Author: Tom Puwalski
Date: 2006-02-20 17:14
Dave, the defacto standard of a clarinet sound in the United States has become that of a Korg tuner. I have no idea why, is it because clarinet teachers insist that one can learn to perform music without listening to music. Youngins are being taught that listening and copying fine performances are wrong, that artistically and musically you should be able to figure it out all by yourself. I have to admit, When I listen to Colin Lawson's recording of K622, he adds some great ornamentation, the next time I perform that piece, some of those will creep into my performance.
We are living in an age where it is possible to hear great music, historic performances by some of the great players of yesteryear. It is possible to hear Bonade, Harold Wright, McClane, De Santos, and a host of great European clarinetists. The easier it seems to be to hear these performances the less it seems to me that people are listening and learning.
You take your really talented Jazz alto player at a major school that teaches jazz, they know all of Bird's licks, they've listen and soaked up every recording of every sax player, since they invented recording. They've transcribed solos, and try to learn everything about the chord progression and harmonic movement of the music they can find. Meanwhile the "classical" clarinetist is trying to learn excerpts for an audition of music many hadn't ever listened to. For some reason ear training and general music skills are thought not to matter, it's really sad. Wind performance instruction in the U.S SUCKS!!!
When I was in the US Army Field band, I auditioned clarinetist some in debt for damn near $100, 000 and they couldn't cut the audition. What is wrong with this picture?
Yogi Bera once said, " You can observe a whole lot by just watchin" I say you can learn a whole lot of clarinet by just listening.
Tom Puwalski, former soloist with the US Army Field Band, Clarinetist with Lox&Vodka, and Author of "The Clarinetist's Guide to Klezmer"and most recently by the order of the wizard of Oz, for supreme intelligence, a Masters in Clarinet performance
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The Clarinet BBoard
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