 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Bartmann
Date: 2006-04-19 18:21
Several months ago I started learning to play the flute. As an advanced amateur I wanted to learn the flute for several reasons:
1. Baroque repertoire
2. Like the sound
3. No reeds
4. Very short set-up and break-down time
5. Cute little case
6. Can't crack because of humidity issues
I am very happy with my fast pace of learning so far.
However I have noticed several highly beneficial changes to my clarinet playing.
1. I have alot more confidence with my clarinet playing. After working through an flute etude, when I play the same thing on my clarinet my head says, "you've been playing the clarinet for years. This is so easy." So going from an instrument that I am not proficient (Flute) to a highly proficient instrument (clarinet), makes the clarinet seem easy. Can you imagine.
I think the flute is an extremely good instrument for clarinetist to learn inorder to improve their clarinet playing for many reasons.
1. Short set-up time makes it a breeze to play when there's less that a 15 minute window of opportunity.
2 The flute tone is so transparent that you have to really work to get it to sound great. (I'm definitely not saying that we clarinetists don't have to work for a good sound! But the clarinet player can rely or change their setup and get a completely different sound.) So the process of using all sorts of different facial and belly muscles to create a good flute sound help to strengthen the clarinetist's palette of tonal possibilities.
3. Most music books for clarinet and piano have the piano part (with the clarinet line on the top) written in the same key as the piano. This means that don't have to go out and buy new music right away. You can play by reading from the piano parts.
4. Also the flute is cheap to buy. A sterling silver yamaha can be bought for about $800 on ebay. Which really isn't cheap. But there is not the ongoing cost of reed purchases which adds up. So buying a flute is kind of like buying a car that doesn't need gas. After the initial purchase price there are no ongoing expenses.
5. The flute and clarinet use different facial muscles so that being tired from playing one means that I can still play the other immediately afterwards.
6. The flute requires so much air. Every lungfull of air is extremely important because only half goes into the instrument to create the sound. By learning to be frugal with my flute air stream, I have become more conscious of my clarinet air flow.
7. Which brings me to the best reason to learn the flute to improve clarinet playing: endurance is lengthened. For years I could play through about 3 rose etudes for about 1 and a half hours and then my chops would be shot. Period. If I played the etudes in the morning for 1 and a half hours, I could hope to play only for 30 minutes, if I was lucky, in the evening on the same day. But for the last couple of weeks I've been getting tired at the two hour mark!
I can't imagine the flute ever usurping clarinet as my favorite instrument to play, but it has certainly helped improve my clarinet playing.
Has anyone else noticed the benefits of learning a second instrument?
Bart
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: EEBaum
Date: 2006-04-19 19:18
Odd... I'd always thought "No baroque repertoire" was a perk of the clarinet.
:P
/took up clarinet after 7 years on flute. Lots of benefits and bad habits alike carried over.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Clarinetcola
Date: 2006-04-19 20:03
I really like the "No reeds" reason!
talking about baroque repertoire, (a little off topic) try imagining a clarinet instead of an oboe in a baroque orchestra... now that sounds cool doesn't it. I wonder if there is such a recording!
Nathan
Post Edited (2006-04-19 20:04)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2006-04-19 20:56
I started playing the guitar about 15 years ago as a second instrument. I found it relaxing and very enjoyable as a distinct break from the clarinet. It's an instrument I always wanted to learn and didn't think I could, but my son (who took from a wonderful classical guitarist for years) told me he could help me. With a few instructions from him and a years of playing with a group I am able to do fairly well. I'm not classical concert level--but writing and singing a few songs and playing a little music at church. I'm glad I started when I did.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: diz
Date: 2006-04-19 22:36
Bart
Your posting is impressive, you've obviously put a lot of careful thought into the choice of the flute and sat back and analysed the pros and cons. I've been eyeing off a flute in a hock shop near my city office ... maybe this post will prompt me to step out on a limb and add another instrument to my repertoire.
My experience of playing a second, and third instrument were that they got progressively easier to get my head around. No messy learning of theory or reading required ... though I didn't stay within the family: clarinet then viola then piano.
Without music, the world would be grey, very grey.
Post Edited (2006-04-19 22:46)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: cigleris
Date: 2006-04-19 23:17
Clarinets do have Baroque repertoire, there are 4 major concertos by Molter, the 3 double concertos for 2 oboes/clarinets, as well as a handful of other stuff by composers such as Handel.
