 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Kaeren
Date: 2012-01-19 15:29
A bit of intro: I started studing clarinet about 7 1/2 years ago, studying classical repertoire with a teacher and playing in several community bands starting about this time last year.
One problem I've been having for some time is excessive tension. I frequently clamp down too hard on the keys, and although I've been told to keep my elbows off the body I do tend to shrink into myself and hold the clarinet too close. It's particularly bad when I'm struggling with a passage.
Any suggestions, exercises (mental or physical), or stern talking-tos are greatly appreciated. I want to get more ease and fluidity in my playing and don't want to carry these bad habits any further.
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Author: Katrina
Date: 2012-01-19 16:25
The first step is to notice immediately when the tension starts. Know your triggers (public performances, auditions, difficult sections of a piece) and as you approach those moments, consciously relax. Breathe deeply and keep your abs and the center of your back relaxed.
I had a student once who was tensing up as she got to the end of her lung capacity. I said to her, "You're a person, not a bagpipe!" and it seemed to help! So remember you're not a bagpipe and keep your torso and arms relaxed (except for your abdominal air support)!
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2012-01-19 20:18
For me the key is to realize that your task is to make music. It's not surgery. No one will die if you hit a wrong note (not even you). There are so many things we start to intellectualize; is that a triple F or a triple G, should I use cross fingers or the sliver key, should I read ahead (how far) or not, is this too loud, too soft, too short, too long.
Just listen to the sound. Allow yourself to feel the vibrations of each note. ENJOY yourself. Oh, and you can get the book, "The Inner Game of Tennis."
.................Paul Aviles
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Author: Loliver
Date: 2012-01-19 22:05
Try to block out everyone else, and breath- breath lots! I found that taking more breaths than I needed helped to calm me down a bit, although don't do it too heavily or people will think your having a panic attack...
As someone who has suffered badly from nerves like this, it can get frustrating, and I've had the same music teacher for 14 years, from the age of 5, and I still seize up, although not any more on clarinet....
And don't get frustrated! A tip I picked up from my teacher when learning a new piece or passage is essentially to forgo all dynamics- just play everything eccessively loudly, so that when it comes to playing difficult passages, you play it more confidently...kind of...
If its your teacher- they won't complain if you get a note wrong- they're there to help you improve!
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Author: clairmusic
Date: 2012-01-19 22:54
think of your hands being like a wave. smooth and light. when you come to hard passages, just try to keep relaxed. practice the hard spots fowards and backwards, but not all at once or too fast. speed will come, but smoothness is the key . play two or three notes of the passage repeting the thee or four times then progress to the next notes doing the same thing. then put it togeather. the mor relaxed you are, the bettr results you will have. good luck!
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2012-01-20 06:12
Sometimes when I try to counteract tension, the tension becomes worse, and the effect compounds until I become almost non-functional. You might try giving in to it or even trying to intensify it. Dunno if this'll help... if it does, awesome, if not, forget I mentioned it.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: Kaeren
Date: 2012-01-20 15:15
Thanks for all the suggestions! I'm going to try out a few of these things in practice tonight.
Alex, the idea of deliberately intensifying the tension is particularly interesting. I've done tense-and-relax in yoga classes a long time ago, so I know that it can cause things to let go.
And Ben, I'll try with the eyes closed... In between checking the sheet music for the next phrase, that is.
@ Katrina: I shall strive to Not Be a Bagpipe. :-D
- K.
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Author: Katrina
Date: 2012-01-20 20:17
The bagpipe line, IMO, just helps to lighten the mood when it's happening. You won't get as stressed, I think, if you picture yourself as one!
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Author: beavertoof
Date: 2012-01-25 15:17
I have a *horrible* time with this problem on guitar. Not when playing rhythm, but when trying to play single note lead lines. My right arm (the picking arm) will completely lock with varying severity, at times making me only be able to play maybe 40-50% of what I am capable of!
Strangely I do not seem to have the problem on clarinet (or sax, which I mostly play now) as I just move fingers. It seems to be only the right forearm for me.
Usually will occur first whole hour or so of gigs. I have learned to fight against it somewhat. Only thing that seems to help it is playing out alot, where I am almost bored.
It is not really stage fright, but more like uncontrollable tension/anxiety or something... very bizarre and -very- frustrating.
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Author: Ron
Date: 2012-01-26 13:57
Hi,
Here are a few suggestions:
Most of your practicing must be VERY SLOW. When you play slowly, you don't have to use much of your mental reserve worrying about where your fingers are going and the other fundamentals that are required to play well, ie. breathing, correct embouchure (no pinching), correct posture, hand/elbow positions, etc. When you play very slowly, sometimes one note at a time, you will have the mental energy (concentration) to get all the fundamentals correct - this in turn reduces your anxiety and will enable you to relax. When you play slowly during most of your practice, you will begin to do everything correctly in a relaxed manner at least part of the time. When your are aware that you are indeed relaxed and sounding good, keep repeating what you are doing so you can get the right notes several times in succession. while you are doing this, if you start to feel tense STOP...then regroup and begin again. Very gradually increase your speed of practicing. Over time you will be relaxed more of the time.
Never go from very slow to very fast. When you are able to play at a very slow speed with your muscles relaxed, then increase the tempo by one notch on your metronome and continue with your practice. The majority of your practicing should be SLOW with gradually increases in speed. This is the only way you will ever be relaxed when you play fast. When you put the cart before the horse, so to speak, you are wasting valuable practice time. This method will also help to build your confidence when you hear yourself playing well and are relaxed along the way.
The above pre-supposes that you are executing the fundamentals correctly, ie. breathing, starting and stopping a note (articulation), posture, ebouchure, proper mouthpiece/reed setup, etc. If your teacher is not addressing all of these fundamentals to ensure you are playing correctly, then you should find one who will work with you to correct any bad habits. This along with slow practice is the key to making progress toward your goals. There is no magic bullet to relax and make progress; it takes slow deliberate practice and most of all PATIENCE.
If you are not taking lessons, I suggest that you find a teacher who will work with you on all of the above. It's very important to have a well trained teacher to watch you play, help you to correct bad habits and give you techniques for practicing since it is during your practice session when the progress is made. Like I tell my students, the progress happens over time with the major breakthroughs happening at home while you are practicing, not at the lesson and not during band practice.
Speaking for myself, it took a long time to get to the point when I can relax almost 100% of the time. Good luck.
Ron
Post Edited (2012-01-26 15:06)
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Author: Kaeren
Date: 2012-01-29 08:43
Ron, thanks for reinforcing the concept of slow practice -- I do have a good teacher who emphasizes playing through lines slowly, with a metronome. I do have a nasty tendency to jump from slow to fast, though, rather than gradually advancing the metronome.
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