 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: locke9342
Date: 2014-12-07 08:36
I've been trying to practice my new solo and since it's a rather technical piece I took it down to roughly 25 bpm (If my math is correct I have the metronome at 50 and i'm playing 16th notes as 8th notes) and my problem is I don't have enough breath support to get to the spots where I want to breath. So should I just ignore it now or... suggestions?
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-12-07 18:33
ABSOLUTELY!!!!!
You practice slowly to cement the technique, so the 'other' stuff (like breathing spots or even the ultimate phrase points) does not take precedent.
Also, have your metronome at a reasonable speed: set it at 100 (each pulse will equal a 32nd.....OR two pulses per 16th. But you always want your metronome at least around there in a duple meter to get the "feel" of movement.
Keep in mind that you don't have to do the WHOLE piece this slowly, just the bits that present a technical challenge.
..............Paul Aviles
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2014-12-07 20:02
What Mr. Aviles said.
Where you breath when taking a section of a piece slowly, so as to work on form, is like worrying that "the tennis ball coming over the net is going to pass you by because you're slowly working on your return's form at the time."
Worry about where you need to breath, or "hit the tennis ball" once you're at performance speed.
Post Edited (2014-12-07 20:50)
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Author: locke9342
Date: 2014-12-07 22:29
Okay, that's good to hear any tips on how to improve breath support?
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-12-08 02:06
Alexi,
Very cute. How'd ya do that? Are you some sort of computer wiz-kid or sumptin?
Developing breath support is kinda like learning to hold your breath (much closer than one might think superficially, because that is exactly what you are doing WHILE actively pushing OUT the air that is already in your lungs).
I will describe my favorite long tone exercise (usually referring to holding one LONG note in one long breath BUT anything you play where the flow of air goes without being interrupted is technically a long tone - scales, arpeggios, phrases in solos, etc):
Sneak into a LOW "E" as quietly as possible (the sneaking in is also unique and part of the exercise). You sneak in by beginning with an embouchure that is too weak to produce sound but you begin to blow, then add more embouchure until you just barely grab the note out of the silence (and the blowing). From there you gradually get louder as you count V-E-R-Y S-L-O-W-L-Y up from one to eight (the pulse is about 54 beats to the minute). At Eight you are playing your low "E" as loud as you can, you then count backward 7,6,5 etc. getting softer until you reach one and fade to nothing (where you started). You do this all in one breath within 15 counts.
Do that twice on low "E," twice on low "F," twice on low "F,#" and twice on "G." That's one full exercise that you can do as a warm up each and every day.
................Paul Aviles
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Author: tylerleecutts
Date: 2014-12-08 04:08
Keep the metronome at 25. You need to be able to sense the subdivision, regardless of how slow the reference pulse is. It's very revealing to a players subdivision when they can't hold a solid pulse when the metronome is set to twice as slow as it should- my teacher has done this to me MANY times. . All to my benefit.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2014-12-08 04:35
I will add that for Paul aviles' exercise, do NOT keep the metronome at 25. An exercise like that you're probably better around a metronome marking of 60ish. Maybe a little slower if you can get that deep a breath.
To add onto his exercise, do what he did with the low E and continue chromatically up the clarinet. You'll find it harder to sustain through the lower notes than higher ones, but harder to "sneak in" on the higher notes than lower ones. But it'll give you GREAT control over your tone and playing in general.
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-12-08 07:56
Actually I DID say 54 beats per minute.
Done correctly, you'll feel like you've run around the block when you complete the series. And remember you ARE trying to develop your breath control!
..............Paul Aviles
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-12-08 17:22
Please forgive me, there is a correction to the wrong correction !!!
Tyler brings up an interesting point. I DO advocate FEELING the pulse, but this is a different exercise for a different time. Think about it. The whole point of slow practice for technique is "SLOW MOVEMENT OF FINGERS." That's it. You don't need to add anything else to it to make it complicated........music is easy, right?
And that leads me to one of my more controversial assertions. Rhythm is REMEMBERING the length of time of your pulse. That is, if you are playing a common time quarter at 60 beats per minute, the pulse is ONE SECOND long.
How hard is it to 'remember' how long that is if you just played it? So, you should be able to do it again........ and again, and again.
You can expand this 'Game' to the length of two pulses or a measure or even longer if you want but the essence is that rhythm is "DEFINING THE LENGTH OF TIME" with the beginnings of each note (or length of note if you are full on legato).
..............Paul Aviles
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