 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Bill
Date: 2009-12-13 14:46
I'm 50. I play clarinet for my own pleasure only. When I was 37 I was obsessed with clarinet, and today it is still a great love. I own more instruments and mouthpieces (and music) than I'm willing to disclose (where will this collection go when I'm dead?!). A well-known first chair professional, with something of a queasy smirk on his electronic face, has labeled me a "hobbyist." OK!
My point today: Occasionally I still get stuck within a valley, a difficult place, that I try to "play myself out of." No matter how many years go by, how often I play, sometimes I land in set-up hell.
Nothing sounds good.
I go in the responsive direction ... 2.75 reed, crystal HS** mouthpiece, and my altissimo sounds like a cat in heat. No amount of arch in my palette is going to take the tin out of that sound! I go in the resistant direction ... "Everett Matson" style close mouthpiece, 4.0 reed, and it feels like I am trying to tango with a telephone pole.
Don't get me wrong. Some days I walk into my music room, pick a reed, sit down, and everything is joy for the next 90 minutes. But when I land in this particular spot where nothing seems to be "right," it's misery.
Nothing to do but read a book and take a break from clarinet. (You know I'll be at it again all day today ...)
Bill Fogle
Ellsworth, Maine
(formerly Washington, DC)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: EEBaum
Date: 2009-12-13 15:15
Sounds like you're relying too much on futzing with your setup. Mine hasn't changed (aside from occasional shifts in reeds) at all in the past 4 years, and I've used the same mouthpiece for 7, clarinet for 8, ligature for 12. Set-up hell tends to be weather-related to me, and after a couple days I adjust.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bill
Date: 2009-12-13 15:26
Yes, Alex, I do think it's ironic that given so many choices of equipment I should occasionally be so stuck! I do have one mouthpiece that I believe to be "the best," but I enjoy the variety as well (when all goes well).
For me, without a good set-up sightreading is impossible. Let's put it this way: I can always tell when I have a good set-up because I go straight into my music (rather than warming up or simply noodling around, etc.). In those situations, I can't wait to play the written notes!
Bill Fogle
Ellsworth, Maine
(formerly Washington, DC)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: William
Date: 2009-12-13 15:55
"pick a reed"
That little snippette (spl??) struck a chord with how I was feeling about clarinet last March. My sound wasn't ever "right", phrasings were not going well and I seemed to be enjoying what I was doing less and less. Then, I had the opportunity to try some synthetic reeds and *zounds alive* it all came back--sound, musicality, enjoyment. And I've been playing those reeds ever sense in every playing venue--orchestra & band. I'm playing the same clarinets, mpcies and music, but what has changed is I've eliminated the "cane" factor. No more buying boxes of V12's only to find bad to not-so-bad reeds and then, having them change on me everytime I begin to play. With the synthetic, they are always the same, always great and they allow me to be "everything I can be" as a clarinetist, every time. I know I am kind of rambling on here, but I just wanted to share..... At my age, it's nice to not have to deal with all of those little slivers of unforgiving arundo donax. Just put my non-cane reed on my good ole Kaspar #14 and play anything I want to, anytime, anywhere. Giving up on cane worked for me and it might work for you.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ralph Katz
Date: 2009-12-13 17:41
Writers get "block". Is there a name for this same effect in musicians?
Paul Schaller used to tell his students to practice every day, even those days when "you couldn't play a C major scale if they hanged you."
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-12-13 18:11
Bill you said, "Nothing sounds good. I go in the responsive direction ... 2.75 reed, crystal HS** mouthpiece, and my altissimo sounds like a cat in heat", not a pretty sound. In my opinion that is the reason you sound like a cat in heat, the reed and the mouthpiece. We used to refer to the HS mouthpieces as a "high school mouthpiece", for just that reason. If you can't solve the problem yourself by trying some other mouthpieces and reeds the obvious solution is to take a few lessons with an experienced teacher. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Rusty
Date: 2009-12-13 18:24
My suggestion would be put some time in doubling on a different instrument. A lot of the pleasure in playing ,I found, is making progress, getting a little bit better, and this achieves it.
I`m not sure I agree with what Paul Schaller told Ralph,
"Practice every day even when you could`nt play a C major scale if they hanged you" I know everyone is different but that`s not for me. That way I would end up hating my primary instrument not loving it.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: stevensfo
Date: 2009-12-13 18:37
-- Paul Schaller used to tell his students to practice every day, even those days when "you couldn't play a C major scale if they hanged you." --
I also disagree with this. My own experience is that we often need time to internally assimilate what we've learnt and are subconsciously processing all this information.
I've found that a break from playing can result in resuming practice with renewed zeal and enthusiasm as well as finding difficult pieces becoming mysteriously easier.
Whether it's a combination of 'muscle memory' or new neurones being formed while we sleep... etc. No idea.
Perhaps someone with a more medical background can suggest why this is?
