 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: CSmith2007
Date: 2015-03-25 06:36
Hello all,
I've been really getting back into my clarinet playing lately (I majored in piano in college). I just purchased a complete Klose book and am excited to get started. But where!?
I would rate myself high-intermediate to low-advanced and would like to focus on finger agility and tone. There is so much in this book, I need a starting point as well as some suggestions on every-day exercises I should do.
Or should I just run it cover-to-cover?
I'm working out of this book along-side Rose32.
Thanks!
Chane Smith
Director - Instrumental Music
Glenwood Sprgs. MS and HS
Glenwood Springs, CO.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-03-25 15:20
I haven't the book in front of me but the scale section (beginning of part 2?) is a good daily grind. The Klose scales are running sixteenths for the most part but 'sit' on the tonic with an eighth note - pretty good for getting pitch centers set in your head. There is also a section of Kroepsch exercises in there somewhere (I think the Klose book has the later pitch center exercises). These are one or two line exercises that cover most standard Germanic/Romantic technique in all key centers (you can get C maj through A maj sold separately in Volume one of Kroepsch Studies) and you have two pages of them in major, two pages in minor. I use that material all the time.
There are also lots of little good duets and mini solos throughout.
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: Ed
Date: 2015-03-25 20:15
Spend some time on the short technical exercises. Most are a couple of measures long. There are a few sections of these. Play them at mm=60. Repeat them a number of times until they are comfortable, smooth and fluid. Focus on evenness, good finger technique. Then repeat in cut time. Do a few of these per day. They are invaluable for developing good your skill and comfort on the instrument.
The exercises in various keys are good and progress rather rapidly in difficulty. There are good studies in articulation, intervals, different registers and a lot of really nice melodic material. Once you get comfortable with the shorter things, go for the longer etudes. If you don't have another player to work with, recorded one part of the the duets and then play the other.
There is so much to work on in that book. It is clearly broken into sections, so do a variety of things covering different topics. Have fun!
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Author: firecolin123
Date: 2015-03-26 03:58
Work on pages 16, 49, and 204. They will help you tremedously. Work on a couple measures every week and perfect them. You will have all registers under your fingers by the end of just those two pages. Then, move on to your 12 scales and chromatic. After a couple of weeks you will have improved tremendously!
---------------------
Buffet R-13 w/ nickel plated keys; 5RV Lyre mouthpiece; Bonade inverted ligature; Vandoren V-12 3.5 reeds
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Author: CSmith2007
Date: 2015-03-26 06:20
I've actually already spent quite some time on pp 16 and 204 (well, actually 202)! They are indeed quite the workout! My finger blips are becoming less frequent. I'm blaming my piano background on my rolling fingers adding extra notes between intervals. I'm excited to see where I'm at with them in a few weeks.
In regard to the leading tone exercises, should I break out the tuner for these and tackle them aurally? Also on pp 50, are the fingerings provided the same idea of resonance fingerings for the throat tones? Forgive me if I'm using the wrong nomenclature.
Thanks!
Chane Smith
Director - Instrumental Music
Glenwood Sprgs. MS and HS
Glenwood Springs, CO.
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2015-03-26 06:57
CSmith2007 wrote:
> In regard to the leading tone exercises, should I break out the
> tuner for these and tackle them aurally?
I'm not sure how to read this question. By "break out" do you mean to turn it off and tune the leading notes by ear (aurally) or to get it out and use it (which is how I would normally understand "break out")? I'm confused because, if you take Klose's advice seriously to heart and try to make the leading tones "as sharp as possible," they won't be in tune on a tuner.
I think you'd *have* to practice the leading tones by ear (aurally). A true leading tone is, by definition, out of tune with the seventh of a tempered scale.
On the other hand, the "dominants" - the fifths - ought to be perfect fifths and might be worth checking with a tuner.
Or did I misunderstand your question completely?
Karl
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Author: CSmith2007
Date: 2015-03-26 07:11
Karl,
Your confusion in regard to my question echoes my same confusion to the exercises!
I was speaking of using a tuner to practice the sharp leading tones, which I agree, would seem counter productive. I think using my ears are the way to go.
My new question is how sharp is "full sharp"? (in Klose's words)
I haven't had to think of this before!
Chane Smith
Director - Instrumental Music
Glenwood Sprgs. MS and HS
Glenwood Springs, CO.
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Author: faltpihl ★2017
Date: 2015-03-26 12:26
What section/chapter/content are you referring to on those pages? (16, 49, 204)
(The PDFs I've found don't even have 204 pages, so I am sure the page numbers are off).
Regards
Peter
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2015-03-26 12:49
CSmith2007 wrote:
> My new question is how sharp is "full sharp"? (in Klose's
> words)
>
> I haven't had to think of this before!
>
Interesting. My Klose books (both volumes - I notice the editions currently available aren't separated) are riddled with all kinds of markings from teachers - even on pages I have absolutely no recollection of having played. All of those teachers had been, were at the time, or were soon to become clarinetists in major symphony orchestras, a couple of them principals. There are no markings on that page of leading tone exercises and fingerings and I don't remember any of those teachers ever mentioning using different fingerings to produce leading tones that were "as sharp as possible." I never heard anything about this approach to leading tones in 7 years of performance degrees in college (two degrees). All of this training was in the '60s and early '70s. None of the players with whom I've worked uses, that I've noticed, different fingerings consistently for this.
I say this not to pump up my background, but to suggest that this idea of making leading tones "as sharp as possible" seems to have been outdated even 60 years ago. Probably longer. Should a leading tone be closer to the tonic resolution than an equally-tempered semitone? Yes. Should it be as extreme as Klose suggests? Some of those fingerings are screamingly sharp. As a soloist you might want to be that high in specific contexts, but as an orchestral or band player I don't think you'd need to go to this extreme. In unison or octave doublings, it's more important to be in tune with the parts you double. If you're playing with a piano you may, depending on what's in the accompaniment, have little flexibility at all.
We tend to push leading tones up a little when we play, almost without thinking about it, because they should pull us toward the tonic. But I think the idea of learning or consistently using a different set of fingerings to do it is in my experience outdated. Spending a lot of time practicing this seems a little unproductive. You might try Klose's fingerings to see what they do, but maybe not dwell on them much. There is lots to practice that's more central to good technique and musicianship, much of it covered on other pages of the Klose book(s).
Karl
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-03-26 15:10
I completely agree about the leading tone (and thirds). One does this as naturally as all the fine adjustments to air vs. embouchure control while moving note to note, octave to octave, dynamic to dynamic. Your EAR will make the adjustments.
...........Paul Aviles
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Author: CSmith2007
Date: 2015-03-26 18:59
I agree with both of you. I wonder if this page is geared to the transition to Boehm system? I've noticed other parts of the book saying (in so many words), "Hey! This is easier now, so do it!"
Personally, having not played on any other key system this is only a guess.
It is probably just out dated material though.
Chane Smith
Director - Instrumental Music
Glenwood Sprgs. MS and HS
Glenwood Springs, CO.
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Author: CSmith2007
Date: 2015-03-26 19:05
faltpihl,
Page 16 starts the Mechanism Exercises, 49 begins the leading tone exercises (Table of Tonics, Leading Tones and Dominants), and 202 is where "Preludes in the Form of Perfect Cadences" begin.
Chane Smith
Director - Instrumental Music
Glenwood Sprgs. MS and HS
Glenwood Springs, CO.
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Author: bill28099
Date: 2015-03-26 20:39
Don't forget pages 123 to 135 unless you want to dig out Baermann III
A great teacher gives you answers to questions
you don't even know you should ask.
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