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Author: maxopf
Date: 2015-05-04 08:00
Earlier today I won the San Diego Clarinet Society competition! It's an annual competition open to San Diego student clarinetists under the age of 18.
The judges had some helpful advice about my playing; their main criticism was that although I produce a good tone at piano through forte, they could hear my tone becoming a bit harsh at fortissimo dynamics. Does anyone have any advice for how to "tone down" the tone color at extreme dynamics? I'm going to consult my teacher and experiment with the tone on my own (perhaps some really loud long tones are in order), but in the meantime I wanted to see if anyone here had any input.
Post Edited (2015-05-04 08:55)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-05-04 14:29
I happen to like the extremes very much because they help to tell us a lot about how to find the 'center' of our sound. At each dynamic, on each note, in each register you are balancing the amount of air you are using with the amount of control you apply with your embouchure......and hopefully always achieving that "core" sound.
Put another way, if you slacken your embouchure too much on a given note, at a given dynamic, you'll get a flabby sound (almost 'old time jazzy sound). On the other hand, if you tighten up you embouchure too much, you get a pinched, constricted sound.
At the extreme top end of your dynamic it is crucial to "reign in" the sound with your embouchure so that it maintains center without sounding too "unwieldy" and "out of control."
This is another good use for Clark Brody's long tone exercise: start a Low "E" from NOTHING (start blowing just air having a less than adequate embouchure and firm it gradually until you pull the note out of nothing), start a crescendo and start counting from one to eight (S-L-O-W-L-Y at 54 beats per minute) getting louder with each number until you play as loudly as you can at eight. Then you continue backwards 7, 6, 5, etc. getting softer on each count until you get back to one and fade out to nothing. The idea is a slow crescendo up from the softest possible sound you can produce to the loudest note you can produce AND back down in fifteen counts (as you get used to this you are ALSO assigning a number to your possible volumes - helpful in working out phrasing). Continuing the exercise, you do that twice on low "E," twice on low "F," twice on the "F#," and twice on the "G." Once you are done with that series of four notes you feel as though you've run around the block, but your sound will feel much more solid (if of course you maintain the "center" of the sound throughout).
...............Paul Aviles
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2015-05-04 16:24
Congratulations on your win! You don't get to that level without years of hard work.
For better tone at fortissimo, I suggest the swab-up-the-bell exercise.
Stuff a cloth swab up the bell tight, finger third-line B and blow like the wind. You'll get a weak Eb.
Adjust your embouchure (looser) and blow harder and harder until you get a decent sound.
Then find the higher overtones to play bugle calls.
Finally, pull out the swab and play with the same force as before. You'll be surprised at how loud you play, and how full it sounds. This comes from letting more air through and blowing harder.
As Arnold Jacobs said, it's all about song and wind.
Ken Shaw
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Author: kdk
Date: 2015-05-04 17:01
Knowing a little about how student competitions work, my first question would be how many judges there were and whether the comment about harsh fortissimo came from a single judge or was a consensus.
If you agree with the assessment that your fortissimo tends to become "a bit harsh," then Paul's and Ken's advice should be helpful. You need to be sure that, as you approach the loudest level, you aren't collapsing the embouchure muscles that control and shape the sound for the sake of louder volume.
It's also possible that your fortissimo in the competition was just too exuberant for a solo piece. Dynamics need to be context-appropriate. What sounds harsh when you're completely exposed in solo playing might not seem so problematic in an orchestral context.
The main take-away for you should be that you pay increased attention to the sound you produce as you get louder, and take a perhaps more consciously self-critical approach than before you read the comment of the judge(s). You can only solve a problem if you are aware of it - in this case if you can hear it. So increased attention - listening - will be your best guide to controlling the musical result as you play.
Congratulations on your win!
Karl
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Author: Nessie1
Date: 2015-05-05 17:26
Well done for winning!
I would say that the ideas already suggested for developing tone at fortissimo are good ones and ones which may bear fruit in the medium to long term. However for the time being I also agree with the comment from Karl that dynamics are only relative. If you get the feeling that your fortissimo won't be pleasant, make your piano a little softer so that you don't have to get as loud. Also, bear in mind that there is a difference between volume (loudness) and projection (reaching the corners of the room).
Finally, a quotation which my teacher adapted for me - the soprano Nellie Melba's autobiography was entitled 'Never Sing Louder Than Lovely' - so with the possible exception of ultra-modern pieces which are meant to have unusual sounds - 'Never play louder than lovely'.
