 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: mpc_hunter
Date: 2013-12-04 19:12
My daughter is in middle school and has been playing clarinet for 3 months now. She practices most days 90 minutes to 2-4 hours and loves it. Band director is ready to advance her to the next level or senior band. At the same time the director refuses too citing that because my daughter plays double lip embouchure she will not advance her since only single lip embouchure is "tonally acceptable" in the state of Texas. I am a clarinetist with over 30 years experience, what is the band director talking about "tonally acceptable" for the state. My daughter has a beautiful tone already and her intonation is great, she plays in tune with herself and me and we are working with a tuner. She has great ears and perfect pitch. So what's the deal here? Can school boards of a state really get together and decide what type of embouchure a young student should use? BTW I didn't influence my daughter to play double lip, I was playing single lip at the time she started. She just gravitated double immediately to it.
Post Edited (2013-12-04 19:15)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2013-12-04 20:06
Sweetly ask the Idiot Band Director (probably a percussionist) about his source for this "information." Mention that oboe and bassoon require double lip, flute playing is all about the upper lip and brass instruments require the use of both lips.
Refer the IBD to The Art of Clarinet Playing by the eminent teacher Keith Stein http://www.amazon.com/The-Clarinet-Playing-Keith-Stein/dp/0874870232/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386189862&sr=8-1&keywords=stein+keith, who taught all of his students to at least try double lip.
Ask the IBD whether he knows about Ralph McLane (Philadelphia Orchestra principal), Harold Wright (Boston), Gino Cioffi (Boston), Reginald Kell or Richard Stoltzman -- all double lip players.
If the IBD insists, tell your daughter to pretend to play single lip but keep on with double lip. She's smart enough to know what works for her. That automatically makes her smarter than the IBD.
Ken Shaw
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: gkern
Date: 2013-12-04 20:09
Not to mention Benny Goodman... Converted to double lip by Kalman Opperman!
What is it with this guy? Acceptable in Texas? Geeesh...
Gary K
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: ruben
Date: 2013-12-04 20:23
In the immortal words of Mark Twain: "If I owned Texas and I owned hell, I would move out of Texas and live in hell." Move out of Texas and go on playing with double-lip embouchure.
rubengreenbergparisfrance@gmail.com
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2013-12-04 20:24
BG was converted by Reginald Kell. Kal was another great double lip player. All of his students switched, and most of them stayed with it.
Ken Shaw
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: anonrob
Date: 2013-12-04 21:12
If posting a link to another site is ok, this may help http://webpages.acs.ttu.edu/dshea/supportingpages/TMEAhandout.pdf
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: gkern
Date: 2013-12-04 21:17
In Richard Stoltzman's blogspot, an article "Remembering Benny Goodman", has the following:
=========
"Q: When and why did you start using double lip embouchure? I switched to double lip after hearing a recording of Schubert's Der Hirt Auf Dem Felsen for soprano, clarinet, and piano with Benita Valente, Harold Wright, and Rudolph Serkin. Wright's gorgeous legato and sublime homogeneous sound was so inspiring. I discovered that he used double lip embouchure. He suggested I work with Kalmen Opperman. Mr. Opperman basically tore my playing apart and rebuilt it again based on his philosophy of sound and understanding of technique.
I find double lip feels organic and natural for me. It allows for subtle variations in the amount of mouthpiece and reed inside of my mouth. It also seems to allow for greater variety in tone color."
=========
There is also some references elsewhere on the net regarding Reginald Kell's attempts to convert Goodman to double lip, but these seem to me to be inconclusive.
However, as Abraham Lincoln said - "do not believe everything you see on the internet"...
Gary K
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ed
Date: 2013-12-04 22:49
I often want to be generous to other teachers, especially when I am getting info second or third hand.
That said, I am often amazed at the closed minded attitude of many directors. One regularly hears of students being dictated which mouthpiece, reed, ligature, brand and model of instrument, etc, they must play. It exists on all of the instruments- brass, saxes, etc.
There are many different ways to achieve success and the best judgement is based on what comes out of the instrument. I don't think that anyone could tell a double lip player from a single just based on listening tests.
FWIW- good info at
http://clarinet-central.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/McLaneEmbouchureArticle.jpg
I am not sure what the answer is. If you are really stuck, perhaps she can play single in school or at least when someone is looking. Maybe just stick a thin mouthpiece patch on for looks. If she is having success, stay with what works.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2013-12-05 12:52
If the band director won't budge, then it might be worthwhile to send the information and those links to the school principal. If nothing happens, then the next option would be to re-send everything to the chairperson of the local School Board and to the reporter who most often covers school issues for the regional newspaper with those addresses visible on ccs to the band director and the principal. That way the school officials will know the newspaper reporter is getting the information. This is the shock-and-awe option that will turn the band director into an enemy, so it's definitely a last resort, but if the director is this ignorant about clarinet embouchure, then chances are that your family won't be alone on the battlefield.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2013-12-05 20:31
Lelia -
I think the best solution is indirection. She can pretend to play single lip while continuing to play double.
Or tell the band director that the vibration on her teeth triggers menstrual cramps when she plays single lip. Of course it's made up, but [male] band directors are terrified of "female trouble" and this one will back down in a blink.
Ken Shaw
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2013-12-05 22:18
I had another thought. I'm guessing that marching band is a big activity in her school district. If the marching style is high step, double lip isn't a good match.
If a corps style is used (much more likely), double lip shouldn't be an issue.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Tom Ridenour
Date: 2013-12-06 00:18
Lol. I guess Marcus High School, one of the best High School bands in Texas didnt get the memo (more or less all their kids play double lip including the girl who won the young artist competition at the OU clarinet symposium this summer).
Ted Ridenour
Ridenour Clarinet Products,
rclarinetproducts.com
sales@ridenourclarinetproducts.com
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2013-12-06 11:45
Ken Shaw wrote,
>>I think the best solution is indirection. She can pretend to play single lip while continuing to play double.
>>
Or tell the band director that the vibration on her teeth triggers menstrual cramps when she plays single lip. Of course it's made up, but [male] band directors are terrified of "female trouble" and this one will back down in a blink.
>>
The indirection suggestion is great if it works. Yesterday when I tried looking at myself in the mirror while playing, I could tell whether I was using double or single lip. But the suggestion might work for another reason: if the director realizes he's made a mistake, pretending not to notice if a student disobeys him would let him save face.
Please, please, don't use that "female trouble" option. If the director is gullible enough to fall for it, it will do more harm than good. Girls already have to deal with enough sexist crap without encouraging more.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: pewd
Date: 2013-12-07 21:55
Once she starts doing well at all region auditions, hopefully the director will come around. Judges are behind screens at regionals... can't see the students.
Add Andy Crisanti (Ft Worty Sym, retired) to the double lip group. At least he was when he taught me, back when dinos still roamed the earth.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
