 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bigno16
Date: 2004-06-19 22:04
My friend has a very good sound, and a wide range. He's only been playing for about 2-3 years now on clarinet (switched from tenor). He claims he got those two things so good because he made a point of learning the upper register. Hence, everything below that is easy. I mean, he can play double C's about the staff easily and even hit and held the pitch of a triple G once.
My question is, what are the best ways for one to go about practicing the altissimo register on a daily basis in order to improve the sound, intonation, and facility of those notes? Certain studies? Long tones? I'm not quite sure.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-06-20 05:23
Try to play each note (high ones, not ONLY altissimo) and start them out at ppp. See if you can get that VERY soft sound without a 'grunt' or 'undertone' in the beginning. Pretty hard . . . . . .
You need a VERY good airstream to do it. Make sure you're not pinching the reed in order to get the sound. As one clarinetist once told me (and I tried it out and it seems to work), the higher up you go on the clarinet, the looser your embouchure should feel. So when I play a chalemeau note, I firm up my jaw to keep it from dropping. When I play a higher clarion or altissimo, it's VERY loose (which keeps it from becoming sharp). Also makes it sound MUCH better (not pinched).
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: kdennyclarinet
Date: 2004-06-20 14:20
The position of the tongue makes a big difference when trying to extend your range. In a masterclass at the OU Clarinet Symposium a few weeks ago, Tom Martin was discussing a pitfall in the way we normally practice scales. We usually play the lowest note, travel up to the full extension of the scale, and then back down to the chalumeau. He demonstrated how this can be detrimental to the tongue position because it is easy to fall in the trap of voicing low all the way through the scale (therefore causing the upper notes to voice flat and have a shallow tone). He suggested playing scales starting in the upper clarion register, moving up higher to the full extension, go down to the chalumeau then back up to the high register one more time. This way, you begin with your tongue in the correct voicing position (and are less likely to let the tongue drop down), and you play the upper register twice instead of just once. It's amazing how much sweeter my lower notes sounded and how much better in tune my altissimo range was when I employed this myself. It has also helped my tone to stay consistent in each register.
Best of luck to you!
K. Denny
BME, MM, DMA
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2004-06-20 16:03
<<He suggested playing scales starting in the upper clarion register, moving up higher to the full extension, go down to the chalumeau then back up to the high register one more time. This way, you begin with your tongue in the correct voicing position >>
What a great idea! I do this on the oboe, but never thought (duh!) to try it with clarinet.
Susan
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Author: William
Date: 2004-06-20 17:37
Or like my old high school band director said, "just bite and blow". No, he wasn't Harold Hill--but he could have been the under study for the role. Just thought I would share for what ever it's worth--if anything...............
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Author: Markus Wenninger
Date: 2004-06-20 17:54
Long tones, very long, as soft as possible, and then softer still. It is very easy to play loud, but those very often are limited to that loudness as far as dynamics go - but those who play soft, they easily manage to play ffff very soon. Just like any ensemble can perform a very very gradual swelling from ppp to fff, but to do that reversely just ever so often ends in a mere drop -to- soft. Altissimo tones are perceived as louder as low ones, so dynamics are very important. As soon as You manage those altissi-issmo tones for a full breath, you´ve got it (circular breathing up there is a tricky thin, but often produces a reonant/beating effect in timbre, so it´s a task immensely worth trying).
Markus
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