 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Simon
Date: 2002-12-12 21:51
I don't know if it is my imagination or what?
When I play my clarinet in my living area which it has marble tiles I find it easier to play (of course the sound is much brighter). However when I play in my spare bedroom which is carpeted and smaller it seems to require more effort. Is this to do with the acoustics or is it just my imagination?
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Author: RS
Date: 2002-12-12 23:00
Acoustics. A "live" room is always easier to play in.
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2002-12-13 00:52
You just found the most important piece of performance gear.
Just wait until you play in the bathtub...
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Author: Joris van den Berg
Date: 2002-12-13 02:30
Practice in the worst room and perform in the best
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Author: Jim E.
Date: 2002-12-13 04:32
And be aware that a performance hall can be affected by such variables as stage set up (esp. the presence of a band shell) curtain placement, and the presense or absence of an audience. The room may well change in feeling from rehearsal to performance. (And this doesn't cover the differences that sound tech can make.)
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2002-12-13 12:03
"Practice in the worst room and perform in the best"
So true. Part of playing well consists of eliminating what does not sound good. If one practices in a live room, then the parts that don't sound good, such as messy note changes, are well disguised, so nothing much is likely to be done about them.
Also, if I practice in a live room, then perform in a less live room, I wonder what has happened to my big, lush sound, so I work harder at it, using more air, and then out of air in phases that worked during practice. This is pretty scary at concert. Of course this is a much bigger problem on flute where a lot more air is used.
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Author: Mark S.
Date: 2002-12-13 12:49
It is actually a good idea to practice/rehearse in both types of spaces. The reverberant space around you is an extention of the instrument, and you need to learn how to excite the air around you in a musical way. The room provides feedback to the musician which helps you craft your sound and technique.
If you practice exclusively in a dead acoustic environment, you run the risk of overcompensating in certain technical areas to offset the unattractive sound of the room. For instance, you might lighten up on a secco staccato in a dead room because it sounds gross, only to find that your articulation sounds muddy in the hall. If y'all have the opportunity, practice in live and dead spaces, and also small and large spaces if you can get access. It is remarkable what you can learn about yourself as a player.
So, yes Simon, it is acoustics and not your imagination. And to all, enjoy the guilty pleasure of playing in a nice room once in a while.
Mark.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2002-12-13 14:18
What an excellent discussion/comments. In the planning stages of our "community center" with Taliesen-Wright [design] in 1980, several of our symp. orch. members asked [leading] questions as to the acoustics of both the rehearsal room and the concert-hall which happily led to "methods" of very satisfactory sound adjustment. Don
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