 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Jay R
Date: 2005-06-23 05:19
Hi, folks. I'm new here. I'm a middle school band/choir teacher, and I have a question for you (more) experienced clarinet players/educators.
Basically, my question is: Can beginners tackle the break from the getgo? Here's an explanation of the question.....
In the vast majority of band method books out there, they introduce the first 5 notes of the Bb concert scale first, either 1-2-3-4-5 or 5-4-3-2-1. That's great, since the vast majority of beginning band music is written in Bb major, and there's a lot you can do with those 5 notes. However, those first 5 notes fall on different instruments differently.
For clarinet, those first 5 notes couldn't be easier. And if a kid has played any recorder, they're golden. Once they get the embouchure working, clarinets are some of the first students to produce a good sound. (BUT, the break doesn't appear until half way or more through the book and is treated like a "special" thing clarinets have to deal with.)
For brass, they have it fairly easy, too. Both 1 and 5 land on the open horn, and once they get the embouchure figured out they can get rolling, as well.
Now alto saxophone, being similar to the clarinet, is also quick to play. But 1-2-3-4-5 on the alto gives you a break jump between 4-5. That can be a little bit of a stumbler, but there isn't the problem of leaky fingers that can plague young clarinet players, so they get it pretty fast.
Flute, among the woodwinds, has it tough: they have the tricky embouchure, plus they have all these weird cross fingers (bet you never thought of your right hand pinky so much), not to mention they are crossing their break between 2-3. (Actually, I think this big hurdle right away is a great introduction to the flute and the digit gymnastics that are required.)
So here's my plan. I've created a pre-method book method book. It's a little 10 page thing with assembly diagrams and fingering charts, etc. HOWEVER, the first notes are not 1-5 of concert Bb; they are 5-8. After we learn those notes, THEN we go to the method book and learn 1-5. After about a month, all players will be able to play a complete concert Bb scale.
This actually makes life easier for flute and alto sax who will just have to pick up their fingers. Then they get to the tough stuff in the book. Brass get's a little workout early on, and it's my hope that this will give them some extra strength early on to tackle those high notes (some beginners seem terrified of that 3rd space). Then they get the easy stuff in the book.
BUT, what to do with clarinets? At first I thought, I'll just start them down an octave to get their right hand working on sealing holes right away (players don't even need their right hand for the first 4-5 pages but to hold up the horn). But then, when they learn 1-5 in the book, they'll have to play a broken concert Bb scale. I'd much rather have them play the whole thing up and down.
SOOOOO, here's my question again (if you've made it this far): If I start kids on 5-8 of concert Bb, can beginners begin on 2nd-space G and go up to C, crossing the break right away (using rh down, of course)?
Phwew, thanks! I have a couple months to mull this over, but I'd appreciate your input.
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Author: ron b
Date: 2005-06-23 06:12
My one 'student' was playing over the break by his third/fourth week. Jay. So, from personal experience I'd say a beginner could easily become familiar with the break by the fourth or fifth session -- maybe sooner... I just didn't think of him trying it until he got used to covering the holes well. I don't know of any set rules or pattern. My inclination is to let them do what they can handle as soon as they can. Your 'plan' sounds as good as anyone's. Sure... why not? Get goin' from the get-go 
- r![[cool]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/cool.gif) n b -
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Author: John O'Janpa
Date: 2005-06-23 14:43
The lower 5-8 should be no problem, but many (not all) will have problems crossing the break from 6-7. The difficulty may cause some of the students to decide clarinet isn't for them, if you hit them with it before their embouchures are ready, and they are still working at sealing the holes. Those having problems would probably benefit from playing a broken scale for a while.
I'm not an instructor, just a person who had a devil of a time getting across the break when I started.
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Author: Rick Williams
Date: 2005-06-23 15:19
The only thing that occurs to me as a player and non-teacher is that "if" you start a student crossing the break before a student has everything else down pat you are setting them up to become jerky when crossing the break by forcing an embouchure change or tensing up. I had that issue and wouldn't wish it on anyone.
Best
RW
Best
Rick
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Author: Doug
Date: 2005-06-23 18:37
In response to going "over the break". I would very much appreciate in
getting a copy of your method. I taught six clarinets in elementary school
last year. Hour lessons were every two weeks during the school year. The method I used was to have the student play low C and then play down the clarinet to low E and upon getting a reasonably good tone, press the register key to get middle B. From this point I had the student
play C and D. Three of the six got this fairly quickly, and the other three, who did not work at it took much longer. After getting this under their fingers, I had the students practice from open G to middle D up and back down several times. Three years ago, I was teaching middle school clarinet and sax, using the school's Standards of Excellence books. Last year I was using the school's Yahama books. For my private students, I use Galper Method Book. It is by far the best instruction book on the market. My students using the Galper method are miles ahead of the school kids. I will be returning to the elementary school this fall and would
like to see your method.Will pay you for your copying, postage and your time.
