Author: kdk
Date: 2017-04-11 23:01
I think from what you write that it may not be possible for you at first to learn to "[relax] while playing music." You may need to go back to a more basic level and play material that doesn't distract you from the goal of playing "effortlessly."
As a "very tense player" you've developed a number of destructive habits that will need time and attention, not so much (as when you're working seriously on literature) to what's coming out of your clarinet, but to what you're putting in to get the result. So, my advice would be to start out with slow scales. Not the ones with a gazillion flats or sharps, but the basic, easy ones at a tempo that seems too slow. You may need some direction from your teacher, since he's there and can see what you're doing, to guide you on how to form your embouchure and use your fingers in ways that provide for the needed amount of muscular engagement without contorting or applying unneeded tension. This probably will have to be done with scales and fairly easy music played slowly, so that technical issues involving your fingers and your tongue are not involved. Your concern in playing this way is not to as much to make beautiful music (although playing these simple materials as beautifully as possible would be an excellent result) as to make the process of producing the music as easy as possible. Over a period of time (weeks?) you should be able to gradually increase tempo, but not beyond the point where you feel tension building.
We've already discussed using double-lip as an aid to relieving embouchure pinching - I forget if it was another thread of yours or not. Also, it should go without saying that if anything in your setup is encouraging extra tension, it needs to be adjusted or replaced with something easier.
You probably will not be able to limit your playing in this way for long periods of time - almost certainly you'll run out of patience with it before you've gotten through a full practice session. So, after spending time with the "ease-of-playing" approach, you'll want to try to apply it to more involved music. This probably won't be a quick change in your playing if the excess tension is as habituated as you've described, so be patient. Look for ways to apply what you discover. I think that, as you begin to be able to reproduce a more relaxed approach from session to session on easy, undemanding material, you will begin to be able to apply it to the rest of your material. Play a fast etude at a moderate, smooth tempo instead of the too fast tempo you want to use. Play a staccato etude both slower and with a longer note length than you would normally do.
Eventually, of course, by monitoring the tension levels in your fingers and your mouth, you'll be able to correct excesses as you feel them building. At that point you'll be right there with most of the rest of us. Any time you feel extra tension building, step back, slow down and get it under control. It's a constant task.
Karl
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