 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Claire Annette
Date: 2009-06-20 00:17
Share! I'm talking about the things that you didn't learn in a lesson but things you picked up along the way from other clarinet players or that you discovered on your own.
THE best advice I ever got from another player was how to lay my clarinet across my lap and I've been doing that and teaching that ever since the 70s. My friend taught me to avoid laying the horn "keys down" in the lap like many players do because the condensation can seep into the pads. I lay my clarinet so that my side keys are facing north.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2009-06-20 01:57
A very interesting thot/question, C A. Two come to my feeble mind, both prob. common practice? I'm "fussy" with reed location on mp, butt on table and reed tip on mp tip, perhaps not optimum??, but reproducible? Assembly of UJ with LJ, left palm up, fingers on rings, right palm down, look at bridge key. P M thots, Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Claire Annette
Date: 2009-06-20 02:18
Don, I'm picky with my reeds like that, too.
This same friend taught me to "flick" my reed before placing it in the ligature. I moisten it, place the tip of the reed on the table of the mouthpiece horizontally, hold the tip in place with my RH thumb and gently flick the butt a few times with my LH index finger. I've done this for years and years. The thinking was that this helps even out the waves or inconsistencies in the very tip of the reed.
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Author: Bluesparkle
Date: 2009-06-20 02:37
I line up my logos on each piece during assembly. Had a band director who thought this was best so that all the condensation always runs down the same way every time. Don't know if it's useful, but perhaps unique.
Post Edited (2009-06-20 02:38)
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Author: GBK
Date: 2009-06-20 02:41
"99% of most audiences can't tell a great performance from an average one. Therefore, concentrate on playing for the 1% who can."
...GBK
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Author: Rusty
Date: 2009-06-20 09:52
I`ve never heard of this reed flicking before. Anyone else do it? Does it work?
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Author: Tom Piercy
Date: 2009-06-20 10:38
RE: "flicking" of the reed...
I would not recommend doing this to a reed.
Simply put:
Fibers run through the reed (vascular fibers run from end to end (hopefully) throughout the cane of a good reed).
You can see this easily by holding up the reed and looking through it.
These vascular fibers help the reed in its vibrations.
One will often look at a reed for evenness of fibers, shape, length, and spacing.
You could easily be breaking, cracking, flattening, or otherwise damaging the fibers by this "flicking."
Don't "flick" with a good reed.
Tom Piercy
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Author: Sarah Elbaz
Date: 2009-06-20 10:50
Rusty wrote:
> I`ve never heard of this reed flicking before. Anyone else do
> it? Does it work?
yes , Mitchell Lurie used to do it. I think that it has to do with the low humidity in LA, the reed gets dry has waves. It helps.
Sarah
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Author: Tom Piercy
Date: 2009-06-20 11:51
There are several better ways to "even out" the waves/warping in the reed tips.
One is to hold the reed without placing fingers at the tip and lightly rub the entire reed in a sideways fashion back and forth on a non-abrasive flat surface.
Lightly is the operative word; try not to put much pressure on the reed tip as the fibers there are most vulnerable to damage which will not help with vibrations.
Tom Piercy
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Author: BobD
Date: 2009-06-20 11:54
" Zip up your fly before you go onstage"
Bob Draznik
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Author: Ebclarinet1
Date: 2009-06-20 12:01
I think my best piece of advice was "always use the most vented options for any note, if possible, as they will sound less stuffy." So it's better to use the side key rather than the forked fingering for Eb and Bb and finger B natural as Bb plus the right hand sliver key for B, and F# as F plus the two side keys. Of course they aren't the best options in fast passages but they have all become so much of my routine now that I try to use them even there.
Also use this same philosophy on my other instruments, only resorting to the forked F fingering in rare instances on oboe.
Eefer guy
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2009-06-20 13:27
The best advice I got was from this board. A paraphrase/summary of it would be something like, "If you're not making mistakes, you're not getting better."
I think this is geared towards choices of pieces of music to work on and scale speeds/variations. If I play all my scales in sixteenths at 120 every day as a warmup, how's that going to help when a time comes up that I need to play a run at 144? If I can play Weber's Concertino every day without any mistakes (and believe me, this is hypothetical!), how's that helping me develop as a musician and challenging me to get better?
