 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: mvjohnso
Date: 2012-02-26 01:26
As I was walking home today I was practicing tonguing by doing 16th notes as fast as I could in an attempt to build my tongues stamina. That also got me thinking about how there are various exercises that one can do away from their horn to improve technique like:
-saying oou-wee in order to build up the corners of the mouth
-the breathing gym in order to improve lung support
-blowing into a straw in water to practice circular breathing
-spider push-ups to build up finger strength
-holding a pencil like a clarinet to practice keeping your fingers
in a strait line in order to properly cover the tone holes
-holding a can of tomato sauce to build up muscles in order to hold your instrument (good for marching band)
And, I am sure that there are so many more. These excises interest me because they allow one to build technique at times when you cannot play or even while you are doing something else. What are some exercises that yall have heard of that you can do without playing?
*parts in italics added to clarify what i meant in response to William
Post Edited (2012-02-26 22:17)
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Author: William
Date: 2012-02-26 16:54
The only way to learn to swim is to jump into the water. A clarinet in the hand is worth two in the .........well, you may guess the rest. In my opinion, none of the above will help make you a clarinetist. The pencil in the hand to keep the fingers straight is the most rediculous. Actually, your clarinet fingers should be slightly curved and relaxed, not stiff and straight. And its more about the spacing and 'feel' of the keyboard than actual strength. Get that clarinet out of your case and spend some quality time getting to know it via focused practice time.
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Author: mvjohnso
Date: 2012-02-26 18:17
I think in both cases you misunderstood what I meant. I mean these things to be taken as SUPPLEMENTS to practicing not SUBSTITUTES. I do not disagree with you that practicing is the best method, however there are times when one cannot practice just like there are times when one cannot swim (for example doing both late at night presents problems). Also, your analogy really does suck because top swimmers DO practice outside of the pool via various training machines or even lifting weights. These exercises allow them to isolate particular parts of their bodies in order to better train them. Just like practicing tonguing trains ones tongue muscles or the oou-wee trains your mouth muscles. In addition to that, swimmers will even work on their breathing technique outside the pool, just like we ought too (also, swimming is ironically a good way to improve your breathing). And, if I can improve any of these areas of my technique while I am doing something else (like walking home, making dinner, while sitting in class, or just at night), then I consider them a great success even though they may not be the best method. And, in the case of the pencil trick it is not about the curvature of ones hand (which you are correct about) its about the basic fact that the tone holes are drilled in a strait line (unless your are lucky enough to own a Tosca) which is different than, let's say, a sax where the pearls are placed ergonomically (because our fingers are all different lengths, that's why some are more curved than others while holding the horn). And do to this basic fact, it is unnatural for one to be holding a clarinet just like it is unnatural to hold a pencil with your fingers in a strait line. But, I would agree that the pencil one is the worst of the bunch, however, its really about the only one I can do in class. And, I do spend a lot of quality time with my instrument, and after practicing Copland, The Artie Shaw Concerto, and Spohr for quite a few hours; my embrasure, understandably, gives out for the most part and as such I look for other ways of practicing. So, basically what I'm trying to say here is that you are not wrong that practicing with a horn is the best way, but your are very, very, very wrong if you think that the isolation of specific parts of ones playing is not a good way of improving ones technique.
Post Edited (2012-02-26 18:27)
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