 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Chong
Date: 2002-06-29 04:54
i've been working on this piece for a long time now, and i STILL can't get the cadenza to be smooth.
it sounds horrible, especially the second half of the cadenza.
i've tried so many things, includign going through it SLOWLY, and note bynote. and i've also tried it in duples or whatever it's called. in different rhythms.
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Author: Hiroshi
Date: 2002-06-29 20:28
The excerpt I typed below is what I think very undrestandable explanation on how to think and practice difficult chromatic scales written by Lous Moyse in 'Exercices Systematiques sur les Chromatismes pour la Flute'.I certainly feel this gives a hint of how to go beyond the ordinary rigid practice using metronome. It is written for flute player, but its essence may work for other wind instruments.
Here is its excerpt.
'You should keep your mind focussed only on the three basic 'support' points of the whole structure:the starting note,the highest note,and the final note.Consider the rest just as relatively unimportnat 'passing' notes.You must,of course,still play them by dividing into rythmic groupings-think of them more as a key-board type glissando.If you aim to reach the necessary speed as quickly as possible,you will soon find that you acquire a natural dexterity and fluency,which will lead to a feeling of detachment toward the exercise, as if an 'auto-pilot' was performing it.This is an important perspective to bear in mind when dealing with difficult fingerings at speed.It releases both mental tension,enabling you to play smooth chromatic runs quickly.You must maintain a firm mental control,but if you strain at the flute harder with the effort,it won't help at all,quite opposite.Instead of greater control,you will find that your fingers just seize up.
If you make yourself practice runs more and more quickly, you will soon make progress.Try to feel that you are 'squeezing in' more notes than are strictly necessary to fill in the gap between the given points at either end.
Meep your fingers very close to the keys,avoid any muscular tension,and try to avoid musclurar tension when you attempt a difficult change of fingering.'
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Author: Clarinetqween
Date: 2002-06-30 05:11
I played this piece this last spring and the only way to do it is to practice over and over. My teacher instructed me to do it differently than most other performers would. Instead of playing the cadenza all of the way through really fast, She told me certain places to draw out or hold certain notes so I can start up again and play the next phrase cleanly. The first hold would be on the Bb with the Tenudo on it, The second would be on the Ab. The third hold, shorter than the others is on the f#. This hold is ver brief. The fourth hold would be on the f# right before the breath mark. The fifth and last hold would be on the c# right before the 16th not rest. by breaking the cadenza into sections, you can learn them this way and then piece them together. I hope that I could help you. If you have any more questions feel free to ask.
-ClarinetQween
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2002-07-01 15:03
Chong -
You're not alone. The Rabaud is *really* hard to get smooth. When you listen to the ancient Auguste Perier recording, it drives you crazy that he makes it sound so easy.
By working it out "in duples," I think you're talking about the exercises I posted a couple of years ago at http://www.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=24907&t=24731. In that posting, I also gave some other exercises in groups of 3 and 4, which may help. It will also help to break the Rabaud cadenza down harmonically, marking each group of 4 notes (or perhaps 8 or more notes) for which scale or arpeggio it belongs to. Then, go to Baermann Part 3 and work out the exercises for that particular key.
The important thing is to work on the cadenza slow enough to get everything completely even. Otherwise you're only teaching your fingers to play it wrong.
When you're ready to go faster, you need to work at the very hardest speed -- the one just barely beyond where you can play smoothly and in perfect control. You'll find it's easy to go faster and "fake it." You really have to stop yourself from doing that. It's exhausting to keep control and work on the hardest speed, so do it only for 10 minutes or so. Then play something you love, take a quick rest, and go back to the hard stuff. It's about as much fun as eating light bulbs, but it's also essential.
Finally, it's easy to set your speed goal too high. When you listen to recordings with a metronome, you'll find the speed is often a lot slower than it seems. When you play something really smoothly, it sounds faster than it is. Take it a tick slower and add some "spritz" to it. It'll be plenty exciting.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Todd W.
Date: 2002-07-01 19:52
The only problem with eating light bulbs is going through a whole box to find the best tasting one.
:+))
Todd W.
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Author: rmk
Date: 2002-07-02 02:01
There is a great recording of this piece by Harold Wright, but you have to buy a Music Minus One package for about $30 to get it. Perhaps this has been reissued by Boston Records?
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Author: Jenny Chambless
Date: 2002-07-03 02:18
This is a great piece... I believe that every musician has a standard "fall back on" piece of music, and this is mine. I was first introduced to this piece in around 1970 and thought that I would never be able to play it. After much work, I used this piece for solo and ensemble festival and then for a Georgia Power Music Scholarship to Brevard North, NC ( i won it!) I took a long break from clarinet after a little college and in Jan 2001, "re-started" my attempt to get a music degree. This was the piece that I began to work on again, (I used it for My UGA audition and was accepted at Junior level after a 27 year break and a lot of practice.)
