 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Steve Epstein
Date: 2000-03-07 03:03
One of the flute players in our contra-dance (Irish reels, jigs) band is worried about me. I get so red in the face when I play, she thinks I'm going to have a stroke.
I'm 45 and in good health, no high blood pressure. So I don't think it's that. Rather, I have not had a private lesson since my sophomore year of high school, so I'm probably not breathing correctly. I play a B-45 Lyre with either a traditional Vandoren 3, or a Mitchell Lurie Premium 3.5. This set-up seems right for me; with a softer reed, if I play loud, I can actually blow the reed shut on the mp. I have also played reeds a half step harder on a 5RV-Lyre and a Woodwind K-10-M, and still turn red. Oh, my clarinet is usually a Patricola C, but I notice no difference with my Evette Schaeffer Bb. Actually, I can't see myself turning red, but I can feel that I have a vice-like grip on the mp. I don't leave bite marks at all on the top of the mp, and I really try to "smile", tighten the sides of my mouth, hold the clarinet down, 30* or so from my body. I'm even able to manage a double lip embouchure for a moment or two.
So what's my problem? Should I have a different mp? Is my embouchure wrong? Am I not giving proper breath support? Do I even have a problem? I (and others) are satisfied wth my tone, which has been getting better, along with my stamina, as I play more and more. Is it, perhaps, just lack of experience and stamina at this point? Have other players experienced this?
You know, Tuvan throat singers develope high blood pressure from their technique, which requires explosive air pressure, and die prematurely:-)
Thanks for your help.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Kontragirl
Date: 2000-03-07 03:29
I think sometimes this just happens. Actually, just today, I was talking with a good clarinet player friend of mine about this. His face turns red sometimes, but he said that it was just a trait that ran in his family (his grandfather was a wonderful clarinet player). As long as it's not causing you any discomfort, you should be fine.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Willie
Date: 2000-03-07 04:01
Assuming your clarinet is in proper order that you don't have to blow overly hard, you my have an over abundance of capillaries in your facial skin. In this case, even blowing mildly would cause your face to redden. However it would be wise to take that liccorice stick with you the next time you go see the Doc. Have him moniter your blood pressure WHILE you play. Its been documented that French hornists develope extremly high blood pressure when playing the higher notes. This resulting in more stokes among hornists. This is what killed my grandfather, a hornist for many years.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Steve Epstein
Date: 2000-03-07 04:10
I do have a very fair complexion, normally rosy cheeked, a lot of capillaries as Willie says. I can blush very easily.
It would be expected that one's bp would go up during exertion, this is normal, the question is, how much, and how long does it take to go back down. Nevertheless, I will consider this advice.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Doug P.
Date: 2000-03-07 16:00
I agree that the redness is just a natural thing for you and your complexion. As an example, Bud (Adolph) Herseth, who was principal trumpet in the Chicago Symphony for years and years, always turned bright red when he played. Don't be concerned about it at all.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Sean
Date: 2000-03-07 16:33
you say that you play Irish jigs and reels on your clarinet! I play, pretty much exclusively, Irish traditional tunes on the flute. I play both a wooden simple system and silver Boehm as well as the tin whistle. I have reams and reams of this music and sometimes when I take out my clarinet I try playing some jigs and reels. There's just something about it that doesn't feel or sound right. Is this contra-dance a popular thing in your region? Where I live (St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada - the closest point to Ireland anywhere in North America) our traditional music - which is a direct descendent of the Irish is played on flutes, fiddles, accordians, concertinas, bodhrans and whistles - no clarinets whatsoever. I guess I shouldn't knock it until I hear it but it just seems funny to me to hear Irish traditional music coming out the end of a clarinet. Please enlighten me.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: steve
Date: 2000-03-07 17:30
howdy sean...
I was trained as a classical clarinetist, and played alot of traditional american and irish dance music on banjo, fiddle and guitar, but the last few clarinet gigs I did was in a mixed wind and string contradance ensemble (fl/picc, cl/fiddle/banjo (me), guitar, piano, bass).
