 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Bartmann
Date: 2006-10-02 15:24
Over a year ago I started playing flute. I love baroque music and decided to expand my repertoire.
I had stopped playing clarinet every day (a practice I started 8 years ago) because of work. But when I tried playing longer on the weekends, I could only play for about 45 minutes before my embouchure gave out. So my playing was not advancing at all and I was at a musical standstill.
So I got a flute and a teacher and started learning. Because of the quick set-up and break-down time I found that if I had a free half hour, I could play for 25 minutes. So I've ended up playing more at shorter intervals. I've noticed is that my embouchure doesn't get tired like it did when I played the clarinet, so I can literally play for hours, like I did last Sunday afternoon while it rained.
What I've been doing recently is to set up both my clarinet and flute and playing the same piece of music one after the other. It's amazing to see how differently each instrument flavors the same music. So what I've been focusing on is musicality rather than clarinet or flute playing. It's a fun exercise because the instruments compliment each other so well. And while technically, my clarinet playing is at a plateau, musically it's improving.
So while I play my flute, I can rest my clarinet embouchure. Sadly after about an hour of this back and forth, I pack up my clarinet, and return to the flute for at least an hour. Kind of like going out for a run with a Weimaraner and a Scottie; after a while the scottie gets tired and I have to drop him off and continue the run with the Weimaraner.
Bartman
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Author: leonardA
Date: 2006-10-03 19:08
I am playing clarinet, flute and sax and find that I have the least endurance on the sax and the greatest on the flute, like you. I'm not sure but I think the larger sax mouthpiece fatigues the muscles quicker. I like the fact that I can multi task and practice the flute if my clarinet or sax embouchure is tired. My flute embouchure is not as consistent though if I pick the flute up after playing clarinet for any length of time, but I can at least play.
Leonard
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Author: Bartmann
Date: 2006-10-04 17:08
In addition to physical adjustments, there are musical adjustments that have to be considered when switching back and forth.
In general, much of the clarinet sound is dependent on setup: especially reed and mouthpiece. Once these two, along with breath support and opening up the throat are done, the basic sound is there. For the clarinet the greatest technique to shape phrases is largely done through volume and tempo.
When I switch to the flute, I have an additional technique to shape the phrase: vibrato. I can make the vibrato on the tonic notes only, or I can use it on sustained notes, and I can slow it down or speed it up. I can match vibrato to the rhythm: three pulses in 3/4 or four pulses in 4/4.
So after playiing the clarinet for a while, when I switch to flute and end up on a tonic note, and I find myself sustaining the note without vibrato. When this happens, I say to myself, "Hey, there's so much more you can be doing with this note."
This difference in the use of vibrato becomes very obvious when I play duets with a violin. The speed of the vibrato, while most times is intrisic to the music, has to be agreed upon.
And after a half an hour playing bucolic English flute music, I return to the clarinet, my playing has too much vibrato which has to be toned way back.
Bartman
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Author: lancer
Date: 2006-10-05 18:26
I play the flute and bass clarinet, and after playing the bass claro for awile i seen to be able to get all my notes on the flute out a lot better. after a while though i get a little tired but not much.
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