So basically, if I'm not making mistakes, then the piece or exercise I'm doing is not hard enough to make me better. I make the mistakes in practice, work to STOP making mistakes, and then once I can play it without making mistakes (or at least very very few mistakes), then I move on to the next level.
So if you're a level 5 player on scale of 1 - 10, work up level 6 and 7 pieces. Once you can play a level 6 piece, work up level 7 and 8, etc. etc.
Alexi
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2009-06-20 15:49
I must say Bob Draznik's advice comes just a few weeks too late for me. As one gets older, the process of putting on formal pants is the hardest thing to concertizing !!!!
On a more serious note, my watershed moment is still having been told that rhythm is the proportion of one sound in the air to the next NOT your tapping foot.
And most recently, my obsession with just how complex the movements of the index finger and thumb of the left hand are (and the coordination of those movements).
..................Thanks Bob,
.............................Paul Aviles
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Author: John Peacock
Date: 2009-06-20 16:35
Alexei wrote
"If you're not making mistakes, you're not getting better."
Which is interesting, since the best piece of advice I think I ever read on the web is the complete opposite: "practice should always be perfect". In other words, if you insist on flying through Spohr etc. at top speed right from the start, and only getting it approximately right, you're probably laying down bad habits that will come back to bite you in the heat of performance. Much better to play initially at a speed you can cope with: this gives you time to learn to play things evenly and to diagnose where the tricky points are. Once you've mastered things at a certain speed, then you can crank it up. In this way, your fingers learn to be in the right place at all times, and this bedrock will make you better able to cope under stress.
When I read this advice, I wished I'd seen it years ago: it made me realise that I'd wasted a lot of practice time by trying to be too good to early, and thus tending to make the same errors every time I played.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2009-06-20 17:18
Fine comments, all, back to reed "flicking" . Preparing to try out a clipped reed on an open mp with a new "tooth patch", it didn't respond well, so i used a small sheet of paper, inserting between reed and mp, and, without thinking, "flicked" the reed and it did begin to play well. So, ?rocket science?? I also go with Eb Cl's thots to avoid "fork" fingerings, if its not a "clean fork", my 1 and 1 's are quite good and very convenient. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: soybean
Date: 2009-06-20 20:46
I recently got a good piece of advice from one of the Youtube videos that Tom Ridenour does. It's his "touch point" system which helped me keep my hands and fingers in the correct position. As a doubler and recent clarinet player, this was very valuable.
~Dan
(Leblanc Bliss, Buffet R13 key of A, Yamaha 250 Bb)
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Author: Anon
Date: 2009-06-21 01:25
Practice doesn't make perfect.
Perfect practice makes perfect.
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Author: ned
Date: 2009-06-21 03:10
''I lay my clarinet so that my side keys are facing north.''
That's very interesting. Do you take a compass with you to the job?
There is no such thing as ''most unique'', I'd like to point out, despite the risk of admonishment which I will probably incur. The word ''unique'' is an absolute term and cannot be qualified.
These days, with the advent of iPods and other electronic communication devices, proper English usage has taken a definite nosedive. I think it's not taught properly in schools either, which further compounds the problem
Incidentally, I hold my instrument upright, nestled in the crook of my arm.
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Author: Rusty
Date: 2009-06-21 04:06
Did I hear Paul Aviles say something about "tapping feet"? I digress but isn`t this great?
" Until I Saw Your Foot"
I thought the music was in four
Until I saw your foot
But now I think it must be three
Or maybe five, I can`t quite see
Or six? or maybe not
I thought this piece was rather slow
Until I saw your foot
But now I think it`s double speed
Some times it`s very fast indeed
And other times it`s not.
I thought conductors gave the speed
Until I saw your foot.
But now I think it is rather neat
To look at all the tapping feet
And choose the speed that I prefer
And play along with him or her.
I think it helps a lot
I thought my timing was all wrong
Until I saw your foot.
Conductors beat both east and west
But we don`t play with all the rest
We`ve found a tempo of our own
And bar by bar our love has grown
Oh I was feeling so alone
Until I saw your foot.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2009-06-21 05:43
>> If you're not making mistakes, you're not getting better.
