 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: superson
Date: 2009-10-19 16:23
hi, i've been playing the clarinet for about 4 years now and a few months ago my lessons at school were scrapped due to budget cuts, i was left with a grade 5 book to play through . i have since played through the book but i feel a bit lost- for starters i don't know if i'm playing correctly. Also i don't know wether i should go on to a grade 6 book or perfect the grade 5 book, or find another book inbetween 5 and 6, if one exists. Either way i'm a bit lost and although i really enjoy playing my clarinet, with no objective i'm playing less and less. I don't play for grades or anything just for fun but i still want to get better.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2009-10-19 16:35
Would it be possible to seek out a private teacher in your area? Perhaps a college student or someone who would offer lessons at a reduced rate for school students would be a nice choice.
Also, if money is an issue, you could check about taking one lesson a month or every two weeks in order to keep costs down. There's no law that requires you to have weekly lessons.
Jeff
“Everyone discovers their own way of destroying themselves, and some people choose the clarinet.” Kalman Opperman, 1919-2010
"A drummer is a musician's best friend."
Post Edited (2009-10-19 16:36)
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2009-10-19 17:07
I wholeheartedly agree with JJ. Find some way to get lessons from a good teacher. At this point in your development, you can play a lot; and you can figure out how to squeeze notes out of your horn and to make leaps between notes --but you are quite likely to make significant technical errors that you will "groove in." These bad habits will be very difficult to correct because you must first un-learn the wrong way and then learn the correct way.
I know this from bitter experience, having spent 18 months getting my altissimo to work.
Bob Phillips
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2009-10-19 17:56
I am a bit suspicious of the "less and less." Now would be a WONDERFUL opportunity to drill the things that you KNOW already.
Long tone practice: Start on LOW "E" as soft as possible (actually start with just air and add embouchure support until you engage a VERY faint sound) and crescendo for a count of eight S-L-O-W beats (perhaps around 60 beats per minute) to as loud as you can play, then diminuendo eight S-L-O-W beats back down to nothing (all together in one breath < > ). Then do this with the Low "F," the Low "F#" and the "G." If you still have some gumption left after this series, go back down to Low "E."
This will improve your breath stamina, tone and ability to do more dynamic contrast.
Scales? Work them at half tempo; faster than comfortable; different articulations (slur 2, tongue 2....etc); the Bonade "Prepared Fingers" (keep blowing but just stop the sound with the tongue against the reed, move fingers to next note, release tongue - sounds like "DUT," move, "DUT," move etc.); do scales in thirds; do scales as interupted (like this - do,re, mi, fa....then re, mi, fa, sol..... then mi, fa, sol, la.....etc.)
play above for an hour - minimum.
Then move to whatever pieces you had worked on for another hour.
Really, if I had no music and a year to play off the top of my head, I would concentrate ALL my effort on scales done to perfect smoothness (over speed) and that would keep me occupied the ENTIRE time.
........then get a teacher
.................Paul Aviles
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Author: stevensfo
Date: 2009-10-19 18:23
If you've managed to get to Grade 5 standard, you should have a pretty good idea of how to play the pieces. What is it that you need help with?
As others have said, you need to practise and consolidate what you do know. Grade 5 is not bad at all!
Is it an ABRSM book? These pieces are also available to listen to on CD and have the piano accompaniment.
May I also suggest that you go to the ABRSM forum:
http://www.abrsm.org/forum/
They're a very helpful lot.
Steve
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Author: stevensfo
Date: 2009-10-19 21:45
In the UK, there are grades 1-8 followed by various diplomas. The examining boards vary slightly but each grade is more or less the same standard.
To pass a grade, you have to learn 3 pieces, two of which are played with piano accompaniment and one played solo.
This is followed by scales and arpeggios. There is then a short sight-reading test, followed by a 3 or 4-part aural test which tests your memory, rythm, ability to describe dynamics, major, minor keys...etc.
An example of Grade 4:
http://www.musicroom.com/LookInside.aspx?catalogno=9781860968549&product_id=438958
Normally, to play in an amateur orchestra or wind band, you'd be expected to have minimum grade 5, but of course, this varies considerably!
Steve
Post Edited (2009-10-20 06:20)
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Author: Mike Clarinet
Date: 2009-10-20 08:03
Its always sad when music lessons get cut from school budgets. I can't think of anything to say on the subject that won't get me thrown off the board.
As a grade 5 player, you should be able to hold your own in a community symphonic band or orchestra (although you may need a A clarinet for the orchestra). Most such organisations that I have been involved with are very supportive and encouraging. Someone in such a group will know of a good private teacher, or a good music shop where they keep lists of teachers.
Is there a schools music organisation in the area where you are? For example where I live in Reading there is Berkshire Maestros, and where I grew up in East Kent there was (still is?) Thanet Music Centre. The aims of both organisations is to run ensembles of all sizes and standards for school-age students. If there is something like that in your area, they will definitely be able to put you on to a teacher.
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Author: superson
Date: 2009-10-20 11:54
ok thanks everyone so far, i'm already part of an orchestra and stage band, but learning scales and arpeggios doesn't sound like a bad idea. Seeing as my teacher and i never saw the need to bother with them, as i wasn't doing the grades and didn't have enough focus to concentrate on them, i didn't learn them. I guess i could learn scales and such until in about a year when i leave school and get enough ema allowance to pay for the odd private lesson, i can't do it now because they're just too expensive, even for just once a month.
now for a bit of an embarrassing question which scales should i know, and errm what are they (note wise i mean)?
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Author: Nessie1
Date: 2009-10-20 12:54
superson wrote:
>
> now for a bit of an embarrassing question which scales should i
> know, and errm what are they (note wise i mean)?
Well, now we're getting into the realms of theory of music which is a whole new ball game. However if you're thinking in terms of the ABRSM grades, their syllabus is available on-line so if you consider yourself about grade 5 you can see what they require up to this level (don't neglect the requirements for the earlier grades though). Also there are books of scales published - including, I think, by the ABRSM although you should aim to know them from memory. One good reason for this is that it is an enormous help when you are playing at sight in an orchestra, band or any other kind of ensemble - it provides a kind of shortcut to a lot of passages.
Good luck
Vanessa.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2009-10-20 13:05
>>now for a bit of an embarrassing question which scales should i know, and errm what are they (note wise i mean)?
>>
It's an important question, so please don't be embarrassed. I'm an amateur and not a clarinet teacher, but fwiw.... I'm interested in learning more about how music works and I find it useful to know all of the scales. Memorizing them ends up being a big time-saver when learning new music, too. When I open up a new piece and I see a long run or an arpeggio, or a section with a lot of accidentals, I can spot the key it's in instead of having to sit there and learn one note at a time.
Also, if you ever want to audition, it's likely you'll be asked to play at least one scale. Probably the auditioner will throw in one of the less-common key signatures. It's a big advantage at an audition to be one of the people who can play any scale without hesitation.
I started by learning the most common scales that we need all the time: those with the fewest sharps or flats.
C major/A minor (no sharps or flats)
G major/E minor (one sharp)
F major/D minor (one flat)
D major/B minor (two sharps)
B-flat major/G minor (two flats).
Any music store will sell a chart showing all the scales, such as the Willis chart. Most of the charts are arranged beginning with C major and proceeding through the sharps, then back out through the flats. You can learn the most necessary scales first by starting from the front and the back and working toward the middle.
I'm 61 years old now and even though I learned the scales as a child, I still incorporate them into my practice sessions. I warm up by playing the scales for whatever piece I'm practicing and then I also run through a couple of the scales I don't use much, such as A-flat major/G-flat minor (6 flats), just so I don't forget them.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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