 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: SuzyQ
Date: 2005-09-22 04:21
I am quite distressed. I seem to have "forgotten" all about my clarinet the last 4 months. I take it with me to band practice but has been seeing the light of day barely even 2 times of week.
I really do love the clarinet. Everytime I play it my heart cries for my past dreams I had. But, I'm in such disrepair that playing it only makes me downcast about my now backslidden skills. I can not stop leaking air; the scales I once knew now refuse to slide under my fingers. Every note I play is lifeless and tinny. The clarinet which I purchased last March seems to have totally changed personality. Total sharpness glares me in the face at every turn. I am disappointed. with myself , with my clarinet and with my reeds.
How do I bring back my dreams? How do I practice again with out falling apart because what I "can't do" anymore? Please...what does one do in such a dire situation?
clarinetist at heart forever,
Suz
--edited for spelling--
Post Edited (2005-09-22 04:22)
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Author: psychotic lil clarinet girl (don't as
Date: 2005-09-22 05:18
As my teacher once said, be more analytical when it comes to the clarinet.
Sure... put emotion into it while you are playing, but if you make a mistake or have bad tone think of what you are doing wrong and fix it.
Don't be all emotional about it, because that will get you nowhere.
Haha... because I'm too emotional about everything.
You don't get sad when you can't figure out a math problem, do you? You sit there and try to figure it out until you get it. Same with the clarinet. It's all in the mind.
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Author: ron b
Date: 2005-09-22 07:54
From personal experience I found that NOT working so hard at it made a big difference. After many, many years of not playing at all, it was at first quite discouraging. In time however, it came back... BUT it didn't happen over night. It takes time and there's just no way around that process.
I believe Mary has given us an excellent summary of what it takes to make a comeback. Take your time, take it easy (and, I'd like to add)... have fun 
- r![[cool]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/cool.gif) n b -
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Author: allencole
Date: 2005-09-22 14:56
You have to take one thing at a time. If you haven't been practicing, you can't expect to instantly regain your former skills.
Start reconstructing your scales, one at a time, and blow out loud and clear. Play it with great emotion. Like the actor who makes the audience cry reading names from the phone book. This will exercise your embouchure as well as your fingers. Keep it slow so that you avoid mistakes, and you'll feel your fingers take on a life of their own again.
Just one scale per day--and then read some music that involves that scale.
In a week's time you will be able to play in a number of keys and will be ready to relax and shop through some songbooks.
Don't try to accelerate this process. Work one day at a time and solve one problem at a time.
Allen Cole
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2005-09-22 15:17
Having a bit of Scotch in my ancestry etc, I've tried for years to discover possible relationships of two family names, associated with Robert The Bruce of the early 1300's revolts against England. The movie "Braveheart" portrays this turbulent period very well. Back to SuzyQ and the Clarinet, the "patient spider" story re: the imprisoned Bruce watching "web reconstruction" , which ?led? to his successes, still motivates me. Try it, please, it may help. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: bryris
Date: 2005-09-22 16:07
One thing to remember is that the clarinet is just a piece of wood. It only responds to physics, and nothing more. So, think physics...think mouth pressure, tongue technique, etc. Get your chops back, to where you can make the thing sound good again. Then, pour the emotion into it. Its tough to pour emotion in when you can't get it to sound right in the first place.
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Author: Gandalfe
Date: 2005-09-22 18:57
If it was easy, everyone would do it and you probably wouldn't find it interesting. Enjoy the journey.
Jim and Suzy
Pacifica Big Band
Seattle, Washington
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Author: bflatclarinetist
Date: 2005-09-22 20:23
I hope you get back on track again! I've been off track like you a couple times. I didn't like my tone on these thirds so I practiced the same notes (believe it or not) repetively for 2 hours and got really fustrated cause I got barely anywhere. But whatever you do never give up! Keep striving for your dreams! It might take you a while to be where you once were but once you are you'll be flying! lol and happy that you didn't quit!
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2005-09-22 21:08
Maybe if you're really getting fed up with your technique, find a piece of music that is NOT very technical. Maybe a very lyrical piece. One that is slow and emotional, and wor' on putting as much emotion as you can into it. While you won't be exercising your scales and arpeggios, etc., it'll be an exercise in interpretation and tone. So hopefully it'll ease the mind a bit. Then go BAC' to the scales.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: BassClarinetGirl
Date: 2005-09-22 21:22
Whenever I get frustrated playing clainet, or in anything, I always try to end on a positive note. (Er, no pun intended!) If I'm frustrated with a particularly hard passage, I tend to work on it for a long time and then want to quit when it's not working out. But instead of quitting, I always try to go to an different piece or passage that I know I can play well, and play through it once, just so that I don't end my practice time with bad feelings toward my clarinet (or reeds, or music...).
