 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Marcuin
Date: 2008-02-16 18:58
Hello!
I try to find good way to be in good form...
The worst thing for me is my lip. I'm playing every day about 4 hours. After toward 3 hours the lip starts to sting me. I'm not playing all along, but with a pauses. Will my lip harden? Maybe I should begin play shorter and with longer pauses?
By the way...
Maybe i want to play to long for now? I played every day about 3 hours, but last month i try to practice loner.
The best clarinetists practise 8 hours and they are not complaining .
If I copied the topic please give me a link.
I know my english is bad, but I hope It's all clear.
Greetings,
Marcuin
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2008-02-16 19:08
"The best clarinetists practise 8 hours and they are not complaining"
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Nope, not true. The best violinists and pianists may, but not Clarinetists. 3 to 4 hours is more than enough. You should also take a break about every hour to 1 1/2 hours for sure.
Give your lip a break.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: BandieSF
Date: 2008-02-16 19:31
Despite the fact that I've only been playing for 4 1/2 years, I've had experience with stamina and fatigue. I will say I second David's comment, but here's my own input.
During my first year of clarinet in sixth grade, I was able to practice for over an hour every day. I'd stay after school each day (including Fridays) for "an hour", but usually longer because mom would always be late. I was able to do that, going for sometimes an hour and a half without getting tired. That continued during seventh grade. 8th grade is when I started to practice less because of other issues and insanely easy band music that bored me to tears. That year I didn't really care about anything except for satisfactory grades. 9th grade and this year I've not been able to practice for as long on end as I used to, but that could be because I've started playing with too much tension. I've managed to solve that by taking breaks every hour, like David said. That has enabled me to practice for longer. With those habits, I stayed in the top of my beginner class in 6th grade, held my position in the top band in 7th and 8th grade, upon moving to high school I went to the second band only because few freshman get into the top band, and this year I've made it to the prestigious Wind Ensemble.
But, that's just from the mouth of a high school student. That's not to say some of the band members namely one at the senior high school (a junior sax player), practice for four hours. But definitely rest every hour, and you could maybe practice for longer.
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2008-02-16 20:16
Muscles tire.
There may not be a way to rest (or "coast") while playing to allow the needed muscles to recover while playing.
Even hockey players go to the bench to recuperate before their next shift...
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Author: Ed Svoboda
Date: 2008-02-16 20:27
Personally I would look at splitting up your practice into two chunks. I would try and do 1.5 to 2 hours in the morning and the same later in the day. Additionally, I would look at having different things to work on in each session.
www.woodwindforum.com/forums
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2008-02-16 22:41
Yes. You will build up your endurance over time but don’t chance injuries for now. Some people can play forever but most players begin to have problems when they overdo it. You can accomplish a lot in just “fingering” without actually playing. You can practice finger exercises and go over difficult passages with out having the clarinet in your mouth. Take breaks often and perhaps separate your sessions into four one-hour sessions with at least half hour breaks in-between. Every person is different and you have to judge by your endurance capabilities, not others. Don't chance long term damage by over doing it now. ESP
www.peabody.jhu.edu/457
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Author: Marcuin
Date: 2008-02-17 07:56
You're right.
Today i will try to practice with more difference...and more fingering
My friend (studying in Nice) says that "every great clarinetist I know practice 8 hours"...
I play vandoren B45 lyre. I heard, what that mouthpiece task. I thinging about B40 lyre.
Thanks for helping.
PS. My teacher says, what 2 hours enought :D.
I'm playing T. Paciorkiewicz - Cztery Kaprysy (four caprices). I'm looking for any recording of that strange piece. Does anybody recorded that?
From today I will share with you my under 7 years experience
(I'm polish for your knowledge - not italian)
Marcuini
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2008-02-17 12:30
Two hours is enough - though that's two hours worth of practice in TOTAL during a day which could be 30 minute practice sessions with breaks in between to let your lip recover, and NOT two hours solid practice which will cause fatigue and possible harm which will mean you'll have to take time off playing to recover.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2008-02-17 13:05
I would say 2 hours is enough possibly for a High School student who is serious, but no college student should practice only 2 hours a day no matter how talented they are.
2 is just not enough to be a real competitor. 3 is a more realistic number to me with 4 being an ideal if possible.
I'd wager that a player such as Ricardo did more like 5 a day when he was in practicing audition mode (before getting a gig).
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: Ed
Date: 2008-02-17 13:29
You might consider taking a day off to recover when things get bad.
You also may want to consider the fact that you may be biting too much. You should be able to play that amount of time without a big problem. It could be a case of either playing on reeds that are too hard or not well balanced (ie. responsive enough). You should try for a set up where you don't have to bite, but your embouchure will be firm and using the lip muscles, not using as much jaw pressure. Let your air do more of the work. It is possible that a closer set up may be easier to control. Some prefer the close, longer style facing, such as the M13 lyre, M15 in the Vandoren series, or something like Clark Fobes CF+.
If you determine that it is not a set up issue, then I would suspect that as you get tired, you compensate by biting more. Then the problem just gets worse. Try some of these things and let us know how it works out.
As to practice time, don't concentrate on how much time you are putting in, but what you are getting done. Sometimes there are people who spend a lot of time, but are not necessarily efficient about the work they do.
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Author: Iceland clarinet
Date: 2008-02-17 13:59
Sorry if this dosen't help or offends you in any way. The only players that I know about and complain about pain in lip after long rehersal or practice are biting very hard. When I went to a Scandinavian windband class in Stockholm in 2004 I was practicing like 2 or at most 3 hours each day with brakes between. The band rehersal was from 10-16 every day and people were practicing from around 8:30-9 until the rehersal began and then after the rehersal in chamber croups or indevidual. At that time I was using Pillinger mouthpiece with around 1.20mm opening and V-12 #3 reeds but now I use Grabner Kaspar 14 with tip opening closer to 1.065mm than 1.08mm which are the spec for this model and Glotin GIII #3.5(Bit harder than V-12 #3.5). After one week of this much rehersal and two concerts only slightly of the skin under my lip was off and it was tiny sore and I didn't use any paper over the teeths and even little or no sign of teeths marks on my 0.3mm thick mouthpiece patch.
I just did bit very little or not at all.
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Author: SVClarinet09
Date: 2008-02-17 15:23
My 9th grade year in high school, I did an honors band clinic and my lip would hurt real bad. Practice was usually from 9-5 with a 30minute lunch break. Now I've gotten to the point where I can do those clinics easily with out being in any discomfort in my lip. In fact, now the discomfort has moved to my thumb :-x. What I noticed was that my 9th grade year I bit alot and now I don't. That my help. But endurance also helps too.
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Author: Marcuin
Date: 2008-02-17 16:28
I play B45 lyre and Gonzales FOF 3. I want to change my mouthpiece on B40 lyre. Will that change anything in that question? I need some darker sound. Last time I tryied vandoren 3, they wrere to bright... Only Gonzales is working for me.
Thanks for helping me.
I will take advantage of your experience in that question.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2008-02-18 00:35
The B40 Lyre in my opinion will give you more focus than the B45. Personally I would even try the M13 as suggested above.
As for the lip fatigue, you should have some cover over your lower teeth to prevent the direct contact of the tops of your teeth with your lower lip. I have had great success with a small patch of leather. Tough to describe what is best in words, just try some out (stiffer type one might see as a logo patch on blue jeans........thicker than Levi yet not as thick as Wrangler).
Trust me........they work.
..............Paul Aviles
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