 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Copland
Date: 2009-02-19 18:49
Hello everybody!
So, there are times when I am not able to actually practice the clarinet (flying on airplanes, long car rides, walking to school, watching TV, etc.) but wish to continue improving my playing and overall musicality.
Can anyone think of any good exercises (physical or mental) to improve my playing away from the clarinet? Maybe with tonguing or breathing something?
I understand, of course, that when possible I should just practice with the horn itself since that will probably improve my playing faster, but sometimes that's simply not possible.
Thanks!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: leonardA
Date: 2009-02-19 19:13
I have sometimes taken my music along on a plane and fingered the notes without the clarinet. It is good pratice.
Leonard
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: mrn
Date: 2009-02-19 19:26
I completely understand where you are coming from. I have limited practice time, too. What I often do when I don't have the instrument in front of me is take the sheet music to whatever I'm working on and study it in detail, mentally imagining what the music should sound like and also mentally going through the finger movements as I read along. When I do sit down to actually play, the mental practice almost always makes a noticeable positive difference. My physical practice time is much more efficient as a result.
I just recently read that the legendary pianist Glenn Gould used to do the same thing. In fact, what I read was that Gould actually spent most of his practice time studying the score and not so much of it actually playing (he'd only practice at the keyboard about an hour a day, apparently). Like I've experienced, Gould found that he'd play at his best in a purely physical sense immediately upon return to the instrument after having the rehearsed the piece in his mind. He would say that you don't play the piano with your fingers, you play it with your mind. Based on my experience (which was motivated more by limited practice time than anything else), I'm inclined to believe him.
Of course, that's not to say that spending lots of time in mental practice is going to turn you into Glenn Gould--that man was a true musical genius. But at the same time, I don't think you have to be a musical genius to get some benefit out of mental practice. Even if you practice at the instrument 4 hours a day, I still think there is something to be gained by spending some time with just the score. In my case, I find that not only is the physical practice more efficiently spent, but I have found that I often will notice things in the music when mentally practicing that didn't occur to me with the instrument in hand.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Sarah M
Date: 2009-02-19 20:01
of course if you don't have your music OR your clarinets there are still other things that you may do:
1. focus on your breathing....ie. deep breaths, short breaths, focused breaths etc.
2. often for the high notes a lot of embochure and air focus is required, so blowing through coffee stir sticks (the one with the two holes in them) is often a great help (don't do it till you hyperventalate though)
3. if you are able to lay down, then placing a book on your stomach and filling your lungs with air and then releasing it can help....see how high the book can go (but no cheating)
just a couple ideas.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: awm34
Date: 2009-02-19 21:55
Dial it in amid your dreams. I'm still learning as a senior and find myself doing fingerings in mine from time to time.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Fishamble
Date: 2009-02-19 22:09
I have to travel for work regularly enough, and forwent any kind of practice until I read Musicophilia by Oliver Sachs recently. He says: "Alaro Pascual-Leone at Harvard...has demonstrated that the motor cortex can show changes within minutes of practicing... Measurements of regional blood flow in different parts of the brain, moreover, have shown increased activity in the basal ganglia and the cerebellum, as well as various areas of the cerebral cortex - not only with physical practice, but with mental practice alone."
Not sure I understand this to any great degree, but as motivation to do mental practice, I didn't need more. So, on my last two trips, I've spent time working through scales - imagining the notes and the fingerings - because that's what I'm trying to improve in my playing these days. Does it help? I believe it does.
(Wakefulness in the night due to jet lag helps provide opportunities. ;-))
David.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: thedean
Date: 2009-02-19 22:32
I find that all of what is mentioned is great when you can't physically play the clarinet.
Studying the music, noticing difficulties and oddities in the music is a must too, then they don't come as too much of a surprise when you are playing. I used to study the music before i'd even played it once so that my sight reading could improve. which it has by a huge margin.
I also find, trying to listen to different interpretations of pieces you are playing helps, to give you ideas for your own interpretation of pieces. Put them on your iPod or similar and just sit on the plane/car/bus/train whatever.. and listen to them so you get a greater understanding of the piece.
I have students who find it difficult to practice with school work, especially coming towards the end of their schooling, so it becomes their travel practice, listening to and imagining the fingering and how each phrase should sound, musically, dynamically, and how each should be articulated. This help me a lot when i was playing some pieces, like both Weber Concerto's and Concertino and his Introdution, Theme and Variations.
But nothing beats a good long practice, putting all these ideas into one!
Enjoy,
Dean
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ebclarinet1
Date: 2009-02-19 23:39
OK true confessions. I am a great "air clarinetist"! Many times when I'm at a boring meeting or program I practice by fingers only a concerto or sonato I'm preparing. Think I've played the entire Mozart concerto and probably a couple Webers this way! I do tend to sit at the back of the room where other people who also think what we're forced to do is hogwash too. I also do it on long car or plane trips. There you can use the iPod to hear the piece and do some finger practice. Scale practice for weird keys is another "air clarinet" practice routine on a trip. When I'm able to rip off scales in 6 or 7 flats with ease I feel that the "air clarinet" has served its purpose.
I also do "air oboe" and "air flute" plus the whole family of clarinets.
Eefer guy
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Copland
Date: 2009-02-20 04:28
Haha... thanks for all the advice everybody! Keep 'em coming!
One thing I wanted to ask about was tonguing. Sometimes while I'm watching TV I try to say "Ta" repeatedly while touching my tongue to the back of my teeth. Do you think this is helpful, or am I just making weird noises for no reason?!?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
