Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2001-02-23 22:43
I was recently sent the following email:
"I read one of your postings, in which you said that you were entirely
> self-taught. I myself am a primarily self-taught player.
>
> Perhaps you'd like to talk more about teaching ourselves? After all, too
> many people seem to equate being a self-taught player with being a
> player of poor quality, and equate privately-taught players with being
> good players."
In reply I write:
I am a reasonably intelligent guy with an analytical mind and relentless determination. Perhaps to self-teach one needs to have a certain group of
charactereistics as a person, not necessarily the same as my own. For me it
has not been a complicated process.
Tone: Listen to the odd recording, and especially other players live.
Mentally store the the sound one likes. Aim for it. Constantly make minute
changes to the way one plays and retain these changes if they contribute to
the sound that has been stored. This can become both a conscious and subconscious process.
Fingering: Get a fingering chart that covers good fingerings for sustained
notes, reluctant slurrs, and trills, and that takes care of the notes. An experienced analytical player may be needed to provide this and leave out the huge array of dubious fingerings in the top octave.
Tuning: Never assume that tuning before playing takes care of pitch!!
Listen note by note (and use a tuner as a basis but remember it is a tempered scale). When playing with other players tuning means being in tune with the others, whatever their pitch is. It can be confusing because other players may be out of tune with eachother. Lip a note up slightly. If this reduces the 'beat frequency' then I was flat. If it increases the beat frequency then I was sharp. If it makes no difference then I am as in tune as I can be, and if it sounds bad it is
because other players are out of tune with eachother.
Tongueing: Without waffling on, a single sentence covers how to do it. To
improve the effect follow the rules as for tone.
Phrasing & Artistry: Listen astutely to other players and recordings to
discover what is possible, and copy the possibilities. Choose between them.
It's all to do with nuances of pitch, volume, timing, tone.
Group Playing &b Accompaniment Roles: Always be aware that a total, perhaps emotional effect is the aim. Constantly strive (using the method described for tone) to contribute to this effect.
Technically Difficult Passages. To play fast one only has to shorten the
notes. Of course relatively speaking, this makes the messy sounds arising from poor finger synchronization and from tongueing (as the tongue actually contacts or leaves the reed) more conspicuous. Therefore the most important aspect to fast playing is to reduce the volume and length of these sounds. Practice MUST be slow enough to hear these sounds before they can be reduced, once again by using the method mentioned under tone. Focus on these sounds, not the notes!
That just about covers it!
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The Clarinet BBoard
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