Author: Exiawolf
Date: 2015-11-22 05:26
As a high school player who is working very hard to constantly improve myself, and audition into an exceptional music program, I've been stuck in my mind on what separates the average clarinet tone (one that is not bad by any means, but doesn't make anyone shift eyes when they here it) from an exceptional tone that accomplishes the opposite.
Where I live, there is not much opportunity to see WORLD class players around. That leaves me with 2 options, which are the players at my local college, and recordings. While recordings are great and all, they don't truly give me the sound the a REAL tone would.
What I've discovered over time as I've gotten better is that a real tone will obviously sound very different to the player, the person next to him, and the audience member "x" amount seats away. To me and those around, there may be some extraneous noise (air, spit, etc.), however those that I'm playing to will get just a pure round clarinet sound. My problem is, I can't fully tell if I do have that round, pure, "american" "dark" (etc.) sound. I've done everything I can to make sure I do have that sound including LISTENING, Long Tones every day, recording myself to critique, using reeds that both are good, and fit my mouthpiece, and lastly (and least importantly) an R13 and Gregory Smith mouthpiece that I chose after going on a mouthpiece goosechase between essentially every Vandoren in existence.
That leaves me. I'm essentially positive that my embouchure and air support are in great working order (wrapping around, not constricting reed vibration, constant air stream, high tongue position) and yet I still FEEL as though I don't sound like the recordings of those around me. I still as though something is off. Whenever I listen to recordings of myself made on my phone, there is never anything inherently wrong, but it never sounds as nice as recordings of other players.
In the end, I guess I just wanted to ask all of you (both pro, and amateur players), when you're listening to someone, what really does set their tone apart from the rest and turn your head? And how can I work even more to achieve that? How do you know when you've gotten there?
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The Clarinet BBoard
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