 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: MoonPatrol
Date: 2016-09-24 21:41
I have the book, 'Altissimo studies for Clarinet' by Thomas Filas and it is just exercises. Problem is they are not very melodic and the rhythm is just steady no changes. I need to get better up there and maybe even have some lessons to learn some things. I want a book written by a clarinetist for clarinetist, not a flute book transposed. Anyone know some books to consider?
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2016-09-24 22:31
Flute exercises make great high register practice on the clarinet but only after the clarinetist has spent many hours learning the best fingerings and carefully listening to the pitch and sound on the clarinet. You have to learn the fingerings that are most in tune and speak most easily on your own instrument. This varies from clarinet to clarinet.
To learn the altissimo on your clarinet using books written by clarinetists for clarinetists, Van Cott Infomation Services offers three excellent books, each emphasizing the all important practice of best fingering selection:
Thomas Ridenour Clarinet Fingerings in the Altissimo (this book is all fingerings and commentary--no practice exercises or etudes).
Paul Drushler The Altissimo Register: A Partial Approach. (SHALL-u-mo). This book makes the player aware somewhat of the acoustical principles that underlie the production of the altissimo register. It includes both fingerings and some practice material.
Norman Heim. The Development of the Altissimo Register. This book also includes both fingerings and some practice material. (Kendor Music Publishing).
The practice of scales, scales in intervals (3ds, 4ths, 5ths, 6ths, 7ths, and octaves) and arpeggios extending into the high register is necessary to gain facility in the altissimo, to help the players select the best fingerings and solidify the concept of overblowing to higher partials.
For this kind of drill, it is hard to beat David Hite's reworking of the Carl Baermann Method, Book III, also available from Van Cott:
David Hite. Foundation Studies from Baermann Book 3, Op 63. (Southern Music).
All these books are also available from other sources as well, and used copies can sometimes be found for sale on the Internet.
Post Edited (2016-09-29 22:13)
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Author: qualitycontrol
Date: 2016-09-25 06:11
I've been working on my altissimo lately with two books that were recommended by my teacher. Apart they would both leave a little to be desired but I find they work very well together.
The first is maybe only available in french, and his writings are interesting and do add to the practice, but I'm sure it would still be a useful book if you can only understand the written music. It focuses less on fingerings in the altissimo than it does on work extracting harmonics from fundamental fingerings (and getting those to sound good and in-tune without the use of fancy fingerings). It has exercises that go up to triple-high c, so it's a bit overkill. It's by Joseph Marchi and it's called Étude des harmoniques et du suraigu. Maybe available in english, I'm not sure.
The other is a book focused on tone development by Alessandro Carbonare called Clarinet Tone: Art and Technique. Only about a quarter of it is devoted to the altissimo but the exercises are very good, there are snippets of Brahms, Bartok, Berg etc. transposed in half steps so that you are working on repertory, but playing it in many keys, having to adapt the line to various ranges, usually from about 3rd space D up to double-high C.
Neither offer much in terms of working on articulation in the upper altissimo, but both are good for tone development and controlling those notes at any dynamic.
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2016-09-25 08:33
I used violin music
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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Author: donald
Date: 2016-09-25 10:48
The Norman Heim book is GREAT, but the etudes are not very melodious (just warning). Here's what I'd recommend....
- The Norman Heim book plus....
- Scales up to the altissimo- as you get more confident, push the scales higher. Major scales and scales in 3rds are a good start! Make sure you also work on articulating the scales, but best to get very confident playing legato first.
- Find some melodic fragments (orchestral solos, melodies from your favourite pieces etc) and play them up high. A simple example would be "My bonnie lies over the ocean" starting on clarion high C, or the Andante from Brahms 3rd symphony but playing an octave higher than written.
The Heim book is definitely a good starting point- well written and progressive it will give you a comprehensive knowledge base. It's a pity the etudes in there aren't a little more satisfying to play.
dn
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The Clarinet Pages
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