 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: LeOpus1190s
Date: 2004-04-19 01:46
Hi -
I am just curious... Is there a set or popular way to go through baermann such as like going through and doing all the Cmajor stuff first, going page by page or something else?
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2004-04-19 11:26
The way that was suggested to me is to go through the book focusing on one key at a time, the major and its related minor (conveniently right below the major). Use the metronome to learn to play the sections evenly every time. Play through each part all slurred, then once more all tongued. Then move on to the next section, not getting bogged down in one area. You can be more creative with the articulations and tempo as you pick up experience.
How do others handle these exercises?
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2004-04-19 13:40
SWK has it just right. I would only add that these are not etudes that you can play through. It's the most difficult sort of "woodshedding," which you have to start dead slow, so that everything is perfect. Never go faster than perfect -- otherwise, you're practicing how to make mistakes.
Give it your best time -- the first 10 or 15 minutes of each practice session, with total concentration. Whenever your attention starts to wander, play something different.
When you start working on Baermann III, you'll be lucky if you can work out as much as a single exercise perfectly within 10 minutes.
It helps to use the "3 times 3 times 3" method used to teach beginning typists. Get an exercise to where you can play it 3 times perfectly. Then go on to something else. In the middle of your session, do it again 3 times perfectly. Then, do it perfectly 3 more times at the very end. Do the same thing again the following day and the day after.
It's about as much fun as eating light bulbs, but every professional has worked it out, and you can, too.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: William
Date: 2004-04-19 16:09
When it "came time" to start my Baermann III, I had already been through all of the major and minor scales--diatonic, thirds, arpeggios--in other studies, so I just did section by section. One of the areas that the book does not cover is the higher register above G6 (except in the chromatic scale) so I extend all of the major/minor scales to include as many of "those" notes as possible.
However, if I were just starting my scales studies with the Baermann, I think I would approach it by key--as suggested above--rather than by section. Its a great comhrehensive book that some of us refer to as our "Bible"--good luck!!!
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Author: Anders
Date: 2004-04-19 18:44
Dear SWN and Ken Shaw,
As a dedicated flutist looking to rebuild my clarinet chops, I wonder how you would compare Jettel's Klarinettenschule Book 3 to the Baermann? It seems quite similar and comprehensive and was my teacher's book of choice back in the mists of time. I've looked at Baermann but was going to stick with Jettel since I have a copy (and nostalgia, etc.). Would there be a good reason to switch?
Many thanks!
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2004-04-19 19:12
Anders -
As long as they have the same exercises, there's no reason to switch. I haven't used the Jettel, but Baermann III has exercises in fourths, fifths, sixths, sevenths (I think) and octaves, as well as the standard scales and scales in thirds.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Phat Cat
Date: 2004-04-19 20:12
Just the mention of Jettel brings back the cold sweats. I remember back in the Stone Age when I was a senior in high school and I thought I could play anything because I had done all the standard showy contest pieces and had made my way through Rose, JeanJean, Klose. My new teacher, the principal clarinet for the Columbus (OH) Symphony, quickly gave me my well-deserved come-uppance by assigning Jettel...if memory serves, The Accomplished Clarinetist. A most humiliating experience that I still remember with embarrassment was attempting to fake (i.e., sight-read) an etude that I had not practiced. The word brutal was invented for that book.
On the other hand, upon taking up the clarinet again last year after a 20 year absence, I find that GBK's oft-repeated advice about Baermann III is pure gold. Somehow, having the discipline to get these studies “in the fingers” miraculously makes many aspects of your playing noticeably better in a surprisingly short time. Practicing by key probably makes most sense, but I just take one pattern and go through as many keys as possible before my concentration and fingers start to wander. I suspect the magic works either way.
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Author: Sylvain
Date: 2004-04-19 20:34
I think David Hite has a revised version of Baerman 3 with the pages ordered by scale. It sort of makes more sense..
--
Sylvain Bouix <sbouix@gmail.com>
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2004-04-19 20:48
"every professional has worked it out"
I actually haven't, but I did do LOTS of other studies.
I'm a bit embarassed to say that I'm actually not sure what Baermann III is?? I looked in my local sheet music shop, and found the Baermann Klarinettenschule books of various opus numbers. What is the opus number of Baermann III?
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2004-04-19 21:34
Liquorice -
It's Baermann's Method for Clarinet, Book (or Part) 3 (out of 5), consisting entirely of scales, arpeggios and interval studies -- a 2-page spread for each major and minor key, plus some extras such as diminished 7th arpeggios that don't fit into any particular key. In the USA, it's also known as The Clarinetist's Bible.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Anders
Date: 2004-04-19 21:38
Thanks for all the constructive suggestions re: Jettel (and it is undoubtedly Book 2; I'm at work, and away from the music).
SWK makes a most persuasive case for building on Baermann (and I'm already working with Hamelin and the Jeanjean Vade Mecum), so I will make the modest outlay.