The clarinet seemed to blend in wonderfully in jigs, reels, polkas, and a hambo, and seemed to work best solo in the waltzes. On the jigs, reels, etc, playing counter melodies, chordal embellishments with arpeggios and ostinati (like end of mozart 1st movement), and lower harmonies with the flute were especially effective. The tunes were standard irish-english-scotts tunes, New england variants, a couple of cape breton tunes (my musical influences include buddy mcmaster).
In the US, the clarinet is making inroads into contra bands...one of my old NU buddies, Bill Tomczak, from MA, has been one of the central figure in this movement, and has an extensive contradance web page with his wife, a well known caller...
s.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Dee
Date: 2000-03-07 18:11
Sean wrote:
-------------------------------
you say that you play Irish jigs and reels on your clarinet! I play, pretty much exclusively, Irish traditional tunes on the flute. I play both a wooden simple system and silver Boehm as well as the tin whistle. I have reams and reams of this music and sometimes when I take out my clarinet I try playing some jigs and reels. There's just something about it that doesn't feel or sound right.
-------------------------------
I play some of this stuff for my own pleasure on the clarinet (i.e. I don't perform in any group like this). It seems to sound better (at least to me) if you play it in the upper clarion to lower altissimo range.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Lelia
Date: 2000-03-07 19:49
Steve Epstein wrote:
-------------------------------
I do have a very fair complexion, normally rosy cheeked, a lot of capillaries as Willie says. I can blush very easily.
---------
Sounds familiar. I think the advice to have your blood pressure read while you're playing is a good idea, just to be on the safe side, but we palefaces do tend to flush while playing without it meaning anything drastic. I'm a blue-eyed blonde with very pale skin. I turn red when I play a wind instrument, even though I actually have *low* blood pressure. I used to run marathons (non-competitively). Race officials sometimes quizzed me if I were all right when I was perfectly fine, chugging along slowly but steadily. My resting heart rate was always around 50-52 and my heart rate while I was running apparently stayed below 70, even at the end of 26.2 miles, yet I turned bright red, as if I were out of shape. (Tell people that playing the clarinet turns you on and they'll drop the subject fast....)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Meredith H
Date: 2000-03-07 21:33
I am another blue eyed blonde that goes extremely red when playing long notes and after playing sport. I am 30, reasonably fit and have low blood pressure. I always feel relaxed when playing the clarinet despite the red face. I've got to admit that I sometimes feel like my head is going to explode when I play brass and since it is a horn it sounds like I better try to avoid those high notes. I've found the worst instrument for back pressure is the oboe, it used to give me a head ache for days after only half an hour of practice so I gave it away, I wan't very good at it anyway.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2000-03-09 00:51
1.Red is better than pale.
As Doug refered to Herseth,I would refer to Maurice Andre.
Redness of face means deep and proper breathing fulfilling even capillary blood cells with oxygen. If breathing is not proper,his face will turn into pale by the lack of oxygen not red.
2.However bite is bad.
If bite is caused to try to emit bigger sound, Vandoren has another version of B45(B45 with a big dot mark) with bigger chamber than B45 and B45 Lyle.FIY.
<A HREF=http://www.vandoren.com/Product/vanMID.htm>Mouthpiece Table-Vandoren</A>
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Rick2
Date: 2000-03-09 03:22
I agree with Hiroshi, if you can feel that your emboucher is like the Vulcan death grip, then you need to make some changes. Get help with it.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Steve Epstein
Date: 2000-03-09 03:46
So, you guys are saying: Better red than dead. Ok, I'll buy that.
I'll check out the B45 dot. I get bored easily with my equipment and this is as good an excuse as any to trya new mp.
Thanks to all of you for your advice.
Steve Epstein
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Beejay
Date: 2000-03-09 08:21
Try the B45 lyre while you are at it. I recently switched from an ordinary B45 and love the warm sound.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
