 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Kevin Bowman
Date: 2000-04-19 03:53
I just sent a rather long response to a private inquiry
that was generated from this board via email. I thought
I would share my response here (because I took so much
time to compose it).
The question was (essentially), how to properly practice
long tones...
I may have posted some of this material in some form or
another in the past. But this stuff never goes out of
date
There are several ways to practice long tones that
will be beneficial. I practice long tones to
accomplish two goals:
1) embouchure development
2) control of the air stream
Long tones should be simple so that you can
concentrate on these two goals without having to
involve other technical aspects such as fingering,
tounguing, etc. You should also strive to make the
prectice of long tones interesting and varied so that
you don't get bored with them and therefore quit
doing them altogether!
So, here are some ideas:
(1) the simplest long tone study is to simply pick a
scale (a different one every day) and play each step
of the scale with a sustained tone at a medium volume.
Use your metronome and set it to 60 beats per minute.
Hold each tone for 16 counts while listening to the
tone. The tone should remain steady in quality and
volume. Variations on this study would be a) playing
each tone at a different volume (pp, p, mp, mf, f, ff).
(2) The next variation requires more control of the
airstream. With metronome still set at 60, begin each
note at pp then cresendo to ff through 8 beats and
decresendo back to pp in the next 8 beats. But don't
stop blowing - keep diminishing until you can't hear
the sound (morendo). Don't worry about keeping track
of the beats after the first 16 - just morendo as best
you can. A proper morendo will require a LOT of breath
support. And it will be much harder as you move into
the clarion register and beyond.
(3) An excellent exercise for the embouchure is to
play long tones on intervals of a 12th (the natural
harmonic interval of the clarinet). Start on Low
(chalemeau) E - hold of 4 beats, then gently press
the register key to get clarion B. In your mind,
pretend you are still playing the low E. Then move up
a half step (F to C', F# to C#', etc) until you get
to (F' to C''). Variations include adding cres/dim
dynamics and moving to the altissimo where
appropriate (e.g. Bb to F then lift LH first finger
to get alt. D - add RH Eb key, of course).
(4) Another variation on (3) is to pick a scale (a
different one each day) and play the intervals
through the scale in long tones. For example, on E
major, start on low E (4 counts), go to F# (4 counts)
the back to E (hold). Then E-G#-E, E-A-E, etc. For
two octaves. This is a study I learned from William
Stubbin's book "The Essentials of Technical Dexterity
for the Clarinet" - a book I highly recommend for
dialy warmup.
A note on picking scales each day: Once you learn all
12 major scales (and you should learn them!) simply
work up chromatically. Day 1, E. Day 2, F. Day 3, F#.
Day 4, G. Etc. I then do scale studies from a selected
method on that scale for the day (e.g. Stievenard,
Pares, Gammes, etc.). You will work through all 12
scales in 2 weeks (or less).
Last - The "correct" way to practice long tones is
ANY way that will accomplish the goals I mentioned
above. The key is to eliminate all other complexities
and just concentrate on tone. That's it. Start simple
and as your technique improves, try the variations.
Test you progress with some slow music. Is your tone
steady? Is it beautiful? Can you play with the same
"intensity" at soft and loud volumes? Do intervals
sound smooth and connected?
Have Fun.
Kevin Bowman
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Author: Margaret Copeland
Date: 2000-04-19 13:47
Just another way to practice the long tones is to use your tuner. The purpose of the tuner is not to get exactly on the note but to be able to feel the vibrations that come through your instrument when you really are in tune. Do any of Kevin's excercises - notice especially when you try the morendo what happens to your tuning on the tuner. Then feel what change that produces in your instrument. If you pitch starts to drop while the note dies away - try maintaining the speed of your airstream and reduce the pressure. Practicing like this will increase the CONTROL of your air support very quickly because you get immediate feed back. See if you can keep the needle centered. Observe what your instrument feels like. Conversely when starting notes, beginners often will blast, go sharp, and then settle to the note. By observing this on the tuner, you can prepare your breathing so you don't do that. In tune notes vibrate all the way from the bell to the reed. This is harder to feel for notes that have less keys depressed but you can still feel it. Then turn off your tuner - try again - use your tuner only to check your observations.
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2000-04-20 06:34
Additional suggestions to the questioner.
Lend from your flute players 'De la Sonorite' by the great French flutist Marcel Moyse(published from Alphonse Leduc Paris). Read the contents and understand each practice's purpose thouroughly. Almost all suggestions by Kevin are written there. But Moyse adds followings for long tone purposes.
1)Tonal equality throughout all ranges. Each tone should have the same beauty with the naturally most beautiful tone.
He suggests to start from the most beautiful tone as the reference and play the tone semitone higher and try to get the same beauty for that tone. Then try the reference tone and then play the tone a full tone higher and try the same beauty as the reference. Play like this to the highest tone you can play. This practice uses a psycological consideration:It is easier to have the same beauy the closer the tones are.
2)Embouchure moves for example to control pitch when decreshendo(in case of clarinet pitch becomes higher without embouchure adjustment). But Moyse tells you should feel your embouchre the same all the way. Namely its very slight movement should be automatical even in 3 octave interval(in case of flute).
