 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Jeff
Date: 2000-12-26 05:09
Out of curiousity, when u blow a stream of air into the clarinet, do u use warm air or cold air?
Read it somewhere whereby u liken warm air (slow air) to blowing air on glass to cause it to fog. While cold air ( fast stream) is like blowing off a candle from a distance. Seems to me using warm air needs alot of air support and I become tired easily. However, I did notice my tone getting fuller.By simulating warm air, I find that I lower my jaw more.Do u use warm air even for altissimo notes too? I find tonguing more difficult whenever I try to lower my jaw. Can someone assist me on this?
Comments anyone?
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2000-12-26 13:13
Warm/slow/cold/fast!!!!
Why not call it what it is: air blown with pressure and air blown with higher pressure, i.e. degrees of 'push' from the abdominal muscles.
Or am I missing something here?
Do we really have to corrupt the meanings of hot and cold?
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Author: Anji
Date: 2000-12-26 14:02
Yeah, what Gord said..
To maintain good attack in altissimo, I need to focus the air in a very narrow passage across the top of the reed. I visualize hitting a point deep in the clarinet.
To simulate the "Warm" motion, I think about blowing air out the bottom of the bell.
This sort of allegory may have some benefit for creating a short hand description, but I need more of the mechanics described for it to be useful.
I think you are on to the idea, tension in the jaw changes your tongue position.
I have been striving to make my approach more uniform, on all notes and work on breath support to vary the tone.
anji
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Author: John
Date: 2000-12-26 14:29
Interesting you brought this up. I read a news article from a reporter who joined the traditional Tuba Christmas celebration in Portland, OR. A hundred or so tuba players get together to play Christmas songs lowly. He took a lesson from the Oregon Symphony tuba player because all he could manage was pfffaatttt! He was told to stop using cold air and to use warm air instead and it worked. So, at least tuba players have some use for the concept.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-12-26 14:41
I think the descriptions, while technically incorrect, paint a good picture in someone's mind. If by using these "word pictures" someone can play better - what's the harm? Blowing a fast stream of air on one's hand feels cold, a slow stream feels warm, so they're reasonable as word pictures.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2000-12-27 11:09
Warm air means nothing to me. Are you telling me it means more air volume? Lower pressure? Relaxed open throat? Less lip pressure? Lowered tongue to reduce turbulence? Have a cup of tea first? Play while one has a temperature? etc..... Or any one of dozens of possible combinations of the above?
For my money I would expect the teacher to be just a little more communicative, but I suppose people's minds just work differently.
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Author: ann
Date: 2000-12-28 01:40
Hi
Check out this article by Garret on the sneezy site; it has a good description of what some refer to as hot or cold air. It can be found at ocr.sneezy.org//articles/garrett3.htm
Ann
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Author: ron b
Date: 2000-12-29 05:36
It means you play better when you have a fever.
ron b
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Author: Ginny
Date: 2000-12-29 17:18
I was taken aback when my son's band director used this image, however it got him playing through the horn and sounding better. She's working with a squirming mass 10-13 year old kids, not a bunch of attentive physicists.
I can understand the resistance to poor/inaccurate language usage too. Personally, if I hear of another interior decorator having 'an epiphany' I will have 'a cow.'
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Author: ron b
Date: 2000-12-29 17:41
Ginny -
If I knew an interior decorator (I don't  having an epiphany, whatever that is, I'd be very concerned :| Not enough to have a cow though....
wait a minute, I just became concerned - I looked it up, Webster's New World compact School and Office Dictionary; it's a 'Christian holiday'. I'd never heard that before, in connection with interior decorating or church or ... now I am conc e r ...
what's that got to do wi... aw, never mind. I gotta go check something in the barn :
ron b
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Author: Don Poulsen
Date: 2000-12-29 20:25
Late Christmas eve, I was outside in the cold blowing out my luminarias (votive candles placed in paper bags weighted with sand, a common New Mexico Christmas decoration) and getting winded doing it. I then realized that if I blew like I do when playing my bass clarinet, using a more directed air stream coming from my diaphragm, I could blow each one out in one, less strenuous try instead of two or three.
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Author: Julia
Date: 2000-12-29 20:38
The term epiphany in its secular meaning is used to refer to when someone has a "lightbulb" go off in their head---so to speak.
The Epiphany(Jan. 6) is a Catholic feast day celebrating the coming of the Magi to Bethlehem; also the first of the three manifestations of Jesus.---manifestation is actually what the word means.
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Author: ron b
Date: 2000-12-30 03:30
Oh.
Thanks, Julia.
I didn't make the connection to interior decorating. Now I sorta do.
okay.
ron b
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