Becca
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Author: Gretchen
Date: 2005-09-22 21:48
Sounds like you're being too picky for the stage you're in at the moment. When you take a lot of time off, and you are "rusty", DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF! I encourage you to play short, fun, melodic tunes that you really enjoy playing. Try sightreading, or transcribe your favorite songs, and think of "singing through your horn." Play scales in a melodic manner, as if they were the most beautiful notes you've ever played. SING!! Just get yourself used to playing, and enjoying it again. The finger technique will return eventually, once you learn to relax and just let time get you back into shape.
What's your rush, anyway?? You preparing for something? In my experience, when it's fun to JUST PLAY, scales seem easier, the notes don't seem so shrill, and everything works better because you're enjoying yourself.
have FUN!!
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Author: leonardA
Date: 2005-09-25 08:46
In addition to all the other good advice here I would take it in and let a tech check it out. There could be a small problem mechanically with it that is making things difficult for you. This has happened with me before. Stay with it.
Leonard
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Author: ClariBone
Date: 2005-09-25 16:37
SuzyQ
I know how you feel, as I too went through a time where my playing didn't satisfy me. So, I'll share with you what someone once told me, "Man up Nancy!!". This rather blunt comment was all it took to get me back on task. It helped me to practice more, and work on the little stuff with the bigger picture in mind. And more importantly it helped me to stop sulking and put hard effort into improving my playing.
Good Luck, and never give up!!
Clayton
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Author: allencole
Date: 2005-09-25 22:35
Remember this as you strive to solve your problems. If you go to the Emergency Room with an injury, do you want the people there to gush all over you, or do you want them to get to work and fix your problem?
I would choose the latter, and you have to be really matter-of-fact about this when practicing. If you really care about what you're doing you'll never be 100% satisfied--but you can still make some pretty good music on your way there.
Allen Cole
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Author: SuzyQ
Date: 2005-09-25 23:08
Wow! You all were indeed an encouragement. Thank you for your replies.
I've actually looked forward to the playing/practicing since I've read your replies!
Things are still far from ideal, but with your message of "Man up" "Enjoy it" and Allen Cole's advice for reconstructing my practice time I have more strength to keep pressing with my clarinet.
You know what? Sometimes with just a little encouragement, lost dreams do return!
Suz
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Author: Miyoko Clarinetti
Date: 2005-09-27 01:07
Well, don't fret over it, if you do, more problems would come. You have to stay calm, but the real key to music is to be dedicated, try a basic scale and maybe find a clarinet book and use it. If you try hard enough, your technique will come back. Try to just think your back to yourself when you plaayed the clarinet more often, something like this happened to me a little while ago. I stopped playing for three days because I lost hope in playing (my scales were absolutely terrible for some reason) then on saturday during clarinet lessons, I couldn't play six scales!
But then I began to practice my audition song for the wind ensemble in my school before my lesson ended for the day and near the end of the cadenza I really felt this sudden rush of determination, in my mind I said, "I want them to hear my feelings for music, I want them to know I want to get in" and suddenly I played at my best!
I hope I wasn't too late to reply...
hang in there!
-miyoko
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Author: Ken Mills
Date: 2005-09-28 02:03
Dear SuzyQ: It is hard to sit down and make yourself feel creative every darn day when you practice. So take the other route, be a music listener too -- but when you are practicing! Just listen to the display of beauty of Mother Nature. The 12 note system is a natural fact, so enjoy the natural arts. Guess what? There is no contradiction in Nature -- though plenty of aggravation -- that is a long ways from saying that Nature contains meaning or purpose, but the natural arts offer a good vacation from ordinary life.
Take the C major scale but call it the A natural minor to use interchangeably with the A harmonic minor and do minor key harmony: its dominant is E7alt to get the F melodic minor scale which in turn has a dominant diminished of the E diminished scale; so go E diminished to F melodic minor to resolve to the A natural or harmonic minor scales. Just keep repeating this before you graduate to another key. The Bb melodic minor and C melodic minor can also be justified to go to those big two A minor scales with their attendant diminished dominant scales. That is all I know of minor key harmony, suitable for your mood indeed. Ken in San Francisco
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Author: Ah Clem
Date: 2005-09-29 18:50
SuzyQ,
Don't stop. Don't give up. I have the dubious condition that causes me to think that I can teach myself how to do this and I still try-almost every day for three months.
I started watching the Ken Burns Jazz video again a few days ago-that is providing me with a great deal of inspiration.
Good luck to you.
Ah Clem
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