Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2015-04-03 01:04
Notice though that Brian adopted the "start slow and gradually increase speed" approach coupled with the "variation of rhythmic pattern" approach that many have recommend in the past but, even using both approaches patiently, he has reached an impasse -- an upper bound on the speed he can achieve with accuracy. Using the same approaches, I've experienced the same kind of limit (usually, Jettel is involved and the threshold is about 10% short of his metronome marking ![[frown]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie2.gif) .) I suspect that most clarinetists experience this problem to some degree. (Stockhausen, Henze, Donatoni, anyone?) At that point, it seems to me, continuing to try slow practice, patiently increasing speed gradually, even one metronome marking at a time, is like banging one's head against a wall -- the only benefit is that it feels good when one stops. IMO, what is called for in this case is a change which may be as simple as finding an alternate fingering for a note in the pattern or not venting an altissimo note in a fast run or may be as drastic as "prop[ping] down the Db/Gb key with the thick end of an old reed" as Hadcock suggests for the section between rehearsal numbers 155 and 156 in Daphnis. Sometimes knowing how and when to cheat is just as important as knowing how and how much to practice.
And, by the way, it's better to find the cheats before starting to work on the piece than after because changing a fingering or two midstream can be as difficult as correcting an error after one has practiced the original fingering at slow tempo a few hundred times. That's a reason why a lesson with an experienced player early on and books like Hadcock's are so valuable.
Best regards,
jnk
Post Edited (2015-04-03 01:06)
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