 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: janlynn
Date: 2011-09-18 00:00
Trying to figure out where I'm at in the scheme of things
How fast should the intermediate player beable to play 16th notes and for how long?
and an advanced player?
(single tongue)
mm = ?
Post Edited (2011-09-18 00:01)
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2011-09-18 00:12
I think at least 126, which is usually the pace for marches. I would expect high school players in the first clarinet section to be able to do that more or less continuously. In the second clarinet section, 116, and preferably 120.
Most conservatory clarinetists can maintain 132, and 144 in bursts.
Ken Shaw
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Author: janlynn
Date: 2011-09-18 00:28
Thank You Ken. Ive got a lot of work to do! But I'm determined
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Author: CarlT
Date: 2011-09-18 00:29
Well, Ken, you just burst my bubble. I thought I was doing well at playing the chromatic scale (slurring, not even tonguing) 1/16ths @ 1/4 = 85.
Most of us old engineers think in terms of math...so let's see, 126 would be about 8-1/2 1/16ths a second I believe.
I'll never reach that I'm afraid!
CarlT
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Author: pewd
Date: 2011-09-18 01:58
Ken's numbers are pretty close to what I expect for my high school students, in their school's top band. I usually tell most of them their target is 120 for 16ths.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2011-09-18 22:07
It of course depends on the key signature. the key of C, perhaps 120 to 132 which is pretty much at a pro level . Something like 5 sharps or flats perhap 112 to 118 or so.
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Author: janlynn
Date: 2011-09-19 00:52
okay - i can do 126 but only briefly. like, eight 16ths then a quarter note with a rest, then another eight 16ths
ive just been going from middle B to high C and back down to start.
How do I keep the speed going for like sixteen 16ths? twice as long as i'm able to do it right now.?
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2011-09-19 03:23
There are certainly techniques and tips to tonguing fast. It's not JUST endurance. The few times I've seen Julian Bliss play, and given some sort of question and answer session, his tonguing speed almost ALWAYS comes up. "How do you tongue so fast?" He states he does NOT double tongue. Only single tongues as he feels the double tongue gives a different tone and prefers the consistent sound of single tongue.
He credits a lot of it to his technique. The act of tonguing is only the act of stopping the reed from vibrating. Your tongue does not have to hit it hard. And it's easiest to stop a reed from vibrating by touching the very tip of the reed. He says (and it makes perfect sense and I work on it daily) that he worked very hard on minimizing the distance he moved the tongue from the reed. You don't have to pull the tongue far away at all. The less your tongue has to travel, the faster it can return (less distance) and the more endurance you should have (less muscles used so it gets less tired).
Scholastically, theoretically, it makes perfect sense. Practicing it is hard and can be frustrating. But the rewards are worth it. I've gotten better, but I've got a LOT further to go.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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