[ Please conduct any further business transactions off-line. Thanks - GBK ]
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Author: Dee
Date: 2005-06-24 11:23
Getting the holes completely covered would be a major thing to consider when you are working with kids. Many of them have skinny little fingers, which means they have to learn to cover the holes perfectly to get those notes just above the break to come out. Keep in mind that the holes for the right hand notes are larger than those for the left hand. This is one of the reasons that clarinet method books start with the notes on the left hand and work down to the bottom before tackling the next register of the clarinet. Once the student has a good solid sound on the low notes, this indicates that they have pretty well learned to keep the holes covered properly and so are ready for the upper register.
Keeping the holes properly covered is even a problem sometimes for adult beginners though not as often or to as great a degree.
Other woodwinds don't have this hole coverage issue. Basic saxes and flutes have the plates to cover the holes. Oboes have much smaller holes.
Other elements also enter the mix. For example, since saxes are a conical bore, single reed instrument, it is very easy to make the notes in the next octave speak. It is so easy, that it is the lowest three notes on a sax are actually difficult to play.
To me, it does not make sense to have a "band class" for the first year of band. It would be much better to have "like instrument" classes or "similar instrument" classes for a year and then bring them together into a band in subsequent years. This way the unique issues for the instruments can be better addressed. But this would probably meet resistance from parents and the school board.
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2005-06-24 15:53
Mazzeo, in his book, expresses the feeling that conventional clarinet education doesn't get to the clarion register quickly enough.
Bob Phillips
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2005-06-24 16:05
This is a very interesting discussion that I'll be following...
It's possible that the clarion register isn't introduced early enough, and that could be part of the tension created when it's finally approached (sort of like teaching kids to swim at 2 months instead of 8 years of age).
But, as Abe Galper used to say, success and tone quality in the clarion register is rooted in the ability to play the chalameau beautifully.
So I wonder if it would be good to get students well rooted in the first register, then reasonably quickly get them into the clarion, and then teach the two as parallel topics at every lesson. This could be accomplished by assigning and working on exercises / tunes entirely in the chalameau to work carefully on tone and fingering (sealing tone holes, etc.) as are presented in many of the beginner books, and also assigning tunes that carry into the clarion register.
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Author: Markael
Date: 2005-06-24 16:20
I don't think the approach to this sort of thing can be "one size fits all."
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2005-06-24 17:07
The key to getting over the break, and to doing many things on the clarinet, is playing the instrument rather than the page. I wish I'd had this concept introduced to me earlier. The B just over the break is a note that fills the entire tube of the clarinet, and should be treated as such with a big, full air column. Many players, especially in early years, treat it as "yet another note that is higher still than Bb." When going from, for example, a bottom-line C to a mid-staff B, one should think DOWN, not UP.
The break is significantly easier to cross if presented with this mentality. I might even suggest that telling them "we're going to cross the break, and it's tricky" would psych them out and indeed make it more difficult.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2005-06-24 21:11
Exactly! It's actually easy to get a student to tense up, then they bite down, tighten their throat and strangle the reed while trying to get the long B. Sometimes there's even a shifting of the embouchure while trying to squeeze out the note. However when the low E or F is played and then I reach over and pop the register key, the note comes out effortlessly.
One of my teachers actually wrote a crecendo in my music where I had to play to a B or C so that I'd automatically use more air. It's a useful technique.
I remember learning how to cross the break effectively: in band we played Danse Macabre. That piece has the clarinets crossing from A to B (if I remember right) for quite awhile, and at a good clip! It was either learn to do it or drop out. One of the pieces we have in our clarinet choir has us alternating from G# to long B, and I'm always thankful for that band class.
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Author: pewd
Date: 2005-06-24 21:38
fwiw, i get them to the point where the low e and f are clean - well supported, good air column. start on open G and work down. then once they can play low e properly, i teach a 1 octave F scale. once thats accomplished, you have them add the register key to get the 2nd octave C scale. i have most of them over the break by late november. (we start in august)
i really don' t like putting them over the break until they have good air support, and have learned to cover the tone holes properly, and get the hand position set. otherwise i feel you set them up for too many problems that have to be corrected later if they go high too early. they also need to learn to use a tuner and play the lower notes in tune first - nothing worse than high notes played out of tune. fwiw, i don't know any private teachers that start them over the break immediately as jay suggests.
the question about beginning band vs like instrument classes is interesting. you have to get them together at some point in the year as a band, or they become bored. but if you start them right off the bat in a band class and not in like instrument classes they miss many of the fundamentals unique to each instrument. most of the schools i teach in start them in like instrument classes, combining for the first time as a band in december for a holiday concert. then back to clarinet class after new years, combining again after spring break for a contest and spring concert.
