 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Laurie
Date: 2002-10-20 20:02
Hi !
What is the best way to make friends with our fun frindly metronomes? I've never beena fan of him,and learned to successfully tune him out. Now i need him - what is the best way to work/ use with them ?
Also - What is the best way to deal with TMJ ? I'm doing the whole ~ Practice for a short time, Sleep wiht a Bite Block etc, but is there anythign more I could be doing ? Help !
Laur
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Author: Jessica
Date: 2002-10-20 20:09
I love my metronome, but like you, for the longest time we were worst enemies. I learned to listen by marching to it, not playing with it. I would walk around school in time with it (ok, I had headphones plugged in so no one thought I was weird -- they thought I was listening to music) and once I learned to feel the pulse, I started using it to play, and found it a lot more difficult to ignore.
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Author: Brent
Date: 2002-10-20 21:20
I never owned a metronome for 30 years of playing clarinet. Then i finally got one, and darn if the silly thing didn't speed up every time i played long notes and slow down on the fast notes!
The key to working with a metronome is the same as playing in any ensemble--listening. You have to hear yourself and the metronome at the same time and judge your playing against the objective standard (the metronome), realizing that your mind may be distorting the tempo even though you think it is not. The metronome does not lie (even though it sure seems like it does) and you will have to adjust your playing to accommodate it.
The argument may be raised: "what about rubato playing?" to which i answer, if you don't know how to play to a strict tempo, you can't play an effective rubato. You must have the one before the other can be begun.
You may need to slow your playing down; in fact you must slow your playing down to get it right. It's one of those boring things that you have to get through to get to the good stuff. But there is no doing this half-way; its a basic discipline and must be followed to the "T". You'll be a much better player for it, though.
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Author: Robert
Date: 2002-10-20 22:13
You could try playing with the metronome on the off-beat, rather than on the beat. As well as being a lot of fun, this exercise is REALLY good for your rhythm.
By the way, what's TMJ?
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Author: msroboto
Date: 2002-10-20 23:00
TMJ:
Temporomandibular joint disease - a painful condition affecting the area where the lower jaw connects to the sides of the skull which impairs function and sensation in the face and jaw, which may spread to the ears, neck, and shoulders.
see http://www.tmj.org for more info
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Author: HAT
Date: 2002-10-20 23:10
Robert's suggestion is an excellent one. Systematic use of the Metronome on offbeats or weak beats is a great use. It addresses both rhythm and time.
David Hattner, NYC
www.northbranchrecords.com
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Author: JUlia
Date: 2002-10-20 23:14
Hey laurie---
is dr. woy your teacher? you should ask him for advice on it, I'm sure he would be able to help you! As far as playing with the metronome...I used to HATE it, but its one of those things that you can grow an affection for. I like my metronome now, its a good honest friend--even if sometimes I want to throw it against the wall!!! That marching idea that someone else suggested is crazy sounding, but i have no doubts that it would work! You could also sit in a practice room, or in your room---whatever is quietest, put the metronome on 40 and clap with each beat. it is SOOOOOOOO hard. My orchestra conductor in hs told us a story about how in college he had a percussion friend who would do just that for an hour. The benefits are amazing.
good luck, and tell dr. woy "hi" from julia in syracuse (hopefully he'll still remember me! )
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Author: Robert
Date: 2002-10-21 06:01
Laurie,
Sorry to hear about your TMJ. I hadn't heard about it before. I hope someone can halp you with it.
All the best,
Robert
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Author: Mark M
Date: 2002-10-21 06:57
The cause of TMJ that I'm aware of is clenching or grinding of the teeth that causes the pain. Train yourself to do self checks during the day and do some mental exercises to relax your jaw muscles several times/day. You have to take the time out to do this. Also, this happens during the night when you sleep. Your "bite block" helps this out by distributing the pressure around the whole jaw/tooth line. The most effective way to eliminate this is to just eliminate the stress in your life. You'll be amazed.
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2002-10-21 13:18
Oh yeah, just eliminate the stress.... where is the button to press for that? Hard enough to play the pain stick, but trying to make a way for yourself at the same time?
I'm wondering if a trip to your dentist WITH your clarinet would help? Perhaps the rigors of your training are aggravating a poor alignment...
I like the metronome with a swinging pendulum. I can't reliably see the LED or blinking light versions... don't really hear them at all, either!
I wonder if a few trips to a massage therapist may help?
Pricey, but worthwhile if you have intractible pain.
Best wishes on a rapid recovery and metronomic progress.
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Author: mark m
Date: 2002-10-21 19:05
IMHO....If we're calling a clarinet a pain stick, then I thInk there's something definitely wrong with how it's being played. Your chops can feel it as we all do. But if TMJ is being caused by playing, I would seek some help. When I said to eliminate the stress, I'm really talking about outside the clarinet world. I did it and it took some soul searching to push "the button". In my world, it was just time to give up some things that were causing me some stress. In my case, it was working in high stress life saving situations with other volunteers. It was just time to let someone else do it. So I pushed "the button"!!!!!
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Author: ginny
Date: 2002-10-22 15:11
For some stuff, with simple chord progressions, I program a keyboard sound track. This is so much more pleasant than Mr. Metronome, as is a drum machine. I have also found that using a rhythm trainer such as that included in Earmaster Pro helps rhythm a great deal, with the clarinet put aside. If you websearch you can down load a one month trial of this product, which seems good.
Sometimes I input a difficult area into Noteworthy Composer (shareware, trial download avail), put in a click track and play along.
The metronome is a good thing too, and I don't know if these other options are as good. But they are generally more pleasant and at least somewhat effective (or is that affective English fans?)
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