 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Liquorice
Date: 2004-10-24 20:37
I've now been playing in professional orchestras for 8 years, and I've realised that my fingers aren't quite the supple athletes that they used to be when I was a student! I was wondering what methods other professional players use to keep their technique up?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Katrina
Date: 2004-10-24 23:03
My suspicion (and I'm not a pro orchestra player, but I do gig a lot professionally in other realms)...is that the orchestral repertoire is just not as tough as practicing really "note-y" things every day like many students are required to do. Not that the repertoire is not difficult, mind you, just that it is not as constant as the practicing we were required to do at conservatory...
My humble $.02,
Katrina
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-10-25 07:20
You can try stuff such as yoga or pilates or some other variation. Or weight train. Or calisthetics. Or some bike riding (mountain OR road), or walking or skiing or swimming.
Basically, IMO, anything a 'normal' person would do. I don't think specific forms of exercise are really 'job' dependant. Or at least I don't think that being a professional musician would have to limit you to certain forms of exercise.
Just do something that you find enjoyable and satisfying. That way you won't MIND working out and exercising. Don't lift weights if you're an outdoor person and would much rather be riding a bike on a backwoods trail. Don't swim if you'd much rather be on a treadmill where you can watch a TV.
But above all, in my eyes, ANYTHING is better than nothing! Just go out there and do something. That's what I do, and I've found that it works!
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2004-10-25 14:42
Liquorice -
I'm sure you have Baermann III on your stand. Couldn't hurt to spend 10 minutes of your best time each morning cleaning up a couple of lines. If you find that any unevenness has crept in, try the Fernand Gillet technique described by Alan Vogel, which I summarized at http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=158256&t=158204.
I turned my technique upside down about a year ago, based on a suggestion from the brilliant baroque oboist Gonzalo Ruiz. Reverse the muscular effort, using strength to "pop" your fingers up, but let them drop only by gravity. This takes a while to get used to. Work on scales in thirds at 60 beats per minute, one note per beat. It's particularly difficult to learn changes that have one finger going up and another going down, but after a few days it starts to feel right.
Once you get the feel, you can reduce the effort you use to raise the fingers and let them float up as well as drop down. Alexander Williams told me that when he was at his best, his fingers felt weightless, and for me, that's the ideal. You should use as little effort as possible.
Also, relaxation lets you reduce finger motion. It's exciting to let your fingers fly around, but much more efficient to have them barely move. The saxophonist Sigurd Rascher said he tried to keep his fingers always in contact with the keys. Anything more is wasted. Imagine you're trying to mystify the audience by not letting them see your fingers move at all.
Throwing your fingers around also has another bad effect -- you start moving several fingers when you only need to move one. It's like pinball players who hit both flipper buttons instead of just the one where the ball is. I watched Stanley Drucker from just a few feet away at a recital a couple of months ago, and I was amazed at how independently his fingers moved. I found that by relaxing the muscles on the back of my hands, I could reduce a lot of unnecessary motion and just move the fingers that I needed to.
Finally, try Kalmen Opperman's Intervalic Permutations. The exercises are ordinary looking arpeggiated patterns, but each of them is altered so that they're different from the familiar ones in Baermann III. You feel like a beginner, since things are not programmed into your fingers. Kal told me that Harold Wright used them whenever he needed some exercise. Ordinary things feel much easier when you're done.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-10-25 15:23
Boy do I feel sheepish. I guess the entire reason for the post went WAY over my head . . .
US Army Japan Band
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Katrina
Date: 2004-10-25 20:38
It just occurred to me that maybe a supplement like Glucosamine might help too, but you should check with your doctor. This is frequently taken here in the US for joint health and a lot of folks with mild arthritis seem to find it helpful...
Katrina
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: D Dow
Date: 2004-10-26 03:05
Dear Liquorice...
I have done pro clarinet playing for about 20 years and wholeheartedly recommend the Kroepsch studies as rythmn and speed building studies...
take them very slow at first and work ahead very slowly...
right now i freelance and work as a solo clarinet for a regional orchestra..
David Dow
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Liquorice
Date: 2004-10-26 06:01
Thanks for all your suggestions. Katrina is right- most of the music that one ends up playing in an orchestra is not terribly challenging technically. Not that it isn't challenging- you constantly have to think about intonation, balance, rhythm, phrasing, articulation, etc. It's just after some years of orchestral playing I realise that my technique is not what it once was. I wondered how others kept up their level- if they had a daily routine that they managed to fit in before rehearsals, etc.
Thanks for all the suggestions about studies, and also interesting different approaches from Ken!
Alexi, even though your post didn't specifically asnwer my question, it is still good advice. Thanks!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-10-26 07:04
No problem Liquorice. I guess that's an exercise on "word association" and how my mind immediately related "staying in shape" to a physical idea whereas you meant technique wise. Well, at least I'm glad to see that I was able to help in SOME aspect.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
