 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2008-04-25 22:03
Dear Troops,
or I could have entitled this: Is the "Real Break" elswhere?
My emphasis over the last few years has been to clean up my own technical problems in the "break" area of the clarinet. It occured to me that the real "break" is the "A" key......hear me out.
99% of teachers say that we should "roll" the index finger onto this key. Well, there is no physiological roll of the index finger possible. It moves up and down, and it moves side to side - that's pretty much it. If we indeed "roll," what we are doing is turning the wrist. Now, if you twist your wrist to the "A" key, remain in that position and just lower your second finger as if to re-cover the tone hole below, your second finger would actually land on the cup in between (it does for me). So, the "roll" moves the second and third fingers of the left hand OUT of alignment for swift, accurate up and down movement.
SO: I had then decided that the ideal movement for the index finger is an isolated lateral movement (up to the "A" key or down to the tone hole). But wait......here's where I get to the violin analogy. To really see the problem, imagine moving from "D" just below the staff to second space "A." This movement is the coordination of the index finger lateral movement SIMULTANEOUSLY with the second finger moving STRAIGHT up and the thumb coming off the tube.
That's a LOT of coordination. But WAIT........there's more!!!
Imagine moving from the "D" below the staff to third line "Bb" (the "A" key and register key one). This is an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT movement in that the thumb must tap the register key open and yet CLEAR the tube on which it had just been sitting, so the thumb is staying down and merely bending at the joint.
Again, these three fingers are making these motions simultaneously, not unlike the contortions that violinists must learn to get around the finger board.
Oh and by the way, the above note patterns serve only as examples which basically cover most intervals starting in the clarion moving down to "A" or "Bb" as well as intervals starting from below the "A" and "Bb" going up to those notes. The example intervals just serve as a solid place that covers the rest.
I realize that there is the "resistance" issue moving from second space "A" to third line "B" (the traditional "Break"), however, I am postulating that this obvious "speed bump" may cause many of us to collectively miss a critical impediment to fluid technique.
.................Paul Aviles
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2008-04-26 00:26
Paul -
Put the heel of your left hand on a table with the palm angled up about 15 degrees and your fingers curled so that the tips of your fingers are on the table pointing straight down. Then spread your index finger out without moving your fingertip. Your finger does roll a little, and a little is all it takes to operate the throat A key.
However, if you think of rolling your finger, it's fatally easy to roll your wrist, which you absolutely should not do. Instead, as I've written several times, think of "nudging" the A key (and the register key when you play the throat Bb).
This takes very little movement. Watch the video of Stanley Drucker playing the Weber Concertino http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR9oxnm66bY&feature=related. You can barely see his left index finger moving on and off the A key.
Don't think about what movements to make. Instead, watch yourself in a mirror and keep every movement as small as possible. Sometimes I imagine I'm trying to fool the audience into thinking I'm not moving my fingers at all.
Ken Shaw
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2008-04-26 02:33
Paul, The way I do it, and teach it as well, is that the first finger is touching the A key at the same time it is on the first hole, the F# tone hole. I don’t open the A key but simultaneously touch it when my finger is on the first hole. Then I can “role” the finger to the A key when necessary. The idea is to never lift your finger to the A key because that will cause a G to sound before the A, just “roll” it onto the A key. As with all technique practices, the less movement the better. ESP
www.palanker.jhu.edu/457
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: clarnibass
Date: 2008-04-26 05:52
Wrist is the connection of the arm and hand right? In that case, I just checked and I don't move this part (or just barely) when I play the throat A, and actually I do roll my finger to the A.
Try this: put your (left) hand on a table (or anything flat you can lean it on). Then try to roll your finger without moving the wrist. It is possible! The part that moves is the first connection of the finger to the palm. This movement is not possible without the finger leaning on something for support (sorry if I got any of the terms wrong, I have no idea how they are called in English).
In general this is the movement I use when I play the A from the F# ring key. Even for a Bb I only move my wrist very slightly. Not that I don't move it at all, and my fingers do move a little bit out of lign with the holes, but it is really very slight and not a problem. The roll of the finger to A key is also very small.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: janlynn
Date: 2008-04-26 10:45
paul i have seen your replies before and respect you for your experience and knowledge which is a lot more than I have. but reading your post makes it all sound more complicated than it really is. (unless i missed your point - which could very well be true)
its like explaining how to walk. first your brain has to signal to the muscle to lift while the other side of the body shifts etc etc...
for someone like my sister who has cerebral palsy - she has to think about those things. but for us, its just automatic.
same with playing up to A, to analyze how to move your wrist and fingers makes it really complicated. just do what is natural.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2008-04-26 15:58
These are very well thought out responses!!!
The term "roll" is more a function of what the movement "looks like" rather than what it is since at least two of you so far describe the motion of the index finger from the joint at the palm moving AWAY from the middle finger.
Now granted I have been using a much more exaggerated movement the last few years to prove my point to myself (I shoot for the middle of the "A" key..........why not?!!?), the other point is the difficulty in the COORDINATION of the fingers moving in tandem. I spent many years thinking that if I wanted to "practice" when away from my horn, all I had to do was to move my fingers up and down (as fast as possible, in different groups, alternating, in rhythm, etc.) but practicing this coordination amongst these three fingers has lead to much smoother technique.....for me.
More thoughts would be WONDERFUL!!!!!
..................Paul Aviles
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