Peter Cigleris
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2006-04-20 02:34
Hi,
Want to have some real fun? Try the trombone or the bassoon. Both very noble instruments with a strong baroque heritage and a real hoot to play (proficiency in bass clef is a real great arrow to have in your quiver).
Although you may hear individuals that are a bit too purist say "you'll ruin your embouchure," we have pretty well exploded that myth on this BB.
HRL
PS Bari sax is a lot of fun as well.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Kchui999
Date: 2006-04-20 04:18
I always thought taking up flute would cure my psychotic clarinet equipment acquiration syndrome, However, my friend the flutist has been recently addicted to ebay looking at different headjoints! So as far as ongoing expenses go, i suppose they always apply when playing an instrument.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: ned
Date: 2006-04-20 05:37
''Although you may hear individuals that are a bit too purist say "you'll ruin your embouchure," we have pretty well exploded that myth on this BB.''
I would not say that I'm a purist, nor would I say that ''you'll ruin your embouchure'' but having picked up the alto sax recently to prepare for a job, I have to say (for me) the clarinet tone is certainly compromised to a degree. The mental stretch is there too, in as far as ''thinking'' in another instrument mode is concerned.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: diz
Date: 2006-04-20 06:03
bassoon is a wonderful suggestion ... but I can think of one big, related, drawback ... they cost an arm and a leg (even for a cheap one)
Without music, the world would be grey, very grey.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Phurster
Date: 2006-04-20 06:25
I had a similar experience, not with a second instrument but with dancing. I thought I would give Latin dancing a bit of a go. So I joined a beginner class. Gradually the people around me improved whilst I maintained my style of stiff, jerky, robotic type movements.
The experience taught me to be more patient with my Clarinet students who are trying unfamiliar movements.
For me, I find the flute intonation impossible to control and after a few hours Clarinet it seems very difficult to get a decent tone (on Flute).
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2006-04-20 07:15
I play clarinet, flute,sop sax,alto sax,trumpet,recorder,and harmonica.
There are vast literature for flute than clarinet.You can even find transcriptions from other instruments to flute like Mendelssohn violin concerto, and it is obviously easier to play by flute than by clarinet.
It is such a great fun to know what proffessinals in other field say like Michael Debost in his flute talk:
http://www.oberlin.edu/faculty/mdebost/
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-04-20 07:50
I had some good advice from a flautist - aim to sound like an oboe!
In that he meant get that nice bright, broad reedy sound in the lower register rather so it cuts through (as the low register on the flute is the weaker part of it's range), than that hollow, empty sound that some people make.
Not knocking oboes though, they are fantastic as long as you have a compliant reed that suits the style of playing you're doing - the problems start when the reeds decide to pack up on you.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2006-04-20 08:28
Good flutists can easily increase or decrease higher harmonics in a tone. If increased it becomes like an oboe tone and if decreased it becomes near pure tone.To strengthen the low note they increase harmonics. But if it's too much, it sounds like a bleat of a goat, which is rather indecent.
To learn this flutists exercise like this: without changing a given fingering in the lowest range, try to emit 6 higher notes i.e. an octave,12 degs,15degs,17degs,19degs,and 21degs above the note. Although it may depend on flute making, ordinary flutists can emit 5 at least.
'A modern guide to fingerings for flute' by James J.Pellerite is a good resource, where above exercise is described since it is essential for alternative fingerings.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-04-20 09:02
On flute I've been practicing long low tones and increasing the amount of higher harmonics present to find the right tone and embouchure needed, but for me the hardest register to conquer is the upper register - it's getting the clarity of tone and crispness of articulation from around the upper register E up to C, but the altissimo register speaks with ease (Yamaha 674), though it's a touch on the sharp side, as much as a quarter tone sharp up top if played fresh from the box.
But I've sorted the intonation by moving the headjoint cork 2mm away from the embouchure hole (19mm - the same diameter as the bore as opposed to 17mm as dictated by the cleaning stick which is the diameter of the headjoint at the centre of the embouchure hole) and this has worked wonders (by checking the octaves, playing G, D and A in each register), as well as having the headjoint pulled out by 2-3mm has evened up the intonation, but that's alright as long as the flute player next to you has sorted out their intonation as well, and chances are they haven't if they're not all that clued up!
