The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Joarkh
Date: 2023-10-23 23:52
Hello all,
I see the need for a scale book/method not going above c3, but containing all scales in major and minor tonalities as well as preferably thirds, returning scales, some simple chords and the like. In effect, something like a simplified version of the first forty or so pages of Baermann's part three, but without the altissimo register.
I believe such a method would be a great help for students who are not familiar with practicing scales or different tonalities, but are not ready to learn the altissimo register yet. I think time would be better spent learning everything up to c3 in a good manner before starting with that.
I suppose something like this could be made relatively easily, but am curious to see if anyone knows about anything like it.
Joar
Clarinet and saxophone teacher, clarinet freelancer
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Author: kdk
Date: 2023-10-23 23:57
Joarkh wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> I see the need for a scale book/method not going above c3,
I'm assuming you mean c6 , using the key next to the banner "The Clarinet BBoard" at the top of this page?
Karl
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Author: Joarkh
Date: 2023-10-23 23:58
Haha. Yes, of course.
Joar
Clarinet and saxophone teacher, clarinet freelancer
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2023-10-24 04:43
I would have to check the rest of the book, however I do know the first exercise of the Stark Arpeggios pretty much avoids the altissimo….. mostly. Very advanced book otherwise.
Upon checking this, of course, I was wrong. Page 11, "Seventh chords and connecting scale passages" does however remain at your target "C" for the top. In many of these more advanced exercises you can ignore the few altissimos if you wish without losing the "spirit" of the entire exercise. Also I'd add that for those who wish to avoid the altissimo (for a certain amount of time), you can easily edit out the upper reaches by playing only up to what you need harmonically (and rhythmically) in the Baermann. For example just turn around on the high B clarion for B major.....etc.
………..Paul Aviles
Post Edited (2023-10-24 19:20)
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2023-10-24 07:50
Joar,
Both the late, great GBK and I used the Arban Book for trumpet in such cases. The range is very much like what I imagine you might need.
Also, if you want to strengthen a clarinetist's facility over the break, a trumpet method book really works those notes.
Hank
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2023-10-24 11:06
Hi Joar,
I don't know of a clarinet book that does what you ask. As you mentioned, if you want one you may need to put it together yourself. During the pandemic I made my own in order to incorporate MORE altissimo than I was finding in most available scale books for younger students. Mine has options to go up to the second A above the staff. As an added benefit, the project really improved my notation software skills.
I respect your well thought out rationale, but I take the opposite approach. I find that getting younger students to play up into the altissimo as soon as reasonably possible really helps them to figure out so much about the clarinet that is helpful in every register - voicing, air, embouchure, and articulation. If it works up high it will work over the whole instrument - broadly speakly, and assuming you that you are instilling proper fundamentals gradually over time to get there.
Most of my longer term middle school students play all their scales and argeggios up to high G. They warm up daily on a slow three octave Ab or A Major scale. When we first venture up into the altissimo it is often to play a slow 3 octave F Major scale. This commonly happens fairly early in their second year of study - if they start with me as a beginner.
Other teachers didn't seem to be doing this, so I doubted it a little early on - but Yehuda Gilad has talked about STARTING beginners with the altissimo range and then working down. I think he's only somewhat tongue in cheek about this, and I've heard him also talking about how the altissimo range is where one really learns to play the clarinet. This approach has worked really well for me over the years.
The Arban book is a great suppliment, but it's going to be missing a few notes at the bottom of the range.
Anders
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Author: kurth83
Date: 2023-10-24 21:02
As a trumpet player, I can say that the goto for scales is the (Herbert L) Clark book. The patterns could easily be extended downwards to the low E. It doesn't go above C6 very often, and you can skip the ones that do.
Aging classical trumpet player beginning to learn clarinet as a second.
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Author: Joarkh
Date: 2023-11-02 00:10
Thanks for all the answers.
Thank you for the Arban book, Hank.
Anders, interesting approach. That sounds perfectly plausible. My instinct was just that as long as they don't know everything up to altissimo yet, there would be no need to complicate things further. Talking mainly about the younger students, who are also playing wind band pieces that rarely go very high. But certainly yes, if it works up there, it should work everywhere! I'll have to somehow try it out in my teaching.
Joar
Clarinet and saxophone teacher, clarinet freelancer
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Author: beejay
Date: 2023-11-07 22:23
I've always been happy with Guy Dangain's Scales and Arpeggios, published by Gérard Billaudot.
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