Steve
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Barry Vincent
Date: 2009-12-13 19:12
Yeah Bill , I have those days also, but for me I just leave Ms Tempermental for a while and have an Oboe or Flute day, ha or even a Recorder day , but I always go back to my first love, Ms Clarinetta.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: senior
Date: 2009-12-13 19:55
I am a 74 year old hobbyist and I have an occasional off day on the clarinet. When that happens I declare it a no play day and go do something else. The situation always passes by the next day. I found that if I just take a break from playing now and then, say like one day a week, The off days don't seem to show up.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: mrn
Date: 2009-12-13 21:00
stevensfo wrote:
Quote:
I also disagree with this. My own experience is that we often need time to internally assimilate what we've learnt and are subconsciously processing all this information.
I've found that a break from playing can result in resuming practice with renewed zeal and enthusiasm as well as finding difficult pieces becoming mysteriously easier.
That's been true in my experience, too.
I watched a television program a few weeks ago where they talked about this phenomenon, as well, although not specifically in the context of music. They said that sleep plays a big role. Essentially what they said was that practice is the only the first stage of learning. The rest is done subconsciously in the mind, largely while we sleep.
Just doing a brief Google search uncovered a paper out of Harvard Med. where they claim that sleep is required to realize the maximum benefit of practice. In the study, they found evidence that a night of sleep can result in a 20% increase in motor speed without loss of accuracy.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Joarkh
Date: 2009-12-13 22:06
I do not, as many others, agree with Schaller's statement.
I find that is you practice even when you cannot get a good sound, you end up disliking your clarinet, as others also have said. I try to ensure that every session I practice makes my relationship with the clarinet better. How do I do this? Every time I practice, I try to be aware of everything I do. I do not do anything without knowing why.
I also keep a practice journal where I write down everything from amount of practice to notes about reeds and equipment and ideas I think of while practicing. If I no longer know what I am doing, I take a break and get back to the clarinet when I am able to focus.
Joar
Clarinet and saxophone teacher, clarinet freelancer
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bill
Date: 2009-12-13 22:58
Thanks so much for the interesting replies! Especially excited to hear from another "oldie" amateur such as myself ("senior").
I've had a great day playing today, but I agree that a day off now and then, or just transferring the energy to a different instrument or activity, can do the trick.
Because I am not a student or professional, I've never had to "force" myself to play through what was in my opinion an inferior set-up (sound), so I have great respect for those players. One professional I've had contact with has switched permanently to synthetic reeds. That will never be my choice, but that's personal, and I believe those who say the synthetic reeds are a good choice.
Thanks again!
Bill Fogle
Ellsworth, Maine
(formerly Washington, DC)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Wes
Date: 2009-12-14 06:14
Hi Bill!
Good luck on playing this wonderful instrument of so many uses. It is a wind instrument and needs a strong committment to proper breathing and supply of high pressure air to the reed, even when playing very soft. May I respectfully suggest that you research breathing in order to improve many aspects of your performance and to make your reed situation easier? There was a famous book by a tuba player on breathing that may even help although I haven't read it.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2009-12-14 13:04
Rusty wrote,
>>My suggestion would be put some time in doubling on a different instrument.>>
That's what I do. I'm a 61-year-old amateur with too many clarinets (ranging in quality from excellent to junk) and, er, a few other instruments. If I get stuck on a particular passage in a piece of music, I set that score aside for a bit. If the sound of a clarinet begins to make me think Shadow Cat was right about the evils of screech sticks, I put that instrument down and practice the piano or something else instead.
I want to practice enough to learn and improve, but I don't find it useful to repeat over and over the same thing that isn't working, if it's getting worse instead of better. In fact, for me, that's a good way to memorize and imbed the mistakes. (I'll never forget a disastrous piano recital after I'd obsessed over one bar, where playing one note the same in the second repeat as in the first repeat would throw me right back to the beginning of the piece. I practiced that one bar over and over and over -- the maniacal repetitions literally drove my brother out of the house! -- and, then, sure enough, I went into the recital and did exactly what I'd been training myself never to do. Trying to hide the error from the audience, I played on through, approached the second repeat again -- and made the same mistake again.)
Being able to choose not to play something is one of the luxuries of not playing professionally, but I think that even a pro could set up practice sessions to vary the routine a bit. Getting away from conscious attack on a problem can give the brain time to relax and work on a solution behind the scenes. Often, after turning away from something "impossible," I can make progress on it after a break. (Except when I can't: I still can't play a smooth glissando worth half a squeak.)
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Bartmann
Date: 2009-12-14 16:25
Bill,
The comments by Barry and Rusty about doubling have worked with me. Clarinet is my first instrument and the one I've dedicated most of my life to and flute is my other instrument.
Sometimes I hit a wall with clarinet especially with the altissimo: not with regards to the fingerings but sonically. It is my belief that the best clarinet altissimo sounds flute-like: controllable, light, and airy. So I will explore the same passage with the flute which is at home in the altissimo register. I get the music into my head and have a strong sonic idea. Then when I pick up the clarinet the next day, psychologically I'm prepared for it.
Bartmann
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Alseg
Date: 2009-12-14 17:28
Bill.....you are not that far from Ed P.
Why not take a lesson with him (if he has time and is willing)?
Then you both can report back
A fresh set of eyes and ears and wisdom might do the trick.
Former creator of CUSTOM CLARINET TUNING BARRELS by DR. ALLAN SEGAL
-Where the Sound Matters Most(tm)-
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