By the way now there is a hi-tec tuner called Center Pitch.
Ordinary tuners are bothered by other 'noises' made by other players in a band room. This tuner feels the vibration of the instrument itself not sounds and it clip to the instrument lyre. You can read the indicator while playing.
As to scales, Moyse saids it is one of the 'must' to practice all 12 major scales and all 12 harmonic minor scales by memory 'every day' if you intend to become a pro in future. You can see how he recommends each day's practice routine in his book 'Exercise Jounalier' published from Alphonse Leduc Paris. Every serious flutist has this copy, why not glance it?
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2000-04-20 06:35
Additional suggestions to the questioner.
Lend from your flute players 'De la Sonorite' by the great French flutist Marcel Moyse(published from Alphonse Leduc Paris). Read the contents and understand each practice's purpose thouroughly. Almost all suggestions by Kevin are written there. But Moyse adds followings for long tone purposes.
1)Tonal equality throughout all ranges. Each tone should have the same beauty with the naturally most beautiful tone.
He suggests to start from the most beautiful tone as the reference and play the tone semitone higher and try to get the same beauty for that tone. Then try the reference tone and then play the tone a full tone higher and try the same beauty as the reference. Play like this to the highest tone you can play. This practice uses a psycological consideration:It is easier to have the same beauy the closer the tones are.
2)Embouchure moves for example to control pitch when decreshendo(in case of clarinet pitch becomes higher without embouchure adjustment). But Moyse tells you should feel your embouchre the same all the way. Namely its very slight movement should be automatical even in 3 octave interval(in case of flute).
By the way now there is a hi-tec tuner called Center Pitch.
Ordinary tuners are bothered by other 'noises' made by other players in a band room. This tuner feels the vibration of the instrument itself not sounds and it clip to the instrument lyre. You can read the indicator while playing.
As to scales, Moyse saids it is one of the 'must' to practice all 12 major scales and all 12 harmonic minor scales by memory 'every day' if you intend to become a pro in future. You can see how he recommends each day's practice routine in his book 'Exercise Jounalier' published from Alphonse Leduc Paris. Every serious flutist has this copy, why not glance it?
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2000-04-20 06:37
Additional suggestions to the questioner.
Lend from your flute players 'De la Sonorite' by the great French flutist Marcel Moyse(published from Alphonse Leduc Paris). Read the contents and understand each practice's purpose thouroughly. Almost all suggestions by Kevin are written there. But Moyse adds followings for long tone purposes.
1)Tonal equality throughout all ranges. Each tone should have the same beauty with the naturally most beautiful tone.
He suggests to start from the most beautiful tone as the reference and play the tone semitone higher and try to get the same beauty for that tone. Then try the reference tone and then play the tone a full tone higher and try the same beauty as the reference. Play like this to the highest tone you can play. This practice uses a psycological consideration:It is easier to have the same beauy the closer the tones are.
2)Embouchure moves for example to control pitch when decreshendo(in case of clarinet pitch becomes higher without embouchure adjustment). But Moyse tells you should feel your embouchre the same all the way. Namely its very slight movement should be automatical even in 3 octave interval(in case of flute).
By the way now there is a hi-tec tuner called Center Pitch.
Ordinary tuners are bothered by other 'noises' made by other players in a band room. This tuner feels the vibration of the instrument itself not sounds and it clip to the instrument lyre. You can read the indicator while playing.
As to scales, Moyse saids it is one of the 'must' to practice all 12 major scales and all 12 harmonic minor scales by memory 'every day' if you intend to become a pro in future. You can see how he recommends each day's practice routine in his book 'Exercise Jounalier' published from Alphonse Leduc Paris. Every serious flutist has this copy, why not glance it?
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Author: Kevin Bowman
Date: 2000-04-20 13:49
Yes - I forgot to mention that one of the goals of the Stubbins exercises is matching tone quality between the two notes of the scale. This becomes more difficult as the interval becomes wider. In addition, Stubbins also presents complete harmonic series studies which take you through intervals covering the entire rnage of the clarinet in each exercise. This is good ear training - you should be able to hear each note _before_ you play it.
Also, with regard to starting pitch, there is not much avoiding a slightly higher pitch at the start of a sustained note on the clarinet (particularly when a new breath has just been taken). This has something to do with the chemical composition of a "fresh" breath and it's effects on the vibration of the air column (i.e. there's a lot of physics involved). If you are interested in this phenomenon, search the archives of the klarinet list. BTW - my own experimentation has shown that the raised pitch settles down to the actual pitch very quickly (1/2 second or so).
Happy long tones
Kevin Bowman
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-04-20 15:01
Kevin Bowman wrote:
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If you are interested in this phenomenon, search the archives of the klarinet list. BTW - my own experimentation has shown that the raised pitch settles down to the actual pitch very quickly (1/2 second or so).
---------
Check the Misc section here on Sneezy to a link to Martin Pergler's paper - "The Inhalation Sharpening Effect".
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