Apropos of Rudolf Jettel, by the way (and apologies if this is old hat to you guys), his playing can be heard on the three records Willi Boskovsky made back in the 1960s (with a chamber ensemble of VPO personnel) of Viennese waltzes, galops and landler. Originally issued here by Vanguard, they have been released on CD recently. Delectable performances, and Jettel evinces the creamy sound we associate with Vienna. No doubt he can also be heard on VPO recordings, but I don't think he was ever principal.
To Liquorice -- if he's asking about the Jettel (not Baermann) Klarinettinschule, I'm not sure of the opus (I can supply details tomorrow), but it is published by Doblinger Verlag. There are three volumes, and, as SWK pointed out, I was actually referring to Book 2, which is scales and chords.
Best,
Anders
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-04-19 22:10
Hite's edition of Baermann Book 3 (which was previously called "Third Division" in the Langenus edition) places the exercises on a more logical sequence, by key.
The Baermann Book 3 is Opus 63.
The Hite edition does remove some of the extreme high register notes which were found in the Langenus edition, making the exercises a little easier on the fingers (and ears).
The printed articulations are only a guidline, as one is free to do the exercises in any articlation pattern desired. (ex: if your tonguing is weak - play the exercises all tongued. If your legato is not smooth, play the exercises slow and slurred).
The Baermann should be done in the first part of your daily practice. I like to recommend concentrating on one key (major and minor) each week. By the third month of working in Baermann 3 the fingering patterns will take lots of work to perfect.
Do not skip a day. After 6 months of working on Baermann 3 your technique will be far improved from where you first began.
By the way - there is a tremendous amount of beautiful and difficult reinforcing material found in Baermann 4 and 5. Do not overlook these books. Again, I recommend the Hite editions for the clarity of printing and occasional fingering suggestion...GBK
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Author: claaaaaarinet!!!!
Date: 2004-04-19 22:11
If you decide to work by key rather than by scale type, check out Baermann as edited by Jack Snavely and published by Kendor (21045). He puts all C Major stuff together (scales, broken chords, interrupted scales), then all A minor, then all G Major, E minor, etc. He's also added some scale types that aren't in the Baermann's original version (whole tone, scales in 4ths, natural/harmonic minor scales), along with keys of C# and Cb. Very thorough overall. Plus, the edition is spiral bound, making it easy to keep open on your stand.
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Author: RAMman
Date: 2004-04-19 22:51
I am fascinated by the US obsession (I don't think that is too strong a word!) with the Baermann 'bibles', the sheer number of people using them is huge!
Personally, I don't like them, the layout is strange, and the range on the scales is too limited. Rather than trying to adapt the excercises by adding to them, I decided to work from scratch.
Jettel, I am a huge fan of, but I don't think any of Jettel's material can be placed in the same category of Baermann 3, it's totally different. There is a Jettel book three in a sense, the special studies. I'd like to suggest that if Jettel had edited the Baermann books, they would have ended up being more thorough and much harder!
Studys (like Jettel) are written to look specifically at certain technical issues, rather than creating muscles memory and knowledge of the different keys.
Certain British players of a certain age tell stories of their days at the Paris conservatoire, when they had to write out all their scales, and play them in huge groups, with a conductor!
I'm also not keen on anything where you always play things in the same order. I believe there is such a thing as associated learning, meaning that you wouldn't be able to play a B major scale unless it was preceeded by a C major one.
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Author: Tom J.
Date: 2004-04-19 23:08
Baermann 3 is the clarinet player's bible. There is no substitute for it whenever you have laid off the instrument for any length of time.
I try to work through all the permutations for a single key (scales, arpeggi, broken chords, patterns, etc.) for at least half an hour a day, sometimes with the metronome, until the whole book is covered.
Velocity is of no importance. A rock steady rhythmic approach with almost robot-like eveness, and a corresponding consistency in the sound in all registers is what makes Baermann 3 practice invaluable.
Any orchestral excerpt, French etude or contemporary work seems much more facile after a few pages of Baermann.
In this informative interview with James Gholson Robert Marcellus mentions Baermann 3, some other scale books, and the importance of daily scale work (p. 20) :
http://www.clarinet-saxophone.asn.au/articles/marcellus.pdf
Post Edited (2004-04-19 23:09)
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Author: johng ★2017
Date: 2004-04-20 01:05
I like to start slow, going through the entire book in about 3 hours. Then, I increase the speed. Faster, faster, faster until I am playing the entire book in about 8 seconds. It averages out to a long D# and a flurry of fingers.
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Author: diz
Date: 2004-04-20 05:47
Ken Shaw ... your comment "about as fun as eating light bulbs" made me guffaw ... and you are right, Baerman are hideously boring
they are what Hanon is to a pianist or Sevcik is to a string player
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Author: Tim P
Date: 2004-04-20 11:08
to johng:
I like this approach. do you use any alternate fingerings for the D#. BTW I can do it in just under 7 seconds. turning the pages really slows me down so I have memorized large portions of it.
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