 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Justin
Date: 2000-05-21 23:52
On a completely unrelated note to my last post, does anyone know some exercises that will improve my playing at high speed? I can play my chromatic scale up to C (havn't started on altissimo yet) and back down in quarter notes at about 120 on my metronome, but I don't have the finger coordination to do anything remotely resembling a tune.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: paul
Date: 2000-05-22 15:33
Well, there are lots of technical studies on scales that, if you work them to develop smoothness over speed, you will absolutely shock yourself at how much speed you will pick up. Let me explain from an adult novice's perspective.
Take almost any fundamental scales drill book (Albert's 24 Scales, Baermann III edited by Hite, etc.) and start at page one. Work on the drills, starting at the top of the page, and don't move off the drill until you can play it with great liquid-like smoothness. Make the notes blend into each other like a silk ribbon would float on a spring breeze, flowing and floating in a series of easy to see curves. Keep on working them over and over for smoothness without a care about the speed.
When you have the first page of drills down slowly but smoothly, go to the next page of drills and work on those for smoothness and not speed. Ditto for the next page and the next page. If you can work smoothly at only 40 beats per minute, but you are liquid smooth, so be it. Smooth comes first. But keep working at it, never exceeding your own speed for smoothness.
I personally work on only one drill page a day from Hite's Baermann III for the first half of my hour's worth of daily practice. I spend quality time on that one drill page only. Many times, I'll spend the entire 30 minutes on just one challenging drill or even a few measures in one drill. Then, I move onto standard etudes for 15 to 20 minutes. I finish up with "fun" music out of fake books for about 10 minutes or so.
Over the years, I've gained a solid foundation of skill and I've gradually picked up the pace of accurate and smooth playing. If my accuracy or smoothness degrade, I slow down the pace to the point to where I'm smooth and accurate again.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: larry
Date: 2000-05-22 19:39
My two cents: I would start at the beginning of the Kroepsch studies one key at a time. Spend a week on each. Start very slowly and then gradually increase the speed. These are good for finger dexterity. Then I'd recommend some more melodious etudes in the same key if possible (like Rose, Cavallini) and proceed the same way: first slow, then moderate, etc. After that, do the Nielsen Concerto!
Remember though not to neglect other aspects of your playing just for the sake of speed - intonation, tone quality, articulation... these may be more important.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Tim2
Date: 2000-05-23 00:33
Paul and Larry make a good point. Speed is not the one and only goal. All the aspects of your playing are important.
Those Kroepsch studies are good, they go through all the keys. There are many short studies in each key. I think most of them are like 8 to 16 measures long.
Technique will come as you grow. Get the Baerman scales and take a page at a time with those. What ever scale book you choose, evenness and clear tone through averything that gets played is important. The Rose 40 studies or 32 etudes or the Cavallini Caprices are all good. Even the studies by Rudolf Jettel if you want to learn something more outside the realm of regular scales and keys. But what ever you choose, work slow, listen to your sound. That's the biggest thing. Nobody wants to listen to a bad sounding clarinet. A good sound will carry you a long way.
And if you already have that, then by all means, keep the sound up and work on technique. (You never really work on just one thing, though, technique, sound, articulation, pitch, the musical aspects of what you are playing....) good luck.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2000-05-23 05:58
Opperman's book 'Modern Clarinet Fingering Execises' is recommended. I think he also wrote Grand Veleocity studies.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2000-05-23 06:58
Sequential tones' fingerings are easy. Difficult fingerings are those for sets of tones 'at random'. Opperman's exercise purpose is this.
Professionals are required to play all scales and chords such as chromatic scales,all major scales,harmonic minor scales,diminished seventh,fifth etc. Points are 'by memory' and to be able to start from 'any' tone. Many teachers lament that many advanced players cannot play these basics by Memory,saying it is like building a house by an amateur carpenter.
Everyday,each scale should be played from a different place. Good teacher can tell what is 'productive' exercise.
It is nonsense to play an exercise without knowing its concrete object. Take another example. Long tones. Play them on whole range of tones and various volumes.
Bad exercises even make us worse day by day.
This is what I learned after more than 25 years of exercising clarinet,and flute. It is no use to cry over a spilt milk...
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