Congratulations again
Vanessa.
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Author: Nessie1
Date: 2015-05-05 19:18
Oops - beg her pardon. Thanks for correcting me - I could kick myself. My mother actually had Dame Isobel perform at her school back in the 40's - she was mature for a singer but still a force to be reckoned with even then.
Vanessa.
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2015-05-06 05:22
Thanks everyone!
I think the issue was a combination of being too loud in context and perhaps letting my embouchure slacken too much (they also mentioned that I went slightly flat at the loud dynamics, which suggests the embouchure slackening may definitely be a problem.) One of the judges described it as something along the lines of "you were trying to play very loudly to make a musical point, but you took it a little too far and it affected your tone." Lately I've been making a conscious effort to make big contrasts between dynamics, so that might have actually worked to my disadvantage when playing solo with piano accompaniment.
I'll definitely give the long tone exercise and swab-in-the-bell exercise a try. I've tried the swab in the bell before, but I used it more for voicing practice.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-05-06 06:27
I wouldn't be discouraged at all as far as making a point of dynamic contrast. Perhaps though there is more room to explore SOFT.
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2015-05-06 06:56
I made a point of exaggerating my pianos a lot too (something which I've occasionally been criticized for not doing), and my dad, who was listening in, said it was noticeable and pretty musically effective. That's definitely something I'll continue to work on.
I think the main issue with my performance was that I tried to be very "extreme" with the dynamics, which worked well on the piano end but not so well on the forte end. In the future I'll have to tone down the fortes and/or work on making sure my tone doesn't lose support.
Post Edited (2015-05-06 06:58)
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2015-05-07 01:48
Congratulations, Max.
As a local teacher and player I know for a fact that you faced some very worthy competitors at this event. That you've come out of it focused on how to use the experience to further your playing rather than your ego says volumes about you as a person and as a musician. Best wishes as you move on to whatever's next!
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2015-05-09 10:33
Thanks @nellsonic!
Do you teach high schoolers? If so, I'm curious if I might know any of your students.
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2015-05-09 11:51
Two degrees of separation I believe. I showed all my more serious high school students the list of winners to see if they recognized any names. A couple of them know someone who plays in an orchestra with you and has mentioned you as being a great player. 
I had a couple of students in the junior division competition. It was their "first rodeo" and with more experience they'll hopefully rise in the rankings.
I hope I'll get a chance to hear the performance that goes with your win. I'm active with the Clarinet Society, so I'm sure I'll hear about it.
You certainly don't need to answer if you'd rather not, but I'd be curious to hear about your practice habits, ie how many days a week and how long each day on average. I think many younger students need lots of examples to really understand how much work it takes most successful players to rise to the top of their respective levels. I'm friends with one of the teachers of someone who placed this year but did not win. He has told me that this particular student practices an average of four hours a day. It might even be true! I've heard him play a mean Copland Concerto cadenza...
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Author: kdk
Date: 2015-05-09 19:50
Less explanatory than descriptive. The explanation he gave, essentially, was Ormandy.
Karl
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2015-05-09 20:17
Gigliotti said that in the Philadelphia Orchestra, clarinets played at three volumes: forte, fortissimo and BTSOOI (Blow The Sh*t Out Of It).
If you listen to his orchestra recordings, you'll always hear him. It came from playing #10 reeds plus BTSOOI.
Ken Shaw
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Author: kdk
Date: 2015-05-09 20:45
You shouldn't exaggerate. Vandoren never made #10 reeds!
Karl
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2015-05-10 01:45
nellsonic: I'm guilty of not practicing nearly as much as I should during the school year, since I have so much school work. I try for 1-2 hours a day during the week if I can find the time, a couple hours a day on the weekends. I have a lot of rehearsals throughout the week though (1.5 hours a day of school band, 30 minutes a day of band homeroom which I use as practice time, and anywhere from 3-7 hours of orchestra/chamber music on Saturdays) so at least I get a lot of play time in, even if I don't get to sit down with method books and a metronome all the time.
During the summer I try to compensate by practicing like crazy (at least every day a few hours a day) and going to music camps. This year I'm going to the Tanglewood clarinet workshop, which should be pretty intensive.
Unfortunately nobody recorded my performance, but I believe I'll be playing at the clarinet society concert.
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2015-05-10 02:09
Thanks, Max. I appreciate you sharing that. I hope to be there for the concert in June. It's 50/50 right now due to another event that same weekend out of town.
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