 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: psychotic lil clarinet girl (don't as
Date: 2005-08-10 21:34
I dunno. During a piano lesson, my piano teacher was telling me that if I did these finger stretches (Basically for my 3rd 4th and 5th fingers), that I would be able to play faster. So, could that possibly hold true for the clarinet as well? The stretch was just holding all fingers down, and alternating the 3rd and 4th or 4th and 5th while still holding the rest down.
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Author: bflatclarinetist
Date: 2005-08-10 21:44
My stretches before I play are: stretch my arms and shoulders, then rotate my wrists, and warm up my fingers by opening and closing them until it starts to burn. This seems to work for me so I'm more comfortable.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2005-08-10 21:56
I don't see speed as a matter of flexibility. I mean, how much do your fingers have to stretch to begin with? They only primarily need to be able to move up a centimeter or so to play the instrument.
Flexibility in the fingers I think would be more important on an instrument where you need to literally STRETCH your fingers apart to hit certain intervals or distances with as little actual arm movement as possible (piano, guitar, other stringed instruments, etc.)
I find that my fingers can play MORE than fast enough. It's my tonguing and lack of technique that hold ME back from super fast scales, arpeggios, etc.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2005-08-10 22:00
For me, the most effective warmup stretch (with many thanks to Lucas Harris, who has to make monster stretches to play theorbo) is "the sound of one hand clapping."
Hold your hands at about shoulder height and flap your fingers hard from the knuckles into a loose fist about 20 times. This will loosen up your muscles and stretch everything out.
Then, drop your shoulders all the way down, pick up the instrument and play with the lightest possible finger action. For downward motions, let your fingers drop by gravity, with no muscle help where you just cover a hole, and with as little muscle action as possible where you need to press a key.
Watch yourself in a mirror and eliminate all excess motion. Try to play so that people in the audience can't tell which fingers are moving.
Ken Shaw
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2005-08-10 22:13
Ken Shaw wrote:
> For me, the most effective warmup stretch (with many thanks to
> Lucas Harris, who has to make monster stretches to play
> theorbo) is "the sound of one hand clapping."
>
> Hold your hands at about shoulder height and flap your fingers
> hard from the knuckles into a loose fist about 20 times. This
> will loosen up your muscles and stretch everything out.
>
> Then, drop your shoulders all the way down, pick up the
> instrument and play with the lightest possible finger action.
> For downward motions, let your fingers drop by gravity, with no
> muscle help where you just cover a hole, and with as little
> muscle action as possible where you need to press a key.
>
> Watch yourself in a mirror and eliminate all excess motion.
> Try to play so that people in the audience can't tell which
> fingers are moving.
>
> Ken Shaw
I remember Ken describing this exercise in the past (search for the thread if you want to read the 'original' post). Start out playing slow scales, concentrating on light finger movement. It'll become more natural and engrained as time goes on.
Alexi
[EDIT] - Found it . . . http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=173032&t=173020
And another . . . http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=142746&t=142721
US Army Japan Band
Post Edited (2005-08-10 22:16)
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Author: bflatclarinetist
Date: 2005-08-10 22:44
> Hold your hands at about shoulder height and flap your fingers
> hard from the knuckles into a loose fist about 20 times. This
> will loosen up your muscles and stretch everything out.
That excercise that ken explained was my simple version of opening and closing the fingers (except this one makes me look stupid)
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2005-08-10 23:57
Quote:
> Hold your hands at about shoulder height and flap your fingers
> hard from the knuckles into a loose fist about 20 times. This
> will loosen up your muscles and stretch everything out.
That excercise that ken explained was my simple version of opening and closing the fingers (except this one makes me look stupid) If it's any consolation, I understood what you meant. It's just that we're not all as good at explaining things as Ken has proven himself to be time and time again.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2005-08-11 13:28
Flexible fingers are a great asset and exercises mentioned above are also good. However, if the fingers flex before the brain sends the signal you still have a bit of a problem. Keep your brain flexed as well with mental exercises. Think through the music before you play and do some simple memory exercises throughout the day along with your finger flexes.
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Author: 3dogmom
Date: 2005-08-11 13:58
What your piano teacher is probably getting at is that each finger needs to be able to work independently. Each finger is not equally supplied with muscles, which makes it harder for, say, your fourth finger to perform the exercise you describe. If you've ever had a multi-measure trill you find that certain fingers are more able to sustain the even motion than others.
Glad to see you back, Mary.
