 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Jen L.
Date: 2004-04-12 13:34
Hi,
My community orchestra is playing the Britten Young Person's Guide this May, and I'm having a heck of a time trying to work up the fugue at the end (I'm playing 2nd). I can play it at much slower tempos, but as soon as I try to speed up the metronome a bit, it all falls to pieces.
I'm wondering if I'm not thinking about it the best way, since I'm having such horrible tempo troubles. Does anyone have any advice on how to approach this, to help speed up the tempo? I've been doing scales ahead of time, to try to get it under my fingers, but is there anything I should be doing besides that? I'd appreciate any input.
Thanks,
Jen L.
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Author: johng ★2017
Date: 2004-04-12 13:59
I like to take small chunks of music and speed them up in a systematic way. Starting with say, 16th notes at mm 80 or slower, I play the section until it is as good as it is going to get. Then set the metronome up a notch and keep doing this until you have reached the speed where it doesn't work, or at performance tempo. The best part of it is the slow playing where you can see what is going on with fingerings and unequal notes. This takes a while for long passages at fast tempos, but is worth it.
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Author: elmo lewis
Date: 2004-04-12 23:12
Play all the eighth notes very short even if they don't have a dot. Each eighth should sound like a sixteenth note followed by a sixteenth rest. During this sixteenth rest move your fingers to the next note-don't wait for the note to arrive to move the fingers. If you practice this way slowly you will force yourself to look ahead and will be able to play faster and cleaner when you speed up the tempo.
This fugue is in a very bad key for the clarinet. You might want to practice E major and B major scales and practice Baermann studies in these keys every day until the performance.
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Author: diz
Date: 2004-04-13 02:04
elmo's hit the nail on the head ... the fugue is particualrly nasty for the clarinet (especially considering the tempo) ... especially after the wonderful duet in the woodwind set. Setting at a slow tempo and slowly increasing the speed is the way to get round this ... try not to learn any mistakes as they're very difficult to unlearn.
Not a piece I would think American orchestras play very often, being British, but it's wonderfully orchestrated and is certainly masterly in structure.
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Author: Bart
Date: 2004-04-13 19:31
Jen- it won't help you overcome technical hurdles, but you may like to get hold of a recording of Purcell's Abdelazer suite. Britten took the theme of the rondo as main theme for the Young Person's Guide. As for Purcell's suite: every movement is a little gem in its own right.
Post Edited (2004-04-13 19:33)
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2004-04-13 20:39
I wonder if this section would benefit from the learning system that can be used with many a piece: Take a small section at a time, play that section with a different rhythm 10 times over. For example, 16th notes could be played first as 2 eighths and 2 16ths, playing all rests and marked articulations within your new rhythm. Then for the next 10 times through, reverse the order - play 2 16ths and 2 eighths. The third set of 10 times, play as written, a little slower at first, then gradually increase the speed to where you want it. This seems to sidetrack the brain block, to go around the brick wall instead of trying to work through it. (Brain agility games!!)
This method works for 16th notes and 6/8 measures (for 6/8 measures use 4 16ths with 2 eighths then reverse the order), probably for other combinations too if I would sit down and think about it. But it's really helped me to learn difficult passages to the point where they come back fairly easily even after not having seen them for months.
This system is good with lots of difficult parts, but don't know if it could be used here? Maybe a variation on this idea would fit the bill.
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Author: its the Lencho
Date: 2004-04-15 01:44
As a student conductor, this was one of the hardest things I ever had to read.
As a clarinet player, it was one of the most mentally straining pieces I had to play.
I agree whole-heartedly with Elmo in that you should practice your E scale every day.
You said that you could play it fine when it was slow, which is good, but once the tempo kicks in to where it should be, then it's going to get difficult, as the 8-16-16 figure sounds like it should enter on an upbeat.
The way to work around this would be to anticipate the beat, which means you're going to have to be pretty much concentrating on counting as if your life depended on it.
Try picking one note, and just play the rhythm. You can worry about the actual notes once you've mastered the flow of the music.
Cheater's tip: If you're really in a rush, transcribe for A clarinet and use an A clarinet if you have one. At least then you won't have difficult fingerings getting in the way on top of the rhythm. Might tick off the conductor or the A clarinet players present, though.
I'd keep at it.
Good luck.
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Author: whhawks
Date: 2004-04-15 06:30
All the above replies have value. Just remember that you must stay relaxed. Relaxation is the key to speed. As you practice slowly and get faster, be aware of any tention in your forearm (your finger muscles). If you begin to feel any tention, slow it back down. You may then speed it up again so long as your forearms stay relaxed.
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2004-04-15 07:00
For any fast 16th note passages, try this... play only the downbeat of each beat. Do this repeatedly at increasing speeds until you are comfortable with it. Be sure you can feel how each one leads to the next in the context of the music, and where your fingers are going.
Then, add the 4th sixteenth note of each grouping, and play it into the downbeat. Work this up to speed, still concentrating on the downbeats as described above.
Now try it with the 3rd sixteenth (the offbeat) instead of the 4th, so you are essentially playing 8th notes.
Whenever you feel like your fingers are just falling apart, it is likely that you need a sense of direction. Taking a step back and doing one or more of the above should help get you back on track.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: diz
Date: 2004-04-15 22:15
Actually, aside from the obvious (solveable) problems of the clarinet part's key ... the rest of the orchestra (the heavies) are in a totally different rhythm to the poor upper woods and upper strings ... very tricky to keep your cool. A marvellous piece.
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