 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: SVClarinet09
Date: 2008-02-11 23:51
For my all state audition in early March, I have to play the Rose Caprice 4 from the Artistic Studies book (pg 84). In measure 70, you have an arpeggio(sort of?) on the 3 and 4th beats with the sextuplets. It calls for a slur from an A right above the staff to middle C. I can usually play this at tempo but it's no where near as smooth as I want it to sound in comparison to a reference recording I have. Any voicing or things I could/am supposed to do to get this to come out cleaner?
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Author: davidsampson
Date: 2008-02-12 02:58
I usually open my throat a lot while slurring big jumps (12ths and more) from clarion to chalumeau on bass. Not sure if that transfers to the Bb but you can try it. Drop your jaw and voice 'ah' on the way down.
Post Edited (2008-02-12 02:59)
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Author: Arnoldstang
Date: 2008-02-12 12:08
That is a difficult slur. Try removing the register key on the high note to prepare... make sure you have enough mouthpiece in your mouth. No easy fix here as the high register wants to hang on. Practice slurring, glissing very slowly...no register key for either note, paying attention to the join....slur up and slur down.
Freelance woodwind performer
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2008-02-12 23:54
Sort of along the same lines, I'm just curious what option would be best . . . (so I can apply it to other scenarios)
If for some reason this poster doesn't work up the slur a smoothly as they'd like, would be a better option to lightly tongue it and hope they either don't hear it or at least it comes out nicely, or do it "as written" even if they are sure that part will sound badly?
I would say it'd be better to tongue lightly and have a nice sound than continue with a bad slur. But I'm wondering what others would think (especially those who are/have been judges for events/auditions)
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2008-02-13 00:17
It’s easier to show one how to “voice” this but since you’re there and I’m here I’ll try to explain it. First you must have perfect finger coordination so the register key and the other fingers are in perfect sink with each other, and it needs to be done in a “legato” finger technique, very gentle. Then you need to “voice” down properly. That means coordinating the voicing and finger movement too. Try saying “hee haw”, the haw part is voicing down, the back of your throat sort of drops, perhaps the back of the tongue drops too as well as the larynx. You could practice voicing down first to get the feelings and then practice coordinating with your fingers. It is possible to do this with out tonguing the C lightly but make sure you only slightly relax your embouchure while doing it so you don’t go flat and lose focus. If all else fails, you could “break” the air colum, but only slightly and gently. I told you it was easier to demonstrate it in person. ESP
www.peabody.jhu.edu/457
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Author: JessKateDD
Date: 2008-02-13 09:57
Interesting answers - I pulled the book off the shelf and looked it up - the interval in question is only a sixth. It's from an A just above the staff to a third space C. In light of this fact, all of the advice about the register key and tonguing the low note seems off the mark.
I think the OP should just slowly slur between the two notes over and over again until the interval is clean. The C not speaking immediately is probably due to too much throat tension while playing the A.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2008-02-13 21:27
I didn't have that book available when I wrote the above anwser and thought you were talking about going down to the "lowest" C on the clarinet. Everything I said above still holds, you just don't have to concern yourself so much about "voicing" because going down the 6th should not be much of a problem. The finger action and coordination still is the advise. ESP
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2008-02-14 16:02
When you change registers, Charles Neidich says that you need to change voicing. That is, you adjust the position of your tongue, your soft palate and even your larynx to force, or at least aid, the reed to vibrate in another mode (overtone).
For more, go to http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=20&i=757&t=757 and then to the section halfway through, "TECHNICAL DIGRESSION: The clarinet overtone series and voicing."
To get the feeling of how to do this, use Neidich's exercises and also the swab-in-the-bell exercise I posted at http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=158954&t=158878.
There was an interesting article in the Science Section of last Tuesday's New York Times (for February 12, 2008) about research on playing overtones on the saxophone. It said that expert players set the tongue, jaw, pharynx, larynx and glottis to resonate at the frequency of the desired overtone. However, this works best (or perhaps only) only in the altissimo. See http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/12/science/12sax.html?scp=3&sq=saxophone&st=nyt.
If the interval SVClarinet09 asks about is clarion A (first ledger line above the staff) to low C (first ledger line below the staff), voicing can help a little, but, as the NY Times article said, the technique works best when going in and out of the altissimo.
Everyone has trouble slurring down from the clarion to the lower chalumeau. I've found that the only reliable way to do it is to barely brush the reed tip with the tip of my tongue. Practice by moving your tongue but just missing the reed. Then move it closer and closer, to make the slightest possible "tic," perhaps (depending on your anatomy) a the reed corner.
Ed Palanker is an important player and teacher and has given wonderful advice. If SVClarinet09 still has trouble, the next step is to go to a teacher who can show him one-on-one how to solve the problem.
Ken Shaw
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