Sue Tansey
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2005-08-11 14:44
A thot re: finger counting. We might be generating a bit of confusion. So, as Psy Girl's teacher's numbering "seemed" to count the thumb as finger #1, then 2-5 "falling in line" its OK by me ! I believe its true [as learned], that fingers 4 and 5 are the weakest, and as we all know, the poor {oldt} # 5 's have much work to do, on my bass and alto cls in particular, they deserve much exercise IMHO. As most of us oldies know, Arthuritis is a constant companion, I observe it in the digits [in partic. in the joints of #3 's[bigs] and elsewhere, and try to exercise, often just by a good "shake", I do like Ken's routine !! I really haven't observed much slow-down, however, little speed is required in much of my bass-playing . AM thots. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: psychotic lil clarinet girl (don't as
Date: 2005-08-11 15:34
Oh. I forgot about the whole arthritis when you're older thing. I already have mild trouble with it now. But, I don't stretch my fingers out before I play (I do in the middle of my playing if it hurts badly enough). So, would doing the above stretches also prevent future arthritis, as well as allow my fingers to work independently?
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Author: BobD
Date: 2005-08-11 16:21
All in all a very refreshing ,informative and welcome exchange. I do subscribe to the idea of finger stretching as being a good idea for clarinet playing. In fact stretching the entire body is probably good too. Helps reduce tension as well as loosen up muscles and tendons. I don't know if any thing like this is good for arthritis however. One problem we older players encounter with arthritis is the sideways movement of some joints which opens up a whole new set of fingering problems.....eventually leading to considering plateau keyed instruments.
Bob Draznik
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Author: ClariBone
Date: 2005-08-11 20:18
My band director has all the woodwinds do an excersize like this: Left Hand-index finger and thumb together, while Right Hand pinkey and thumb are together. Then Left hand middle finger and thumb together, while right hand ring finger and thumb are together. Then Left hand ring finger and thumb together, while Right hand middle finger and thumb are together. Then Left hand pinky and thumb together, while right hand index finger and thumb are together. Then reverse and repeat for a while. The point is to work it up so fast that the appropriate fingers on both hands are connecting with thumbs at the same time. I think it is meant more for flute players more than clarinet, but I do it anyway 'cause its fun. I hope I made sense!!!
Clayton
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Author: Katrina
Date: 2005-08-11 21:50
I'd say rather than that your hand's flexibility being the key to faster playing, that your hand's RELAXATION would play a larger role.
Katrina
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Author: psychotic lil clarinet girl (don't as
Date: 2005-08-12 04:07
yeah. Relaxation is a big factor for me. I'm hardly ever relaxed. Especially when I try playing fast I tend to grab onto the clarinet and push down the keys harder, which is the exact opposite of what I'm supposed to do.
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Author: mkybrain
Date: 2005-08-12 05:23
"Flexible fingers are a great asset and exercises mentioned above are also good. However, if the fingers flex before the brain sends the signal you still have a bit of a problem. Keep your brain flexed as well with mental exercises. Think through the music before you play and do some simple memory exercises throughout the day along with your finger flexes."
I actually often think about scale excercises a lot during the day when I am not playing, and things such as diminished chors, all the way up and down the instrument, and scales, etc.. It actually has somehow helped me to play these besides practicing them every day. Now i don't think of the notes themselves, but the actual fingerings, or hand positions, of the notes. This obviously shouldnt be substituted for actual practice, but i think it can enhance it. I need something to think about during a math class anyway, haha.
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2005-08-12 06:38
Finger (and otherwise) stretching has greatly accelerated my recovery (at the age of 24) from tendonitis, caused, no doubt, by overplaying at a high-tension level without stretching. My special thanks to whomever it was that mentioned the Bob Anderson book a while back.
As for relaxation, in addition to stretching I've come to terms philosophically (it took a long time) with why I'm playing, what performances are for, and what I'd prefer to hear if I was in the audience (whether at a concert or on an audition panel). This, more than anything else, has made my playing much more relaxed. If the thought crosses my mind of "I'm playing this to prove something," I tense up and my technique goes to crap until I can recover. I think a great deal of tension comes from what most of us do: we put on blinders and practice our fingers off so we can play "better than" someone or something, an ever-changing, never-ending goal. A bit of a tangent for finger-stretching, I suppose, but somewhat vaguely relevant.
mkybrain: regarding exercises without actually playing, I find that is perhaps the most effective way to learn a piece of music. Countless hours of fumbling can be reduced by thoroughly studying a piece. When you get to the point of knowing "this is how the piece goes," much of the fingerwork happens automatically, significantly reducing woodshedding time. Think of the last time you played a piece in an ensemble that you'd never played before but had often heard.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: mkybrain
Date: 2005-08-12 07:27
Yes thats a good point. I sight read a difficult jazz piece easily b/c i had heard it recorded at least 20 times. It just worked. And this was transposing it an octave down(i know that isnt too difficult, but its just another factor to count in while sight reading a tenor part on clarinet).
I wonder, would writing out the piece make it easier also, since you would have gone through the time to writte down every little detail and note?
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