 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2004-10-13 13:43
Does/did your teacher play duets with you? Is it regular or on special occasions?
If so, how much of the lesson is devoted to it (if done on a regular basis).
And (another topic, not duets) does your teacher play his Clarinet to demonstrate or does he play it on your instrument?
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Author: D Dow
Date: 2004-10-13 13:51
I have been fortunate enough to have had duets with Harold Wright on Cavallini duos in Langenus, Klose duets...and Mozart 6 duets plus the Poulenc.
It was really great for learning how to phrase and tune...and a load of fun.
David Dow
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Author: Wodkowski
Date: 2004-10-13 14:13
My former teachers, Frank Cohen, David Shifrin, and Richard Hawkins all brought their clarinets to lessons to demostrate.
My current professor, Richard Hosford, only brings his instruments occasionally, but demonstrates using my horns.
Mr. Cohen and I used to play duets in lessons, that was a great learning experience, you learn a lot about someones abilities playing next to them.
R W
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Author: Brenda Siewert
Date: 2004-10-13 14:16
My teachers always played their instruments along with me. I found it very helpful because they had such wonderful tones and were and inspiration. It always led to my asking questions about intonation and how to play like them. In fact, some of the most meaningful lessons were these types.
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Author: chipper
Date: 2004-10-13 14:35
At my level, adult beginner, the instructor will have me review the lesson for the first 15 minutes by myself or with a CD minus one. He may demonstrate with his clarinet but is more likely to demo on the piano, mostly for the rhythm. Since I have become proficent enough to play along with him he will play chords on the piano and keep time while I play the melodies. Sometimes he will play a duet on either his clarinet or sometimes a flute. And then other times he will simply turn on the metronome and have me play solo.
Funny story: late last July I was weary of lessons and asked thet we let up on timing a little, perhaps untill September. My instructor said fine, we can skip the timing but instead we would concentrate on consistancy. Right througt the backdoor with that one, eh?
C
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Author: Sylvain
Date: 2004-10-13 15:09
Most teachers I have had have been demonstrating using their horn.
When I was a beginner, my teacher often finished the 30mn lesson by a 5mn sight reading of a duet from the klose book.
--
Sylvain Bouix <sbouix@gmail.com>
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Author: Christin87
Date: 2004-10-13 15:22
My teachers often played duets in lessons - for about 5-10 minutes of almost every lesson. I found it so helpful for learning phrasing, intonation and overall musicallity. They also usually demonstrated on their clarinets - which was extremely helpful to model beautiful clarinet sound. In my own teaching, I use duet playing in most lessons (about 5 minutes in a 30 minute lesson) - usually sight-reading. I also use my clarinet for demonstration.
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Author: bill28099
Date: 2004-10-13 19:24
My first teacher always had me play duets, it was the major part of a lesson. I had to learn both parts and then we would alternate (all three Lazarus Books plus Langenus III). He was a good player/teacher but didn't have the opportunity to play much so I think lessons were a way for him to keep in practice, maybe that's why lessons were only $3/hour. My current teacher blows about 10 notes a lesson, charges $5 a note and at the price can toot his own horn.
A great teacher gives you answers to questions
you don't even know you should ask.
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Author: Meri
Date: 2004-10-13 20:53
While I am keen on using duets regularly with students (especially beginners), only one of my teachers did that with me regularly (almost every lesson, made me sight-read a duet, but I enjoy it anyway). Most of my students enjoy playing them.
Meri
"There is a difference between being flat and sounding in tune, and being in tune but sounding flat. The first I can live with; the second I cannot."
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Author: mkybrain
Date: 2004-10-13 23:38
My teacher right reads Mozart(i think) duets with me. She has a book full of 'em. She also sight reads transrciptions of baroque duets with me. It was the single thing that made my sight reading abilities incredibly better. Usually about 10 minutes on that.
I play at her home, so she has her clarinet out. She only plays her clarinet every now and then though. She usually sings as a demonstration, and it really does work. That of course is jsut for musical critisisms. For problems involving finger techinique and such, she picks her clarinet up and shows me what I need to be doing.
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Author: glin
Date: 2004-10-14 02:13
If there is time in the lesson, we usually do- typically, at the end of the lesson. Sort of like a bonus if I can do decent work on the L.T's, scales, etude, and solo work.
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Author: DAVE
Date: 2004-10-14 03:03
Larry Combs played duets with me only a handful of times. Those were very special moments for me. I remember playing the slow movement from Beethoven's Ninth once--truly an experience I will never forget. Larry always had his horn with him and demonstrated his points often.
I go through duet spells with my students now and then. I usually have my horn to demonstrate.