I mentioned this to another flautist (of worth) by chance, and it turns out he's done exactly the same thing with his flute - so it looks like I'm in good company.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2006-04-20 09:40
Yamaha flute has an intonation problem,easily remedied by your method provably coming from its headjoint shortness. There is an interesting column written by Trevor Wye under the title 'The Intonation of Modern Flutes'.
http://www.larrykrantz.com/wyept2.htm
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-04-20 10:05
Yeah, the headjoint is definitely much shorter with their Type 4 scale - when compared to the older Yamaha headjoints you'll see there's a clear difference in length.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2006-04-20 10:51
Now that we have a Flute BBoard, please use it when going into very flute-specific discussions. You can always re-start the discussion there and put a link to the flute BBoard from the Clarinet BBoard.
Mark C.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Cuisleannach
Date: 2006-04-21 01:11
I second the trombone idea........there are few wind instruments that will get you listening more. The trombone is a lot more intuitive than the rest of the brass instruments, at least for me. Trombone can carry over into Renaissance sackbutt...the only of the brass instruments in the "bas" category...instruments that were properly played indoors. Incidentally, the "bas" instrumentalists (recorderists, luetinists, and other quiet "ists" were considered to belong to the household, while the "haut" instrumentalists (trumpeters, shawm players, horns) belonged to the stable. Thus, a certain class distinction arose that, in my mind, still exists today.
-Randy
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2006-04-21 02:42
Mark wrote:
"Now that we have a Flute BBoard, please use it when going into very flute-specific discussions. You can always re-start the discussion there and put a link to the flute BBoard from the Clarinet BBoard."
I went hunting for this Flute Board.
My desktop for the Clarinet forum takes me straight to "The Clarinet BBoard", i.e. http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/list.html?f=1 , from which I can find no reference to a flute forum.
So I tried shortening the address in my browser to http://test.woodwind.org , and then clicked on "Flute", where I got the following message:
"Sorry! The Woodwind.Org site is undergoing a major revision and is currently split over 2 servers. It will be a while before everything has been reorganized and working correctly again. Please bear with me during this time. The page you were looking for is probably still at http://www.woodwind.org. Mark Charette, Webmaster"
I finally tried typing in www.woodwind.org
This gives a heading "Clarinet Pages", and no reference to a flute forum. So I followed the instruction given by Mark, and clicked on "Bulletin Board" (which I assumed, under the clarinet heading, would take me to the clarinet forum.
Ah! Ata last I found the elusive flute forum and others, which I did not know existed.
I cannot be the only person oblivious to the nooks and crannies accessed only in certain ways. May I suggest that some of the messages and headings could be a little more helpful.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2006-04-21 03:11
Gordon (NZ) wrote:
> Mark wrote:
>
> "Now that we have a Flute BBoard, please use it when going into
> very flute-specific discussions. You can always re-start the
> discussion there and put a link to the flute BBoard from the
> Clarinet BBoard."
There was a rather large announcement recently.
Click on Avail. Forums
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: ned
Date: 2006-04-21 04:04
''
There was a rather large announcement recently.''
Thanks.......I have just had a look ......I didn't see the announcement either.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2006-04-21 14:16
On the Clarinet BBoard, on the Klarinet mailing list, the Clair mailing list, and the Doublereed mailing list.
Along with a new entry on the menus.
That's as large as it gets. If you'd like to make it "larger" by announcing in other places, be my guest.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2006-04-21 22:42
If it was in the bulletin board and had "flute" in the heading I should have noticed it. I must have been absent fro a few days, or I am blind.
The word "flute" would have drawn my attention, but I look at only about 1/20 of the threads - only those that seem of interest.
Post Edited (2006-04-21 22:43)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bartmann
Date: 2006-04-24 20:53
I've just discovered something else I like about the flute. No embouchure decay!
I was away on business so couldn't practice my clarinet or flute.
When I came back on Saturday the first thing I did was pick up my clarinet and play. But my chops were shot after a half an hour. So I picked up the flute and played for about two hours.
I am so amused and slightly bewildered that I've dedicated thousands of hours playing the clarinet. Yet only after a couple of months of playing the flute I can play it longer than my first instrument. Yikes!
I guess next business trip I'll bring my clarinet along so I can keep up with my flute playing.
Bart
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
