 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Jang Lee
Date: 2002-04-08 19:37
Hi there,
I am a begginer and am currently using the "Essential Elements 2000" book and on page 25 it mentions
"When alternating between high and low registers, you can keep your right hand fingers down on G, A, and Bb"
This is really comfortable for me but is it a bad habit to form, and does anyone else do the "shortcut"
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Author: Dee
Date: 2002-04-08 20:55
This is also taught in the Baermann books, one of the classics of clarinet instruction. It is not a bad habit and is really useful in fast passages. It can also make the Bb sound a little bit better. Do be careful to lift the right hand fingers though if the notes go below that G.
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Author: Sarah
Date: 2002-04-08 21:08
Putting down your right had will help with the intonation of those notes. Try experimenting with the number of fingers you put down until you get the best sound on your instrument. Every clarinet is different, so you might need to put down one finger, or all of them (like me).
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Author: Sandra F. H.
Date: 2002-04-08 21:09
I don't subscribe to alternate fingerings or "easier ways", but this is something that I teach students. It is recommended usually only for fast passages. I find that students, though, tend to leave their LEFT fingers down, as well. To avoid THAT bad habit you may want to try practicing regular fingerings first, then practice the right-hand-fingers-down. Good luck!
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Author: Roman Eller
Date: 2002-04-08 21:34
I think that that habit is actually rewarding because when you have a fast song and you really need to cross the break like a lot of times that's when you get your reward. I am a second year bass and soprano clarinet player, and have first chair in our band.
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Author: Mindy
Date: 2002-04-08 22:14
Like everyone else is saying.....It is not a bad habit. On some instruments is pretty much always need the right hand down to get those throat tonnes in pitch.
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Author: Keil
Date: 2002-04-08 22:48
Whenever i'm playing a throat tone regardless of the speed of the passage i ALWAYS have some fingers down. It's not, imho, a bad habit at all but actually a sign of good technique. I very rarely, however, have ALL of my fingers down.
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Author: Alex
Date: 2002-04-08 23:03
I think it is a good thing to do, exept don't make the mistake of putting your hands down once you've gone higher than the C, then coming back down to play the C, because insted of playing a C, you could end up playing a G, F,or E.
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Author: Kristen D.
Date: 2002-04-09 00:30
Jang Lee wrote:
"When alternating between high and low registers, you can keep your right hand fingers down
on G, A, and Bb"
Everyone has left great comments, but we must
also make sure that Jang realizes that she can
also keep the right hand down (RHD) while
playing G#/Ab as well.
Good luck!
Kristen Denny
GTA: UNL
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Author: Mike Blinn
Date: 2002-04-09 02:10
In 1839, Hyacinthe Klosé and Louis Buffet developed the modern clarinet incorporating the key designs of Theobald Boehm’s revolutionary new flute. In his Méthode Complète de Clarinette, Klosé says:
‘The emission of notes in the second register taking place at the top of the tube, their sonority, under certain reeds, sometimes lack power and intonation, especially, the notes G, A, and B flat. In order to remedy this fault, one will adjust by closing all the right-hand holes, as well as any necessary keys: the sound will gain in amplitude.’
Later on, Klosé states these notes also gain in the linkage with notes in other registers, if the right-hand holes are blocked.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2002-04-09 14:12
Yes, unless you wish to include [in the practice passage {a doodle?}] the thumb [only] F or with the 1st finger E added, which will come out as Eb, via the "long Eb/Bb" [if the bridge is properly adjusted]. I suggest to the beginners to play the melody [malady to me] of 76 trombones starting on open G to help coordinate fingers with brain! Luck, Don
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Author: Forest Aten
Date: 2002-04-09 14:46
Jang Lee,
It is a good idea to "cover" the tone holes of the right hand when playing "throat-tones"....your open g,g#,a,a#.
Many clarinetists call this technique "covering". Once you are familiar with the tone and tuning issues unique to your instrument, you may use different combinations of covered tone holes. For example: third finger left hand plus one and three of the right hand. Covering different holes can produce quite different results.
"covering" can help in three areas:
1 Improved pitch in the throat tone notes. These notes are often sharp and by placing fingers over tone holes you lower the pitch slightly.
2 Improved quality of the tone. The sound waves have only a very short distance to travel down the clarinet bore before being influenced by the holes that open when playing these throat-tones. Remember that the clarinet amplifies and hopefully refines the sound generated by the reed and mouthpiece. "covering" helps add resonance and clarity to your sound. (play your mouthpiece alone and you'll understand about what I mean when I say refine the sound)
3 Having the fingers "covering" the right hand tone holes facilitates technique over the "break". Passing from the low register (chalumeau) and into the middle (clarion) register involves going over the "break"; a challenging technical effort for your fingers. If the fingers you use to cover the right hand tone holes are already down...it makes going over the "break" much easier.
It won't take you long to master this technique. Experiment with using different fingers in your "covering" of these tone holes. Find and use the best ones for your clarinet.
Regards,
F. Aten
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Author: Jerry
Date: 2002-04-10 13:53
Putting the right hand down is effective as a beginner, but can become a bad habit if praticed beyond middle school.
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Author: Meri
Date: 2002-04-10 23:16
Jerry wrote:
"Putting the right hand down is effective as a beginner, but can become a bad habit if
practiced beyond middle school."
If so, then why do most if not all professional clarinetists use that technique? Not only that, there are many passages at all levels of playing that are extremely difficult if not impossible to play without right hand fingers. No. 4 of the Kell 17 Staccato Studies for example. The second clarinet part near the end of Ravel's Bolero that alternates between A# second space and C# third space--you need the RH + C# key to make that much easier to play. You certainly do not want to be moving up to nine fingers at the same time when you need to move only 3 or 4 in a fast passage.
Meri
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Author: Forest Aten
Date: 2002-04-10 23:22
???? I'm not sure I understand. Most, if not all, of the professional clarinetists that I work with or have worked with, "cover" tone holes depending on their clarinet and music being played. Why do you say that "covering" is a bad habit?
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Author: David Dow symphony NB
Date: 2002-04-24 13:45
Covering tone holes reduces the air column and has a lowering effect on pitch. This can be taken to an extreme if you begin to start sounding flat...the German System instrument is quite a bit more stable in the throat area so it isn't as critical on the Oehlers as the Boehm...best get a tuner and check the notes you use and also to use covered fingerings to give shades of nuance and color(ie. with bassoon in certain registers and passages) and for tuning ocatave with ensemble mates. However, simpicity and comfort are the hallmark of a good round technique....
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