> Which is interesting, since the best piece of advice I think I ever read
> on the web is the complete opposite: "practice should always be perfect".
It's not the opposite. "Perfect" practice can include mistakes.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2009-06-21 12:41
"There is no such thing as ''most unique''"
Good point, and of course correct, Ned, but it's useless to be concerned because the correct usage is used by only 2 of us anymore.
Bob Draznik
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Author: chris moffatt
Date: 2009-06-21 15:18
my guitar teacher says "don't practice the things you can play, practice those you cannot play". still working on "Asturias"!
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2009-06-21 15:48
>>>" because the correct usage is used by only 2 of us anymore."
I beg to differ. I would make that number at least three. ![[grin]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie5.gif)
Jeff
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2009-06-21 16:25
WRT aligning the logo stamps on your clarinet.
Except for the instrument made from the center of the log, the growth rings pass across the end grain of the joints in your clarinet. The normal wood movement is different across and along the growth rings, so when the moisture (and oil) content of the wood changes, the bore will ovalize.
I understood that Buffet aligns the growth rings in the joints so that they are all pointing in the same direction, reams the bore and stamps the logos to show "factory alignment." This, if true, should keep each joint of the instrument ovalized in the same orientation. In the famous Buffet clarinet fabrication video, there is no evidence that such care is taken
Also, if true, it means that you probably won't have the logos on those expensive aftermarket barrels and bells showing when you align their growth rings to the body of your clarinet.
Also, a theory of clarinet blow-out is that, with age and lack of care, the horn's bore distorts --reducing its perfection. And, with that theory comes the corollary: restoring the wood's oil content will remove the bore distortion, and make the instrument all perfect and blown-in.
Maybe when I get those logos re-gilded, I'll put them all up front. But, then my best barrel is from a different clarinet, ...
Bob Phillips
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Author: Claire Annette
Date: 2009-06-21 18:01
OK, I repent of my mistake. I shall rename this thread "The uniqueliest hints ever."
I've just recently discovered the wax material that is used to cushion the gums for denture wearers. I've been cutting little squares of it and using the material over my bottom front teeth.
About once a year, I go through a phase where I accidentally bite my lower lip when I eat--and I keep biting the bite that is slow to heal. The waxy material gives my lip comfort when I play.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2009-06-21 18:37
Quote:
my guitar teacher says "don't practice the things you can play, practice those you cannot play". That's what I interpretted from what I read earlier and posted above. It's useless practicing the stuff you can play well. WOrk on stuff you can't play well to get better.
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Author: leonardA
Date: 2009-06-22 03:15
Reember, the clarinet is a wind instrument, so keep the air flowing.
Leonard
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Author: ned
Date: 2009-06-22 05:02
''Ned, you must be a blast at parties. Uniquely so.''
Touche'
I am still unsure about the compass.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2009-06-22 05:39
>> It's useless practicing the stuff you can play well. <<
It's definitely not useless.
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2009-06-22 08:39
Two I learnt on this very site, that I don't know how I did without:
- The 3-3 resonance fingering for throat Bb.
- You play flat when you're out of breath.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2009-06-22 12:16
"If you're on time you're already late." As preached by A.R. McAllister regarding being on time for rehearsals and concerts.
Bob Draznik
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Author: skygardener
Date: 2009-06-22 14:29
Obvious- A string of articulated notes that is too fast for you to play and articulate correctly will be easier if you through in a few slurs.
Not Obvious great hint- If the slurs are placed so that no two adjacent beats are the same, the ear can't follow it and everyone will think you are articulating all the notes beautifully.
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Author: Claire Annette
Date: 2009-06-22 15:07
Ned,
North = up....for the point of my illustration.
Now, before you leave your grammar office and call me into your geography office, let me assure I understand that Alaska isn't "up" and Argentina isn't "down" from where I sit in TN.
So, the best durn advice anyone ever done give me wuz to lie that piece of wood across my lap with them shiny stickin'-out thangs on the side headed up. Y'all oughta try it.
See you at the next party!
Post Edited (2009-06-22 15:09)
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2009-06-22 15:53
Y'know, recently I keep running into people who have never heard the correct way to put up a music stand. I learnt this in a lesson, but it seems a shame not to share it in the present forum. All together now, the best piece of advice I ever received:
'Big ears up, little ears down!'
