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RE: A classical clarinetist who wants to learn kle

Author: Lionel Mrocki
Date: 2001-05-10 14:15

I dunno about philosophies of life... I first started playing my first "klezmer-style" stuff at age 17 after a straight classical training. In Melbourne Australia, there was not one klezmer clarinettist I could get any advice from, not even a violinist. I had no knowledge, nor the resources to travel to "KlezKamp" or any other overseas klezmer intensives, so I was forced to simply listen and try to imitate.

I recommend:
1 listen lots
2 learn one or two tunes and play them lots. (I started with early Giora Feidman as he's generally easy to imitate, though many argue that his style departs too far from the "more authentic" styles of the early recordings of Klezmer.... Get started... then if you like, get precious!)
3 play together with other musos. This will engourage your own style to develop as you are influenced by the organic inter-dependent process that group-work furnishes.
4 Many local clarinettists have been inspired to learn klezmer having seen and heard it played. One that comes powerfully to mind who, despite his woeful self-taught technique and limited capacity (he only played chalameau when I met him) inspired me a year ago when he spoke to me in yiddish having taken himself off to adult yiddish classes. It speaks strongly that klezmer comes from a very rich tradition which flavours the music. You kindof have to let that tradition infuse the mind and soul to play it with feeling and passion.

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