 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Jessica
Date: 2002-10-03 18:20
Can I start out by saying I'm not a clarinet teacher?
I drive (or rather, my mom does) over an hour each Saturday afternoon to take clarinet lessons because there are no clarinet teachers in the town where I live.
Recently, I received a call from my old band director from middle school. She has 7th grade clarinet students (who have been playing since 5th) who never learned to "go over the break" (play higher than Bb) & she wants me to come in and help them.
As a beginning clarinetist, one of the things I regret the most is I didn't take lessons. I never had trouble with "getting over the break" though, so I'm not sure what to do. I plan on talking about good air support/control and proper embouchure, but I'm afraid the concept of embouchure might go straight over their heads.
The best thing I can think of (of course) is for them to start taking lessons (I know I would've benefitted greatly from them in 7th grade), but most of them aren't that dedicated and just play for fun.
If anyone has any suggestions on how to explain things to them or helpful exercises we could do, I'd be very grateful.
Thank you.
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Author: Erin
Date: 2002-10-03 19:01
Perhaps the best way is to talk as little as possible and let the students experiment on some short examples--write them yourself if you need to--just some eighth notes going over and around the break with some chromatics.
If some are really having problems, try talking about breath control & air direction, but keep the talking as limited as possible. Make sure the angle of their instrument is good--not too close to the body and not too far out. Try changing the amount of mouthpiece they are taking in. Try to notice their hands--the right hand needs to find the holes and the left hand has a tendency to hit the throat A-flat key. Everyone's physiology is different, so sometimes experimenting with things is beneficial.
You are right--a lot of esoterica could go over their heads. Let them experience it first & then put words to what they are doing--I believe this is an Orff-type approach.
Good luck, beginners are a lot fun, you can set them on the right path from the get-go.
eb
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Author: Kat
Date: 2002-10-03 20:43
One concrete exercise which I have found to help certain students...
You can use low-register notes instead of the clarion register notes in order to help them find the finger holes. This works especially well if they're less than confident on the clarion notes. For example, have them play throat A then low C. Then throat A then low A. Then throat A then low F. It seems to help!
Katrina
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2002-10-03 21:36
Dee has posted a great method several times. Work down from the clarion register, C, B, A. Going down removes all the anxiety and gives the correct feel for going back up.
The advice is also given to keep the entire right hand down, and even the left ring and middle fingers. This helps reduce the amount of motion. However, it affects the resonance and intonation, particularly if you put down left-hand fingers, and it's not a great thing to get beginenrs imprinted on.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Fred
Date: 2002-10-03 23:03
Part of the difficulty that many beginners have with the break is their equipment. Too often there are leaks in the clarinet - especially the lower joint - that make playing B-natural difficult. So they assume that they just can't do it.
If I were you, I'd begin each 1st session with each student by going over their clarinet and playing it with your mouthpiece. Get the equipment issues taken care of - then you can get down to work.
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Author: Hank
Date: 2002-10-04 02:03
Hi,
Although it has been many years since I taught a group of 5th grade clarinet players, the focus at first is not crossing the break but getting into the upper register. Here are a few things that were very successful for me (I'll refer to the plural "students" because this method can be taught to small groups).
1. As mentioned before by others, work down from C to Bb, A, G, and F. If there is a good seal with the right hand fingers, you are almost there. Have students do that several times then when the comfort level is good, tell the student what you are going to do and just reach around and open the register key and out pops the C. Then have the students try. One problem is that often, with inital attempts to open the register key, the thumb uncovers (Mazzeo clarinets were really cool to eliminate this problem). A little work and things come around.
2. When the students are comfortable with 1 above, have them hold up the clarinet with just the right hand on. Then, keeping the right hand on, have students put the instrument in their mouth and play an open G but with the right hand on. After that, add the left hand and register key and we have the G to C interval. Repeat :]
The rest will fall into place but I have found it easier to work from above the break and down than the reverse.
Hank
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Author: Jim E.
Date: 2002-10-04 04:00
Its hard to imagine that students have been playing only in the lower register for 2 years and haven't given up in frustration.
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Author: Katfish
Date: 2002-10-04 17:28
Fred's advice is right on. I think you will be surprised at how many clarinets are miss adjusted, have bent bridge keys, or are mis-assembled. You will save yourself much frustation by determining this first.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2002-10-04 20:32
Much good advice above, I second it, and as KF/Fred pointed out, the cl's condition, partic. the VG seating of the "long pads" so that mid-staff B sounds EASILY, is of great importance toward success. I like to demonstrate, and promote practice of, the beginning of 76 Trombones, starting on open G, more fun than scales or my old Klose exercise. Work at it, Don
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2002-10-04 23:46
I cannot over-emphasise the importance of Fred's advice. It is
unusual to come across a new clarinet where the low keys and their pad seating are correctly adjusted. Problems associated with B are by far the most common problem I, as a technician, encounter on clarinets.
beginners have enough problems here without the instrument being the major one!
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2002-10-06 13:10
Presuming the horn seals properly (easy enough to test);
Practice chromatic scales 5 notes up, four notes down and repeat as you ascend to the top of your range.
Take a breath every so often (1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2 *breath* 2-3-4-5-6...)
the notable exceptions;
Thou shalt not breathe between 'pinch' B-flat and long B.
Thou shalt not breathe between High B and High C.
Whilst thou 'crosseth the break', thou must heed the admonition of thine forebears..."BTSOOI"*
(* with apologies to the late, great Anthony G of the Cherry Hills,
Blow The S__t Out Of It!)
To excite the notes that are sounded by a tonehole far away from the preceding note, you gotsa ta blow!
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Author: Mike
Date: 2002-10-06 17:27
I'm going to try to put my 2 cents worth in here without writing a major thesis on the subject, and that may be a bit of a challenge. First off we are talking about young or inexperienced players dealing with the "register change" on a clarinet. It has been my experience that the biggest issue (excluding equipment problems) is the finger position in the right hand, in particular the ring finger. What tends to happen is when a young player starts to reach for a B or C on the bottom cluster the ring finger gets pulled off the bottom ring and there is a major air leak making the register change more difficult and forcing the player to overblow. This problem with seating the pads of the fingers on the rings of the clarinet gets even worse if we try to go from an open G or A to a middle line B.
My suggestion is get the students to play a good solid chaulimeau register G and just gently squeeze the register key wthout moving any other fingers. I sometimes will have a student play the G and open the register key myself. ... Do the same with an A and B. The concept is its just another note on the horn, not a big deal to get.
The other issue is going from throat tone A to using all fingers for the B when playing a Cmaj scale. Don't forget you can play from the open G up with the right hand fully covering the tone holes (actually the F# too). Getting in to this habit will anchor the right hand and help to develop a smooth register change.
I hope this helps.
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Author: Kat
Date: 2002-10-08 03:14
Mike, I push my students' register keys all the time when they're learning clarion register...it really helps!
Another thing I do is to turn the mouthpiece around and have them hold the barrel with the mp in their mouth. Then _I_ finger their clarinet while they blow a whole note... This way they can tell what it's supposed to feel like when blowing without the distraction of their fingers...
Then once they get the blowing right, they can figure out what they need to do with their fingers...
Katrina
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