:-)
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Author: ned
Date: 2009-06-23 01:17
''North = up....for the point of my illustration.''
Well..............why didn't you just say so?
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Author: TonkaToy
Date: 2009-06-24 18:41
"The conductor doesn't give a damn about what mouthpiece or reed or barrel you're using. He just wants you to come in pppp on a high Eb when he cues you for your solo entrance in Death & Transfiguration, so you better have something that works or you're not going to be sitting in that chair very long".
George Silfies
Oddly enough, given the probabilities, neither George or any other person I studied with were consumed with constantly trying different mouthpieces, barrels, or other clarinet gadgets.
George's primary point was that you're supposed to be making music and attempting, to the best of your ability, to realize the composer's intentions. To that end, you need to find something that works (allows you to play fast and slow, loud and soft and in tune) and go for it. His secondary point, as I recall, was that you should expect your mom or wife or friends to have sympathy for you when things don't go as expected, but that conductors are not known for their understanding and compassion.
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Author: clariniano
Date: 2009-06-24 20:06
Some of my hints:
"A nice tone will get you very far in music"
Some computer bags make great case covers for a single clarinet, at a much lower cost.
A makeup sponge with some double-sided tape and sticky tack makes a great thumb cushion, which is placed just underneath the thumb rest(especially if a clarinetist has the tendency to push the right thumb against the instrument)
When teaching students, small coloured sticker dots (a little smaller than a pencil eraser on a typical pencil) can be placed on the little finger keys for the lowest E, lowest F, and Lowest F# (like the lowest E dots are placed on the lowest E, red dots for the lowest F keys, and yellow for the lowest F#.
And one from my fist clarinet teacher:
"If you're having a problem with your playing, it's usually air" (passed on from my first clarinet teacher)
Please check out my website at: http://donmillsmusicstudio.weebly.com and my blog at: http://clariniano.wordpress.com
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Author: Musinix
Date: 2009-06-24 20:38
There are three types of people in the world.
One, those that can count, and
two, those that can't count.
Thomas Fiebig
Post Edited (2009-06-24 20:40)
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-06-25 01:55
Amateurs practice until they get it right, professionals practice until they no longer get it wrong! That applies to all things in life, especially music and sports. ESP
http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: BobD
Date: 2009-06-25 11:09
""If you're having a problem with your playing, it's usually air" (passed ".......
and your stand partner will be the first to notice.
Bob Draznik
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Author: BobD
Date: 2009-06-25 23:00
Or, as one dog said, "It's who you nose."
Bob Draznik
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Author: Claireinet
Date: 2009-06-27 18:45
A lesson learned from my first band teacher:
“Fifteen minutes a day six days a week is better than ninety once a week or forty-five twice a week.”
He would grade us accordingly – if you didn't practice daily you wouldn't get an “A” on your practice chart for that week, regardless of whether or not you met the total time requirement.
Basic principle applies no matter the minute/day ratio you use. (Certainly as a student progresses 15 minutes becomes too low a minimum)
Unfortunately, it seems that now-days so many music teachers think this is simply too much to expect from students. (These sorts of low standards really get on my nerves but I refuse to go on a rant about it. Well... more than I already have...)
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2009-07-01 07:43
Two lessons on dynamics:
1.) How to play fp (sfp, sub. p etc.)
Play the f, then stop the sound almost completely before coming back in on the p. With a big orchestra in a hall with lots of reverb the effect is magical.
2.) Crescendos and descrescendos are shaped like the bell of a trumpet:
don't get too loud too early. Always keep some gas in the tank.
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Author: Claire Annette
Date: 2009-07-01 17:40
My own advice to my high school students:
No one is really impressed with clarinetists who play fast runs on their clarinets as a warm up. It's just a means to psyche other clarinetists out. Start with low notes, long tones, slowly working up to the range of the horn to warm up.
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Author: huff n' puff
Date: 2009-07-03 13:10
Hi, all...... Gobbogov says "left hand on top".
Early wind instruments had keys that could be operated by either hand.
Is the "left hand on top" an example of an early EU Directive?
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