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Author: allencole
Date: 2004-10-14 04:46
When I took lessons, neither of my teachers played with me with any regularity. Even so, they taught me a tremendous amount.
I like using duets in lessons, althought they frequently get sidelined by work on more formal lesson materials.
Allen Cole
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2004-10-14 16:38
I liked duets and trios in the days when I was teaching. While you can learn a world of technique from methods, the very nature of the clarinet is that it is an ensemble instrument. Learning to play in isolation of others (and in particular, without playing with other clarinetists) doesn't cultivate performance skills needed "down the road".
This is where I again plug my favorite teaching tool, that of the SSA vocal arrangements. I would purchase a selection of these from the vocal sheet music at the local provider, and then "overlap" the end of one lesson with the beginning of the other (current student would stay five minutes, next student would arrive and be ready to play five minutes early).
The students would usually take the two soprano parts, while I played the alto part on the bass clarinet, and all would have a good time. The parts are challenging to beginning clarinet players used to playing instrumental music, and at the same time the ranges aren't extreme. They also had the added benefit of inclusion of tunes that all (parents, students and I) had heard of...an important issue when parents are wanting their child to "play something". With the SSA arrangements, you actually get music that most have "heard" at one point or another.
They also allow you to introduce the "jazz idiom" at an early enough age that it becomes part of the musician's skills from the start. Those who have tried to teach a classically trained violinist how to "swing" will appreciate this more than most...
While the SSA arrangement are cheap and cover a wide variety of styles of music (from classical to pop), the one disadvantage was that you would not have the piano part at your disposal (or, I should say, without a piano player and piano and a whole mess of transposing). But, just playing the three vocal lines on clarinet worked on all but one or two of the fifty or so that I tested.
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Author: clarinetwife
Date: 2004-10-14 18:35
DavidBlumberg wrote:
> What are SSA Vocal Arrangements? I might be able to help w/
> piano parts suggestion
>
Soprano, Soprano, Alto, as in three treble vocal parts. There is some material that is arranged acapella, without accompaniment, which solves the accompaniment and transposition problem. Accompaniment tapes and CD's, either Karaoke type or choir accompaniment tracks, generally would present a transposition problem.
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2004-10-14 18:50
ah! I thought it was that, but wasn't sure.
ok, that being given there are accompaniments on the SmartMusic program for vocal. I would assume that there are many of the same selections that he uses on it and all you would have to do is to use it's transposition feature to get it in the right key (if the arrangement for SSA were the same as the soloist and piano which I would figure are.)
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Author: clarinetwife
Date: 2004-10-14 20:11
Yes, that would work, as would putting the audio track on your computer and using the pitch control features of the playback software to match what you and/or the students are playing. When I was selling sheet music, though, some of the choir accompaniment tracks were really expensive. I'm not sure if that is the case now.
BTW, none of my teachers played duets with me in lessons. My students enjoy playing duets and trios, both with me and with each other.
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2004-10-15 00:46
I found that most (but not absolutely all) of the SSA arrangements went well enough with just the three vocal lines. As I didn't have a piano available (and getting my wife to play one is like pulling teeth in any event), I didn't worry about the fill and background of the accompaniment part. Just go with the melody and the supporting strains and they work well enough.
As I've mentioned before, I used a number of these for a "mall opening" back in the early '90's. Along with my two soprano section mates, I performed (on bass and soprano) at the function, and we were a bit strapped for music to play. There are enough of the "classics" to play for hours and hours, but there's more of a demand for something that the general public has heard in the past. (The organizer specifically asked for a variety, not just "long hair" stuff (her words, not mine).)
After casting about for music to "scratch the itch", someone at a music store suggested the SSA route and then I recalled how much the students had enjoyed them in the past. Twenty bucks landed me ten decent SSAs, almost all with two or three pop tunes (as in "classic pop", not yer Nora Jones stuff) set in a medley.
The second clarinet player was dead set against using any of it, but the necessity of the moment (hours to fill and not enough notes) forced her to have to go along.
We showed up, set up in our formal concert dress, and opened with some violin stuff. Ten minutes later, we had only attracted the sort of passing attention you would expect of "background" music in a public venue. Then, we launched into a medley that opened with "My Boyfriend's Back And You're Gonna Get In Trouble"
When we finished that portion of the "set" and stood down for the break, we left a huge clot of people clamoring for more. Good thing that we had some more "in the box" to scab onto the later sets.
By the end of the night, the number two gal had "converted" to the idea...she even scarfed up the music for her own use.
Go ahead and try them...they're dirt cheap, within the musical reach of most second year students, and a "modern" change from most of what your students will see. Nothing there to lose...
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