 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Wookie001
Date: 2017-06-08 00:31
Hi there
I've been trying to play this famous opening solo for some time now.
I don't really get how play that correctly with the "smearing effect" at the beginning. I know I have to pull the fingers away slowly, but from which note do I have to start that and where does it end? also, the tone breaks up somehow when I try the smearing..
any tips/tricks or a more detailed explanation would be very helpful
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Author: Fuzzy
Date: 2017-06-08 00:48
Hello Wookie,
My advice to you would be to look up a lot of the old versions of the song on one of the video websites. Many people have played it many different ways...though it seems to have become somewhat more "standardized" since the 1980s. (I love some of the earlier versions much better.)
For instance: Paul Whiteman 1924 Notice the slight gliss before the slide? Notice the ducky attacks/releases on some of the notes? Notice the overtly-swinging bars played by the piano? Everything is almost a caricature. Gershwin, himself, was there on piano...so I have a tendency to think this version is pretty close to how he envisioned it at that time. (Though, if memory serves correctly, he recorded it later in a much less aggressive manner - closer to how we expect it to be played now.)
As for the slide/smear effect - I think everyone has his/her own view on that, but I find the back of the tongue's position/throat opening to be the biggest helper (in additional to the fingers).
As far as which note to start from - again that's personal taste - but I've found if you try to start out with a finger gliss straight from the trill at the bottom, but immediately start the smear - you'll end up with something akin to the Whiteman performance.
Most importantly - keep having fun with it!
Fuzzy
[Edit] Corrected spelling error.
Post Edited (2017-06-08 00:51)
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2017-06-08 02:30
For the upper register gliss, you can do that from the C# all the way to high C without sliding any fingers at all if you take your thumb off the thumb tube but keeping the speaker key open.
That fingering (upper register C# with the thumb off) will stop when it reaches the high C and go no further, so give it a try.
It's all done with the chops, but if you have trouble in the middle, slowly raise and lower LH finger 3 which will help coax the gliss at its middle.
And this means you can do this gliss on a plateaux clarinet (or Oehler system with the fingerplate for RH2) as there's no sliding of any fingers involved.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2017-06-08 02:48
A softer reed also helps a lot.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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Author: ClarinetRobt
Date: 2017-06-08 02:49
I just got asked this question this past weekend. I finally relented a few years ago and sat my butt down and figured out the Rhapsody gliss. Everyone wants to hear it and it's a lot of fun to play. Guarantee to bring smiles every-time you play.
First, I trolled through every youtube video I could find. There are some good ones.
After the trill, I go up chromatically, then I'm lazy and go from middle D to high C for the gliss.
At the end of the day, for me, I ignore all the "rules" for proper playing. I dropped my tongue as low as I could, supported like a beast with as much air as I could muster and slowing started pulling my right hand fingers off one by one (looking down the horn, I slide left to right). Right before you get to G and lifting the last of the bottom rings, I start sliding off my left hand (looking down, I slide right to left). When I get the high C, I still have my tongue low. I finish the last part of the gliss by raising my tongue to it's normal position and bring the pitch up properly.
Note: Players will slide in different directions with their fingers. Do what feels comfortable, I doubt it really makes any difference as long as you ultimately achieve a seamless portamento.
I spent a week of harassing my dogs until I got it smooth enough for others to hear.
~Robt L Schwebel
Mthpc: Behn Vintage
Lig: Ishimori, Behn Delrin
Reed: Legere French Cut 3.75/4, Behn Brio 4
Horns: Uebel Superior (Bb,A), Ridenour Lyrique, Buffet R13 (Eb)
Post Edited (2017-06-08 03:06)
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2017-06-08 06:08
We are taught, or at least should be, that snugging on the mouthpiece raises pitch, and pulling away lowers it.
The Gliss in Rhapsody in Blue comes from practicing the affect each have on the notes you get, obviously starting the gliss with less snugness than your normal embouchure. I tend to start mine around ![[C5]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/c5.gif) .
I'm not sure it's necessary, but my fingers seem to follow my snugging so that when I get to the ![[C6]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/c6.gif) , and the end of the gliss, the lowest right side key is depressed to make the quick move to the A# and back easier. It takes practice to time the fingers with the embouchure. Fortunately, you (we all) have had a lot practice coordinating our fingers with, in not our embouchure, then at least our tongue (Staccato).
I'm not sure my way the best, and pretty sure other methods exist. As pointed out, there's a lot of ways the greats have played it.
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Author: Wes
Date: 2017-06-08 07:31
Ben Kanter played this solo 27 nights in a row with Gershwin at the piano in concerts. He told me that he did a chromatic scale from the low G and only did the glissando in the second register. There were also some ideas he had for various other effects in the cadenza. Many classical clarinet players are uncertain as to how to play this solo. Georges Grisez, my teacher's teacher, had a fatal heart attack after playing this solo with the National Symphony, I've been told. I've done it a few times in public and don't worry about it.
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Author: Matt74
Date: 2017-06-08 07:40
I gliss mostly with my tongue and throat.