Now to the good part... for me, the cadenza has never been set completely to a metronome. The low notes are a place to really show off this register and you need to almost feel the vibrations in your fingers... I agree with certain notes being "landing places".. mine were the Bb in measure #3, the Ab same measure, the F# 4, then fly (evenly) until the F# in measure 5, Pause... then fly (evenly) to the C# measure 7, then when you get to the low F#, lean into it. Articulate the high D measure 9, lean into the low G and arppegiate to the D down to the E without a break,same with the next measure. almost soulfully, the last 3 beats are mf and when you get to the held D, I hope you have practiced your long tones and continue to support this note til it fades. ( I hope that I counted the measures right)
You have to have the feeling that an opera is going on and this is a "recitative". This is your chance to "talk" and to be heard. The piano will follow you, not the other way around. You are allowed the liberty of interpreting this section. It would be so boring if it becomes mechanical.
As you can see, I have very strong feelings about this piece and it will be interesting to see how my next teacher at UGA will make this piece even more musical.
I could go on about the following sections, but I will spare you since you inquired about only the first section.
By the way, practice the "evenly flying" parts very slowly and get them under your fingers, then you will not have any problems cranking up the speed.
Good Luck,
Jenny Chambless
MChambley@aol.com
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Author: David Campbell
Date: 2009-03-28 17:30
Hey Ken Shaw,
My name is David Campbell, a senior in high school. I've been playing clarinet now for about 8 years now but unfortunately I haven't been blessed with any Clarinet teacher. I often compete in the State Competition which I have won, and placed 2nd and 3rd, but I just had some questions. I would like to get a teacher soon, but since I don't now and I probably won't soon, are there any books you can lead me to to practice such as the one you suggested to Chong? I would love to work on anything I can so anything you suggest will probably be a big help.
Thanks!
David Campbell
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2009-03-28 18:38
David -
There's just one book: Baermann Part 3, which has all possible scales and patterns.
It does no good just to play through it. Work on one exercise at a time until it's perfectly smooth. You may just possibly get through 3 or 4 in a day.
For a difficult passage such as the Rabaud cadenza, I've found that the most effective method is the one taught by Fernand Gillet, the great principal oboist in the Boston Symphony. Break the passage into cells of just a few notes and work on each cell dead slow speed until it's perfect 10 times in a row. Then put it away to let it "cook" for 3 days, come back and work it out again, etc.
See http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=158256&t=158204.
It's difficult and tiring, but it works. Maybe it's the only way that works.
Ken Shaw
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Author: mrn
Date: 2009-03-28 20:31
David,
Sean Osborn has written a very nice little article/handout on his approach to technique, which is more or less the way I do things, too.
http://www.osbornmusic.com/Technique1.pdf
The section on how to choose fingerings is especially good--you can eliminate a lot of technical problems simply through judicious choice of fingerings. A few minutes spent up front planning fingerings in a technically challenging passage can save you hours of practice time. Too often it's only after weeks of frustration that we turn to "alternate fingerings" to make things easier, which forces us to relearn everything. It's far better to simplify things from the outset, so you have more time to get the kinks out.
The "wave technique" he describes is also helpful. One little spin on this idea that I like to employ is to think of my whole hand working as a unit, rather than just individual fingers. I try to plan my fingerings in such a way that I can do this and with the fewest number of changes of direction in my hand/finger motion.
The Jettel Klarinettenschule Vol. 2 book Sean describes is similar to Baermann III. It is more comprehensive than Baermann, but also more expensive and a bit harder to find.
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Author: Old Geezer
Date: 2009-03-28 21:57
This difficult composition was a contest piece meant as an examination for graduating students at the Paris conservatory. Most clarinetists will never, ever be able to play it with any panache! Still it is good to press at it. Nothing is lost and one might have a breakthough (in 10 or 12 years).
Youtube is full of examples of young and not so young players demonstrating this truism.
As a famous amateur jazz piano player (Clint Eastwood) once remarked; "A man's gotta know his limitations." ....or not.
Clarinet Redux
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Author: mrn
Date: 2009-03-28 22:52
Old Geezer wrote:
> This difficult composition was a contest piece meant as an
> examination for graduating students at the Paris conservatory.
> Most clarinetists will never, ever be able to play it with any
> panache! Still it is good to press at it. Nothing is lost
> and one might have a breakthough (in 10 or 12 years).
Oh c'mon, Geezer. It's not THAT hard!
Incidentally, you can download it here for free: http://imslp.org/wiki/Solo_de_Concours%2C_Op.10_%28Rabaud%2C_Henri%29
I think most people would consider the one Debussy wrote to be more of a challenge.
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Author: Wes
Date: 2009-03-29 07:39
When I studied this with Earl Handlon of the Minneapolis Symphony in 1948, I was just off the farm and had only seriously played for a couple of years, having played the tuba in high school, and badly at that. Somehow, he explained it so clearly that it was not hard and the exam on it went well at the end of the quarter with the music professors.
I just did not know any better and he was obviously a fine teacher. Good luck with your study of it!!
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