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Re: Tonal variations from one day to the next

Author: NBeaty
Date: 2010-11-07 20:13

@Paul (unrelated to OP)

Air support DOES NOT MEAN you never change or vary your air pressure or the pressure put on by various muscles in the breathing system.

What you mean to say is that you should always use good air support.

"I DO mean that conscious use of a concentrated, swift moving stream of air is THE UNDERLYING BASIS FOR A RESONANT TONE. "

Yes, proper air support is necessary for a resonant and vibrant sound.

"Speed of your air and your ABDOMINAL MUSCLE PRESSURE should NOT vary".

Wrong. This statement is just wrong. I don't think that you believe it either, as your subsequent posts (quoted above) are excellent and speak to the necessity of good air support.

There are very few things that should be the same all the time in clarinet playing. Even the "blanket statements" allow for variation. Such as:

Good reed.
Good sound.
Good articulation.
Good phrasing.
Good embouchure.
Good technique.

The technique of making the appropriate sound and style for a given piece of music necessitates variation in most of the things listed above. Amount of abdominal pressure\air speed are no exception.

(end unrelated to OP)

TO THE OP:

There are always off days. If possible, it's not a bad idea to take the "off days" off. If you don't really need to play that day (no impending rehearsal or performances\lessons), take the day off and regroup for the next day.

These days sometimes coincide with a need for new reeds (our old ones have just died...). It can be refreshing to open up a new box of reeds and play through them.

In general, going back to fundamentals such as long tones\scales and other technique can be a good way to get yourself out of a funk.

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