I read that Gershwin wrote the part with a chromatic scale, but the Whiteman clarinetist played a gliss to be funny, and Gershwin liked it. I don't know if that's true, but it does kind of sound that way. If you listen to the Whiteman recording it does sound kind of silly - the descending "wa-wa-wa-waaa". I think listening to other period recordings helps. You might not be able to get away with playing it quite that much inflection though....
- Matthew Simington
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Author: DSMUSIC1
Date: 2017-06-08 08:17
You must develop the ability to manipulate your voicing. You also need to maintain a fast and constant airstream and properly coordinate your finger movements.
Try this exercise to develop voicing manipulation: Play high "c" above the staff and slur it to the "b" below the high "c" and then back to high "c" Play all three notes as whole notes at a slow tempo. Then repeat the same but this time do not move your fingers. Try to match the pitches by manipulating your embouchure and air speed. The tongue position will take care of itself. Do not try to over-think it. Trust your ear. When you can successfully complete the above, descend chromatically as far as you can go. c-b-c, c-Bb-c, c-a-c, etc...
Check out this link for some examples:
http://www.classicfm.com/composers/gershwin/guides/clarinet-glissando-rhapsody-in-blue/
My example is the last one featured in the fm magazine article. They captured it from my youtube channel. The caption above my example says "This is nuts" because of the length of the glissando. My intention in this example is to draw out the glissando as long as possible so folks can get an idea of the sound of a gliss in slow motion. I believe that is a big part of learning to perform this correctly! Hope this helps and feel free to contact me if I can be of any more help. Dennis Strawley
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Author: Chetclarinet
Date: 2017-06-08 17:02
The glissando is much easier if you change your air on the fourth line d. The clarinet air is very forward, and you need to switch to a back of the mouth, low tongue, warm air stream as you play the d, than begin to move fingers off sideways and return the air to the forward position in your mouthpiece, with a high tongue on the high c. The "back" air should be warm and unfocused, and the "front" air should be cooler and faster. It works for me!
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2017-06-09 17:24
I'm actually not sure what the circular breathing adds or how he feels breathing in normal places detracts in this passage. No one needs to breathe during the gliss. If the slight cheek puffing at the beginning of the slide is a breath, I don't know why. The one later (after the two triplets) avoids needing to breathe after the Eb, but I'm not sure if that improves the passage.
Karl
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2017-06-09 20:25
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Patey+rhapsody+in+blue+solo
Olivier Patey in the Concertgebow Orchestra shows that you can breathe very often in this solo and shape it into a sassy jazz statement. After all, people sing the blues, they don't circular breathe them. The singer's breaths are as much a part of the blues phrasing as the "bent" notes. And what a nice bend Patey gets on that high F! More than the other two suggested examples (both very well performed), Patey "sings the blues" in his version.
Post Edited (2017-06-09 20:26)
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Author: Fuzzy
Date: 2017-06-09 21:05
Robert,
Thanks for the link! You bring up great points about breathing. I realize that we aren't speaking of playing jazz per se, but more about jazz stylings...but still: Certain styles of jazz do encourage shorter passages, with more breaths. The breaks being an important part of the music. So much to the point that many great lead trumpet players will only hold whole notes for a beat or so - to allow the other instruments to fill out the idea(s), or to emphasize the rhythmic importance of the phrase ending, etc. (I've been listening to a lot of the old Lionel Ferbos/Lars Edegran tunes lately, and they're great examples of this.) I think it was Connie Jones that said "If you're playing lead, don't hold a note once it has made its point."
I'm curious how a band made up of folks like Tim Laughlin, Evan Christopher, Charlie Holloran, Tom Morely, Mark O'Connor, Yo-Yo Ma, Ben (or Ed) Polcer, Steve Pistorius, David Boeddinghause, Tom McDermott, etc. would play Rhapsody. I think it would be a fun ride!
Fuzzy
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2017-06-09 23:41
Unlike many other players, Patey does not make the opening long glissando the main musical event in the passage. He downplays its importance by dwelling on the other, more sensuous parts and even playing a second glissando from the trilled throat G. In his performance, the glissandi are not some sort of competitive display, they are just linking parts of the whole bluesy and very vocal utterance.
Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble would be a good group to play this, and I'd bet that Kinan Azmeh, who has a solid background in Western classical and Middle Eastern music, would also find a wealth of possibilities for interpreting the opening clarinet solo.
Post Edited (2017-06-09 23:51)
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Author: richard smith
Date: 2017-06-10 18:56
Check out RCAG recording with Earl Wild at piano and Pasquale Cardillo on clarinet, with Fiedler conducting the Boston Pops.
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Author: Matt74
Date: 2017-06-10 22:10
Some context....
Paul Whiteman, a dance band leader, commissioned the work. Just googling a few tunes they sound to me more popular than Jazz. It reminds me of movie/broadway music from the period, which all swings or rags (think "Anything Goes"), and often consciously quotes Jazz and African American music. That's important, because even the Black bands played programmatic/impressionistic pieces invoking "plantation", "jungle", or similar themes. It was stereotyped, but not all blackface. It was often sincere, and evocative. This is the original 1924 recording... It shows the scored clarinet part.
https://youtu.be/s35IqfLn1Pk
The story is here...
