 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Melissa
Date: 2003-05-12 22:21
I was hoping you could give me some tips on staying in tune, preferably on the upper registers. I am about 99.9% of the time sharp, and when playing duets, and in orchestra, I usually have very angry partners. Any tips would be appreciated, Thank you.
Melissa
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2003-05-13 05:25
Lots of air.
If you're not "in charge," try to match the intonation of the person who is. In a section, go to the person to the right of you. First chair, go to the bottom of the ensemble or to whomever is important.
Go low on major thirds, high on minor, ever so slightly high on fifths.
If you're always sharp, pull out more. And don't bite. Make the sound and air come from the diaphragm, not the mouth or throat. Try a softer reed perhaps.
On many notes, you can add extra fingers as well to bring it down, especially in the higher registers. Try Ridenour's clarinet fingerings book for tons of alternates and find out which is in tune for you.
Good luck!
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: William
Date: 2003-05-13 14:28
"I usually have very angry partners."
#1) Buy a tuner and learn to play each note on your clarinet "in tune" to it. Some notes will require "lipping" or finger "venting." You may also have to pull the middle and bell joints a bit to enable you clarinet to be "in tune" with itself. Bottom line is, do whatever it takes to play every note in tune. Use A=440 as your standard.
#2) Cultivate your listening skills and learn to adjust to others when necessary. "Good intonation" is often acheived through "good cooperation". No singular musician is always "correct."
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Author: Wes
Date: 2003-05-14 03:54
A lot of people have been saying lately "It's better to play sharp than out of tune"!!
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Author: cyso_clarinetist
Date: 2003-05-14 06:00
I think william offers some good advice but I would do things a tad differently. These days A=440 is becoming less and lesson popular and more people are agreeing with A=442. The CSO has been playing at that pitch for years.
Since after all both pitch levels are being used I would say it is probably safe to learn to play at A=441 to give you some flexibility in tunning up or down.
The tuner idea may be good to briefly see what is off but the best way is to hear it and fix it. I am a HUGE fan of the drone technique. For example. fine a tune with a droan and put it on Concert Bb, then go up and down the C scale listening to every note and putting it where you naturally feel it should be. Singing the pitches in the scale with the drone is a good way to interlize placement.
Hope this helps.
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Author: ebasta
Date: 2003-05-14 22:32
After reading the messages on this important subject, I have 2 questions.
What is a drone?
Concerning the 2nd msg, what does major, minor and fifth notes have to do with the upper register? the other suggestions are helpful.
thanks, ed
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Author: William
Date: 2003-05-15 14:49
"A lot of people have been saying lately "It's better to play sharp than out of tune"!!"
HUH????????? "Out of tune" is out of tune, no matter what.
My version of that saying goes, "If you must be out of tune, it is better to be sharp than flat." (but it is still best to be in "cooperative harmony" with everyhone else)
Buy a tuner and learn your instruments tuning charateristics. Then learn to listen and adjust to others when necessary (no one is always right)
The "drone" method for developing listening and adjusting skills is very effective--time consuming, but time well spent. You will, however, find a discrepency between the two tuning systems: electronic tuner using the "just" system; and the "drone" method which tends toward the "tempered" tuning system (used by piano tuners) The two systems are in tune with themselves, but not in tune with each other because in tuning a keyboard, the mathmatical "just" system that exists in Nature does not work when adjusting for different tonalities in conjuction with each other. Playing perfectly in tune with your tuner will not insure that you will be in tune with your Steinway or the CSO. CYSO's advice about learning to listen is the best (and the hardest for those of us with galvanized ear)
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