dug out an old book called "Chords and progressions" for all instruments by " Bugs Bower". It has all the popular and progressive , chromatic, harmonic, Blues,etc. progressions and has a brief explaination preceding each topic. I was wondering if anyone familiar with this book and If this is a good study for clarinet or is there a more modern version out there that would be equivalent for clarinet playing study.
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Author: Avie
Date: 2005-05-30 16:55
Spelling correction Arban not Erban. thanks.
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Author: Carol Dutcher
Date: 2005-05-30 17:32
I use Klose, but much more fun is to play along with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band CD. I have two of them. The keys are easy and the pace is not fast. The songs are familiar too. I also, as someone mentioned, use a tape recorder. It helps to hear just what you really sound like. I have an inexpensive Sony ($25) that I got at Circuit City. It is NOT voice activated. That voice activated one didn't work too well for me as it slides around between songs. Good luck. The hardest part is just sitting down and getting that clarinet out of the case!
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Author: allencole
Date: 2005-05-30 17:38
Avie, I would be curious to see Bugs Bower's workout book. Just picked up a copy of "Stage Band Jazz Duets" and read some with a student. They seemed a bit dated to me, and made me wonder when the book was originally published. (Same era as the works of Ben Paisner?)
However, I would be interested in this book for the same reason as for Arban, Clarke, etc. I think that it's always valuable for us to practice music that puts us through our paces without allowing for the idiosyncracies of our instrument.
Now, I think I'll go and Google Bugs Bower...
Allen Cole
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Author: vin
Date: 2005-05-30 17:59
They say Moyse was always smoking his pipe- can't be good for anyone's scales, although I'm sure it added character!
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Author: SueSmith
Date: 2005-05-30 18:29
One of my teachers studied with Moyse and they used the Demersseman op.4 50 Melodious Etudes for Flute to work on etudes emphasising the clarion and altissimo registers. It's an interesting etude book to add to your collection.
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The Clarinet Pages
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