this seems to me to be the best approach.
you could make an argument for having 2nd year students in like instrument classes for the first few weeks after school resumes in the fall - correct all the weird habits they pick up over the summer. many of the 2nd year clarinet students come back from break with all sorts of embouchure issues, from not playing over the summer. throw them straight into full band and those problems never get fixed for some of them.
a few students i've seen that start in schools where they start in full band, without like instrument classes, have lots of issues - they've missed many of the fundamentals. you need to concentrate on developing good tone, proper hand position, and getting them to play in tune. work on the funamentals, and not on playing in a band the first 6 months and you'll end up with much better clarinet players in the long run. e.g., teach the instrument and dont worry about what scale or range they can play the first few months - dont teach specific music, teach the instrument to get them started right.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: allencole
Date: 2005-06-25 15:43
The band book that I am most familiar with, Standard of Excellence, has the timing about right, I think.
The ability to seal the holes has already been mentioned here, and this is a problem for some kids. I normally try to get a low F scale out each student in the first lesson or two, but some are just not ready physically. I would be very interested to hear from anyone with a 100% success rate on this.
Also, muscles do need to be at least somewhat built up to play effectively in the clarion. In theory, a kid who can blow and who can seal the holes should be able to get around up there, but remember that beginning an instrument is a complex task for the learner where it's easy to overload on distractions.
I think that time is better spent in the chalemeau register, where there are a number of complete scales executable, and room for the kids to feel their way around musically.
THE DEADLY BREAK ISSUE
The clarinet's big problem with the break is different in nature than with the other instruments, because it requres their left index finger to move instantly from the A-key to the E-ring as they go from A to B (or B-flat to C). Most kids start off trying to use the same part of the finger for both functions and the transition time between the two positions can cause the horn to choke up as the break is crossed.
I suggest tackling this in the following ways:
1 - Very early on, have them play back and forth slurred between first-line E and second-space A. I have them do it in the sequence E-A-E-A-E, as rapidly as possible. This is the signature motif from "The Good, The Bad & The Ugly" and many of them may recognize it as a familiar cliche. Executing this lick slurred forces them to find another place on their finger (hopefully the thumb side of their first joint) with which to press the A key. This little exercise also helps teach them to make their motion with the wrist, rather than strictly with the fingers. (we do this for fun and challenge as early as possible, not waiting for the spectre of the break to start looming)
I also provide them a sheet with the music to the main theme, which is pretty easy to play outside of its signature lick. On the same sheet, I give them the first section of the Cantina Band song from Star Wars which is something they're not really ready for, but seem always willing to hack at. Of course, the E-A-E-A-E in Cantina Band is not slurred, but at least it gets them playing the notes if Spaghetti Westerns don't float their boat.
2 - Once they're ready, and have a little experience with the Clarion register, remember that playing A to B is much harder than playing B to A. This maneuver represents a complete exchange of their fingers. I would work on playing B-A-B, because the A fingering is very easy, but the B fingering involves a lot of conscious thought for a kid if it hasn't been set up already. Perhaps a next step would be to work the C scale from the top as C-B-A-B-C, etc. Using these methods you may be able to, as Stanley Drucker advises, make all this seem perfectly natural without planting the issue of "the break" in the student's mind.
Also be aware that on the clarinet you can keep your right hand completely down on all notes from second-line G to third-line B-flat. Working the B-A-B thing is a great opportunity to introduce this idea if it's helpful to the student. (if it's NOT helpful at the time, don't push it too hard--a lot of early fingering problems may be better solved by good rhythm)
A secondary problem between A and B is the difference in blowing resistance between the two. This will seem particularly acute to the puffers in your class. This is a great opporunity to sell and demonstrate breath support, and clarinet players who try it will see a real difference in how they get from A to B. (you are already doing this somewhat if you have them blow B before going to A)
You will also encounter some problems with the left thumb being shared by the register key and the F-ring. This comes from an attempt by the kids to hold the left thumb vertically and often covering way too much of the register key. It may manifest itself in the A-B situation as a difficulty in reaching the B-key with the left pinkie, or as difficulty in sealing the thumb hole. The player's left wrist will be bent like he or she is doing push-ups, and their fingers will be angled as if hanging from a ledge. Encourage as much as you can to have the left thumb approach the F-ring from the side or at least from more of an angle, and the wrist to have a convex curve to it.
So the short answer is no, most students aren't ready to go over the break. I've had a couple of bright ones do clarion in their first lesson, but clarion and chalameau tended to function as two different rooms with no door between them.
Allen Cole
Post Edited (2005-06-25 16:16)
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