 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: MiniMozart
Date: 2015-04-09 21:14
I'm a junior in high school getting ready for my senior year. I would say I'm a decent player. I work on technique, tone, and fingers as much as possible and I know how to improve, but I'd like to study jazz and I know this isn't enough to get me anywhere. So I'm wondering, how do you guys extend your range. I don't want any 5 magic notes, I need some real range, like Artie Shaw Concerto range. Currently I'm up to high A. Should I learn these now? How much should I focus on them? And most of all, how do I approach it? Thanks if you can help!
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Author: Raff P
Date: 2015-04-09 22:04
After double A, it's a bit like entering another register altogether -- upper altissimo. A lot of it has to do with the way you voice it, having the proper breath support, and the fingerings you use will all be subjective. Find what works for you, or get with a private teacher.
Artie Shaw plays a double C at the end of the concerto. Unfortunately, there's a lot more to jazz than playing a double C Altissimo. Learning Jazz is essentially learning another language -- Jazz. I'm on my way to learning jazz, and boy is it a fun ride.
In my opinion, getting a firm understanding of music theory will be insanely helpful. Luckily I learned a good bit in college, haha.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-04-10 06:43
Artie Shaw had INSANE control over his altissimo register. He glissandos from the fourth ledger line "G" up to that high "C" like a violinist; perfect, beautiful, smooth. I have never heard ANYONE else (and that includes some pretty heady performers) play that final glissando like that.
Certainly quite a goal to set for yourself.
.............Paul Aviles
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Author: TomS
Date: 2015-04-11 04:25
As much as I like the sound and reliability of Legere reeds, they do not perform well in the highest register and also have a tendency to play flat..
A Vandoren M13 and a well balanced V12 3.5+ reed will play well above "super C" ... and with no biting.
Some of the glissando range and control is due to the setup, it's also voicing (your tongue in more radical positions than normal), the embouchure plays a part, and finally, your finger slide over the open tone holes.
About 50 years ago I was watching the Tonight Show (instead of doing my homework) and the band conductor Sketch Henderson (before Doc) introduced a clarinet player that had complete mastery of the glissando. He was featured performing this feat for all of 30 seconds ... which was kinda weird, the show came to a stop during this demonstration. It was less amazing to me back then, I had been attempting to play clarinet for just a few months ... years later, it occurred to me how difficult this was.
In High School, I experimented with hyper altissimo range and the glissando. I had the distinction of being able to play convincingly the gliss in the opening clarinet cadenza of Rhapsody in Blue. But, I practiced the glissando in octaves, a lot, starting on clarion B and up ...
It's more difficult to gliss over the break and also to gliss downward.
I've lost my touch doing this, partly due to not practicing it and using a less flexable setup.
Tom
Post Edited (2015-04-11 04:27)
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Author: 2cekce ★2017
Date: 2015-04-11 05:29
I consider myself an above average after college player myself. in High school and college I was section leader, the method I used to extend my range was for every piece of marching band music we played I was asked to play it up an
octave. I would do this at every rehearsal, spending a week or two on one note
at a time until I could play it well, then I would move to the next note up
chromatically that is. I've gotten up to high C (5 ledger line one) and that's as
far as I would like to go. I also play the eefer, so I'm used to playing notes up in the stratosphere anyway. Oh I forgot to mention I only played the music up
only when it was practical and not sound out of character and I listen both to hear the note before I voice it and to make sure it blends with the section so to speak. It will take some practice, listening and breath support, assuming
you have a good set up.
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Author: BflatNH
Date: 2015-04-11 16:15
Search this forum for other discussions on this topic.
Also, for me, the reed is critical for controllably getting to double high C, and I have found Gonzalez GD and Vandoren White Master consistently good to get there reliably and with good tone.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2015-04-12 04:52
Put in more mouthpiece. For extended ranges, having the lip further down the reed helps.
When you get to the upper ranges (past altissimo G), it's yet ANOTHER partial up from the E. There's also many MANY fingerings for the extreme altissimo. Some make it easier to sound, some for different tunings, some are easier to go back and forth between notes (for example, in our new Army Song, there's a altissimo G to alissimo A trill, so I use a different fingering for G that is a little flat, but makes it much easier to trill to an A. When tuning with the piccolo, I use yet a different fingering for G. When tuning with the trumpets, one that's higher so I can be closer to pitch with them, when with the saxes and french horn, I use the same fingering for the piccolo, but loosen the embouchure a bit to bring it SLIGHTLY down, etc. etc.)
As per Artie Shaws glisses, yeah, they're amazing. I'm getting closer and closer, but not there yet. The two that are holding me back are the G to altissimo G gliss (I can go from G to altissimo E, but there's always a slight 'clipping' sound as I try to cross into that next partial range), and my initial theory is that when glissing the end of the Artie Shaw Concerto from G to G, to NOT finger a G and try to slide/gliss upwards, but rather find a reliable fingering for the C that you know with a looser embouchure you can lower to a G and practice starting the G on that looser embouchure. Then you don't need to change any fingerings, but just firm up a bit in order to bring that C back into pitch. I haven't tested it yet, but then again, I'm not playing that concerto anytime soon and I have other stuff to work on and continue practicing.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
Post Edited (2015-04-12 04:55)
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Author: gwie
Date: 2015-04-12 06:12
Justin O'Dell did a masterclass for my students and a number of them had questions on practicing for range. He shared with them the exercise where you play five chromatic notes at forte, starting from G on top of the regular staff. The goal is to make each pitch have the quality and tone of the notes you already sound good with...from there, you nudge up in half steps (so G-Ab-A-Bb-B, then Ab-A-Bb-B-C, then A-Bb-B-C-C#, etc.). On the fifth note, you hold it as long as possible with consistent pitch and a good sound at forte.
It was a very useful addition to the practice strategy "toolbox" for working on the upper register.
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