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhapsody_in_Blue
Whether or not it's Jazz is in my opinion irrelevant, because it was meant to sound like Jazz.
Here is Johnny Dodds... https://youtu.be/7V2uMcfyuvwc
Instrumental playing was more vocal...
Jelly Roll Morton/Omer Simeon... https://youtu.be/HTYAaX7lqjQ
Bessie Smith... https://youtu.be/6MzU8xM99Uo
And these are for some context...
Bix Biederbecke... https://youtu.be/jyvH6wf4ghw
Cole Porter... https://youtu.be/i6oGytt0Hiw
So, I doubt that Gershwin wanted "Dr. Jazz" exactly, but I think that Johnny Dodds or Bessie Smith is what the clarinet part is supposed to evoke. At any rate, knowing where it came from is a clue to how it's supposed to sound. The symphonic tradition is fine, but the music is what it is.
- Matthew Simington
Post Edited (2017-06-10 22:19)
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Author: Fuzzy
Date: 2017-06-10 22:50
Matt,
Of course, in his time, Whiteman became known as the "King of Jazz" - today we might wince at that...but we have 20/20 hindsight. The fact remains that Whiteman hired true "jazz men" - Bix Beiderbeck, Jack Teagarden, Joe Venuti, etc. (I'd even include the Rhythm Boys - Bing, Al, and Harry.) But, yes, what he offered isn't what we'd call "jazz" today. For that matter, Jim Europe might be closer to jazz...but by today's standards, we'd probably say, "Not Jazz". (I do wish we had more recorded material of which to hear Jim's various bands.)
However, both helped move the public towards jazz using the vehicles they created. (Perhaps Whiteman moved people closer to swing...which is arguably still a variant of jazz.)
"...because it was meant to sound like Jazz." - I agree with you there too. I think Whiteman's 1924 version with Gershwin on piano, has to be taken as a salutation to low-down, dirty, grimy, jazz - a departure from the cultured. However, by the 1980s (think of the commercials during the football games), it was almost entirely presented as classical, classy, prestigious, powerful. (I really believe that our ears have moved so much from 1924, that audiences in the 1980s would have answered, "Classical" if asked which type of music it was...while in 1924, it was still fairly "far out"...not "slumming" per se, but I wonder if some of the attendees didn't think it was nearly so; I'm curious how many in 1924 would have labeled it as "classical" music.)
It's funny because you labeled it "pop" music...which is along the lines of my thoughts as well. There's always this logic line that jazz music suddenly popped onto the scene in the late 19teens due to the publication of the Original Dixieland Jass Band's 1917 recording. However, in listening to a lot of "pop" music - even back into the 1890s, I hear (if not congruent) a parallel line of rhythmic playfulness, more adventurous harmonies, etc. Think of singers like Jane Green. Pop? Jazz? I think it depends...but there appears to be a lot of overlap between pop and jazz to me. Of course ragtime had a lot of influence in those early days, but I'm not so certain during the first 25 years of the 1900s that the line of "jazz" is as straight and pure as it is treated.
I'm offering the above only as discussion, and not as an authority on the subject.
Thanks for all the links!
Fuzzy
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2017-06-10 23:10
Tony Pay's suggestion is just right. Shaping, positioning, and tensing the back of the tongue--with just a little help from the fingers when you really need them--is the trick to bending notes up or down into a smooth continuous glissando. Artie Shaw and Barney Bigard are past masters of this art, and Bigard could even do rather long downward glisses. (For example,
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ellington+clarinet+lament.) Plugging up the bell with a rubber ball or cork and changing the air column to play "Taps" on clarion B with all the fingers down, requires a similar shaping and tensing of the back the tongue, and is worth trying along with Pay's "leaky" air column suggestion. It's probably worth noting too that most players find long glissandi easier to perform on mouthpieces more open at the tip than with close tipped facings.
Post Edited (2017-06-11 06:24)
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2017-06-12 03:57
Wes, whether you're story proves true or false, I completely get it.
This is the solo that opens a piece "everyone" knows, that, by definition of a solo, you are, at least in orchestral versions, all alone in playing.
Or perhaps Mr. Morales can tell you himself:
https://youtu.be/LavQRVa-wrE?t=2m20s
====
Switching gears, I wonder if Mr. Carbonare's rendition finds him puffing cheeks as his way to adjust intonation. As Karl mentions, no loss of breath and need to still play works its way in here.
Post Edited (2017-06-12 04:26)
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Author: Wes
Date: 2017-06-12 07:50
Well, Ben Kanter was living in Boston at the time he played it, but was hired to come to New York for that series of concerts, probably because it was hard to find someone who could play it. Ben said that the original clarinetist for it, as I recall, Ross Gorman, could not perform the scale as written. He also said that Mr. Gorman carried his various horn sections to rehearsals in a canvas bag.
A highly respected Los Angeles studio player and teacher, the late Mr. Kanter's
description is to be believed.
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