 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: mnhnhyouh
Date: 2014-07-18 09:57
A history...
I played clarinet for a year and a half about 9 years ago, but had a fairly demanding job and struggled to do 7 hours a week.
I played for 2 months during an extended holiday in Istanbul using the Klose books and a very cheap instrument.
I have been playing for something like the last 8 months, on a very cheap instrument at first, then I changed to a Yamaha 200DR, still not good but better than the last one.
I use the supplied Yamaha 4C mouthpiece, a Vandoren leather ligature, and Vandoren reeds from the blue box. Started out on 2.5 but have been using 3 for a while now, though there is still one 2.5 in my reed rotation. I skip it if I am going into the altisimo range.
I have been averaging about 2 hours a day (I keep fairly good track of this). I am usually (80 - 90% of the time) playing with a metronome, otherwise I have a backing track on.
I am unable to find a teacher who has enough English to teach me, and my Chinese is not adequate (I currently live in China).
My first hour each day is scales practice. I recently started a new exercise to put them all down in my mind. I do this first thing for every session.
This is my scale exercise:
EM, up and down the scale, 2 octaves. Then the lower octave, up 13579, down the scale, up the scale, down 97531, 135797531. Do the same for the upper octave.
I do this exercise for FM and F#/Gb M as well. I will add a new scale every 5 days. The idea is to get all 12 majors, dorian minors, minor pentatonics and blues scales over the next 8 months.
Though I have the scales for all of these on paper, I only allow myself to look at the Major scales on paper, I work the rest out, which does make it a bit slower, but once I have them, it is ok.
Then I move onto the scale of the day. I have been through the majors, dorian minors and am now working my way down (up?) the pentatonic minors. So today I am on G#/Ab. I do the scale exercise for AbM, Ab Dorian, Ab minor pentatonic, working on each section until I can play 1/8 notes at 80 bpm cleanly and reliably.
Then I put on a backing track in Ab and play the dorian minor and pentatonic minor exercises with the track, and then improvise. Sometimes the improvising lasts for only 5 minutes, sometimes 30, depending on how I feel.
Tomorrow is A pentatonic minor but will do the A Major and A Dorian minor as well.
For the next hour or 3 of my playing for the day I have a few things I am working on. I recently started playing Rose Etude No. 2 (from the 32), I am working on Jamey Aebersold's Summertime and Watermelon Man from his Volume 54. I practice the scales and chords from this, as well as the melody and have fun with the backing track.
I spent a fair bit of time transcribing Summertime from Artie Shaw on Summertime, but those passages are too quick for me to play along with him, but it was interesting to see what he did. I plan to do more of this.
I am also at times working on the Jamey Aebersold book How To Play Jazz and Improvise. I enjoy this a fair bit.
So some questions at last.
I am thinking about buying myself a new mouthpiece. I can easily get Vandoren mouthpieces, but can also get some of the Pomarico crystal mouthpieces. Recommendations?
Any more recommendations about other things I should do, or stop doing?
m
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Author: as9934
Date: 2014-07-18 10:53
Practicing every day is great and you should continue doing what you're doing, especially with the scales. Instead of just scales practice though, I usually do long tones, then scales, then technical patterns/etudes, solo/ensemble music, and finally jazz scales and improv.
The 4c is an ok mouthpiece but you should really look at trying to upgrade. If you want a mouthpiece that can do both jazz an classical the Vandoren B45 is great. The only problem with the B45 is that going from a 4c its going to feel like your playing a tuba at first. If you don't want to deal with that then the Vandoren 5RV Lyre, Fobes Debut, Hite Premier, and D'Addario/Rico Reserve mouthpieces are all good inexpensive MP's. Once you have settled on a MP you should try some different reeds in different strengths to see what you like. D'Addario/Rico Reserve Classic, Grand Concert Select Thick and Vandoren V12, 56 Rue Lepic are all great reeds.
To improve your sound concept and technique try to listen to alot of different clarinet players and copy there sound. This can be done by viewing Youtube video's of famous clarentists'. The Backun Musical, and D'Addario have channels that are great for advice about various different clarinet concepts and equipment.
You are on the right track with transcribing solos. Also practice improv by putting on a blues piano track that you can play along with for a couple of bars.
Use the four lie detectors: tuner, metronome, mirror, and microphone. Sometimes we get so used to making a mistake we forget we are doing it and going back and listening to it can help us improve.
You're off to a good start, keep going!
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Wind Ensemble
Buffet E11 clarinet , Vandoren Masters CL6 13 series mouthpiece w/ Pewter M/O Ligature, Vandoren V12 3.5
Yamaha 200ad clarinet, Vandoren B45 mouthpiece, Rovner ligature
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Author: dlloyd1
Date: 2014-07-18 14:13
Your clarinet and mouthpiece are probably adequate for what you need right now.
There is software out there that can help with transcription. Audacity, which I think is free (been a few years since I downloaded it), lets you loop and slow down passages without changing pitch.
When you're transcribing, try to figure out why the soloist chose the notes he used, relating to the chord changes. With swing era musicians like Artie Shaw there will be less complexity than you would find in music from the bebop age, but there may be some interesting things going on, particularly on the ii V I progressions.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2014-07-18 16:54
I would only recommend avoiding the crystal mouthpieces. They are harder to produce with accurate dimensions so it is not easy to find a good one. I know they look cool and the advantage to them (if there is any to be had) is that if you get one that works great, the lay will not change one whit from playing over the years (except for chips or out-right breaking when bumped into things like teeth or dropped).
There are a lot of good options with Vandoren and unlike crystals, you have to look hard to find a BAD Vandoren!
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: mnhnhyouh
Date: 2014-07-19 08:11
Thanks for the advice so far.
I have an extensive collection of clarinet music, a few thousand songs, that I listen to very often.
I have been starting to play long notes to improve tone.
I mean to start recording myself, but never seem to get around to it, will start this afternoon! I cant play in front of a mirror, I always get lost!
Audacity is the one I use, it is still free, and without that I could never have transcribed the Artie Shaw song.
h
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Author: Bruno
Date: 2014-07-19 20:14
To free up your fingering and give you speed, try playing major scales by ear, as follows: Starting at low E, play the E-scale up one octave, then without interruption, back down playing the F scale, then up on the F# scale, down the G-scale, etc until all 12 scales are played that way. It will take you across the break.
Then start upward from low F and do the same thing. Play the F-scale up, then back down on the F# scale, etc.
bruno>
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