 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: as9934
Date: 2014-08-08 02:14
So I am currently in marching band and we have "band camp" from 8am til 4pm every day and about six hours of this I am actively playing. My band director said today that I don't have to practice the other music I'm working on (Rose 37 by Kreutzer) because I'm playing so long during the day and it would "tire my face out". Is this true? I feel like solo and classical music is suffering because of marching band, and I want to practice but if it's going mess with my face I don't risk it. What do you guys think?
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: BbMajorBoy
Date: 2014-08-08 02:32
Mess with your face?!
It's like running a marathon, you build up to it. Pushing your embouchure will only increase muscle strength. I think orchestral excerpts and solo studies are far more important than marching band (this is reflected by your clarinet choice for both). If anything, marching band should come last in all clarinet studies with scales and solo pieces coming absolutely first. I also think, FWIW, that 'band directors' are severely over respected (I'm tired, forgive my poor grammar).
Do what's most important to you and whatever you're gaining the most from.
Leonard Bernstein: "To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time."
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2014-08-08 02:35
I lucked out and ended up at the only high school in my area with no marching band. I feel like wind ensemble, orchestra and solos year-round are much better for my playing.
It will tire out your embouchure if you play for long enough. The muscles in your face are like any other voluntary muscle in your body - they can only handle so much before they become tired and need a break. (Of course you can build up muscle strength over time, but that can only go so far.)
If you're concerned about your classical/solo music suffering (which I certainly would be), maybe you can spend some time "fake playing" on the field in order to save your chops for when you get home. I have no idea how noticeable that would be in a marching band, though, I've never been in one. You could also try using floral tape or something over your bottom teeth, which I've found to help me with stamina - it keeps your lower lip from getting chafed and it forces you to keep a slightly more open bite.
Post Edited (2014-08-08 02:36)
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Author: Katrina
Date: 2014-08-08 03:28
Definitely do some "air clarinet" during marching band...
No need to play when you can't usually be heard anyway!
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Author: kdk
Date: 2014-08-08 03:47
How many days does band camp run?
You know better than your band director how you feel when you've rested for a couple of hours. Are you tired or are your mouth and fingers still under control?
Karl
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Author: pewd
Date: 2014-08-08 04:42
I'm teaching sectionals at a high school this week. The kids are there 7:30-4:30. They don't play constantly, much of it is marching without instruments to learn the drill. Plus they get breaks throughout the day.
They are expected to go home and practice their all state music, in addition to the band music. They have to memorize the marching music. So, yup, they need to practice every day, and memorize their music before school starts in a few weeks.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: as9934
Date: 2014-08-08 14:48
Thanks guys for all the advice . Unfortunately I can't do the air clarinet thing because nobody else is loud enough to be heard and I am literally supporting the entire sound myself (working on this) and if I drop out then the clarinet sound dies. Fortunately I do get various small breaks and a one hour break for lunch (this is why I said 6 hours and not 8).I am usually physical tired for a couple of hours after band camp but if I rest for awhile I'm usually fine. My face after band camp is also usually tired but not so much that I couldn't play.
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: kdk
Date: 2014-08-08 16:41
as9934 wrote:
< ...I am
> usually physical tired for a couple of hours after band camp
> but if I rest for awhile I'm usually fine. My face after band
> camp is also usually tired but not so much that I couldn't
> play.
>
The issue isn't whether or not you *can* play after camp. Can you play without biting or contorting to compensate for the tired mouth muscles? Go ahead and practice if you can do it without actual injury.
Most band camps are either a week or two weeks long. You may get some mileage out of remembering what one French king back in history said of his troubles (though he probably said it in French), "And this, too, shall pass." Practice what you must for the marching band program. Practice anything else if you can do it comfortably. Otherwise, a week or two away from your scales and etudes and concerto movements won't permanently affect anything about your playing if you get right back to all of it after camp ends.
Karl
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Author: kdk
Date: 2014-08-08 16:44
Oh, and BTW, feeling that you have to be the sound for the entire clarinet section isn't a good thing. If the other clarinets can't produce a sound, that's someone else's problem - mostly the band director's. Even on the marching field you should try to keep your own playing within non-injurious limits. Don't try to be a hero and end up stressing both your mind and your "face" trying to play for everyone else.
Karl
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2014-08-08 18:39
When you find yourself getting tired take breaks. When you feel you've done enough stop.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: BobD
Date: 2014-08-08 19:01
Really! What's the point of marching band anyway? If you are really interested in playing clarinet as a career marching band won't help you except for your leg muscles and lungs.
Bob Draznik
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Author: GeorgeL ★2017
Date: 2014-08-08 19:06
Reading this discussion makes me realize that I was lucky to grow up in an era (50 years ago) where high school and college marching band was an extra-curricular activity one did for enjoyment; not for the sake of being #1.
I have never enjoyed practicing a musical instrument by myself, and I have always had difficulty memorizing anything. (I never got much further than "under the spreading chestnut tree" in that poem; Beowolf did not go well, either.) If I was in the system described above, my first saxophone (from Sears) would have been retired to a closet when I reached the 9th grade, and I probably would never have touched an instrument again.
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Author: ErezK
Date: 2014-08-08 20:38
Get etymotic ear plugs (er20), either online or at you local music store.
6 hours a day of loudband material is something I'd be careful about
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Author: clarinetguy ★2017
Date: 2014-08-08 23:56
I'm not sure about the "tire your face out" line, but as others have said, if your mouth is sore, take a break or stop. Let that be your guide.
There are a lot of negative comments here about marching band. Without going into the pros and cons, I'll second what Karl said when he pointed out that a week or two away from scales and etudes won't permanently affect your playing. When I started college as a music ed. major in the 70s, we went through long days of marching band practice for about a week and a half before regular classes started. Our band didn't march clarinets, so for at least a week, I played nothing but tenor sax. My clarinet professor wasn't thrilled about his students marching, especially with saxophones, but we all survived.
I know that marching band music often isn't the finest literature out there. I know that marching bands often practice the same tunes endlessly, and for those seeking a real musical experience, it isn't always there. Still, look at it this way.
It's great publicity for the band program. Perhaps you're getting some good leadership experience as well.
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