 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: ghwan96
Date: 2021-01-13 21:09
Hi all, a new member here.
I am a current grad school student here at Eastman, and I am looking for feedback on my playing. If you have a second, please take a look and let me know what you think!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwKhtucPE0NlTcWZnSttK5Q
Thank you so much in advance, have a great day!
-Harry
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2021-01-14 00:32
First off it goes without saying that having gotten into Eastaman's graduate program says quite a lot about your accomplishments so far.
You have a very solid sound with good resonance. Also your pitch is very good as well.
I would only bring up a few points to consider. I don't have perfect pitch and the ensemble you had for the Brahms was a bit shaky but I'd suggest even if they were riding higher than A=440 on occasion, you should allow yourself some ability to push in on those moments where your pitch seemed a bit low to the majority. Perhaps a Paulus and Schuller or a Brad Behn adjustable barrel would be in order to "keep up with the Joneses."
I will assume there were unavoidable circumstances including Covid that led to the acapella Debussy. I was dying for some back up......though the playing was excellent.
And then there were the sound issues. The Menotti and the Bartok were played WONDERFULLY. It was a shame that all I could hear (comparatively speaking) was the HVAC. If a room has any loud competitive sounds where you are playing, you need to bring your mics up closer. I'd rather have dry clarinet than a rumbly air system any day. Maybe the mics were placed high, next to the HVAC vent...........too bad. BUT, you can still put a high pass filter on that in post and still fix what you have. There is also a program called iZotope RX that can be presented a specific set of frequencies and magically take them out (I've had mixed results with Rx).
Lastly it is always a great idea to study with as many great teachers as you can find. While in the North East of the US, you should see if you can contact Mr. David Shifrin for a few lessons (a six hour drive to New Haven) in person or on the net. He is amazing at bringing out the contrasting musical forms within a work and may have some insights into the Basset.
....................Paul Aviles
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2021-01-14 23:16
Hi,
I think your sound is absolutely smashing. Really lovely smooth tone and just beautiful. (I have no qualifications for saying this. I'm just a music fan). I could listen to you play all day. :-)
One thing that's been bothering me about my own playing and that of a lot of soloists that I see on youtube: I wonder if it may be a good idea not to either bob up and down, or rock from side-to-side?
I notice that you bob up and down a lot, and I wouldn't be able to watch you do that for very long without getting motion sick. I have noticed that a lot of really good clarinet players do that too.
Emma Johnson, by contrast, is quite good at staying still. I wonder if staying relatively still might be one of the key skills for anyone who wants to be really good to watch as well as to listen to?
But otherwise, I think you're absolutely brilliant. :-)
Jen
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Author: smokindok
Date: 2021-01-15 00:54
Jen said:
"One thing that's been bothering me about my own playing and that of a lot of soloists that I see on youtube: I wonder if it may be a good idea not to either bob up and down, or rock from side-to-side?"
Explained by Michael Lowenstern:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5twANQ7S050
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Author: ghwan96
Date: 2021-01-15 08:37
@Paul Aviles
Thank you for taking time to watch my videos! As a student, I have to admit that I have not had much knowledge about recording and how to set up properly. This was done poorly on my part. I will look into your recommendation about about RX and I hope to receive more insight about playing contemporary pieces as well! Again, thank you!
Post Edited (2021-01-15 08:38)
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Author: ghwan96
Date: 2021-01-15 08:39
@Sunnydaze
Ah I see, I do recognize that as well in my playing. I just played the clarinet in a manner that was supposed to be expressive, and I think I may have went too far with the physical expression. Thank you for listening and for your tips Jen!
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2021-01-15 12:35
Moving while playing has been an "easy target" before on this Forum and I personally don't understand it. If moving while playing doesn't make a difference to your sound (and technically speaking.......it shouldn't), then why would that performance make a difference to you the listener if the performer is moving?
Michael Lowenstern has several (I would argue MOSTLY) sophomoric videos that I worthy of college kids on a bender with more time on their hands than sense. However I do like:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvUyBJ_lL_I
Unlike most of his offerings, there is some good advice in there.
There is also one where he points out a technique of shifting rhythmic emphasis one sixteenth note over at a time to practice for smoother scale like passages (if someone can point to this one........I can't find it right now).
Otherwise most of his other offerings are filled with unnecessary sarcasm and probably not worth getting worked up about.
.....................Paul Aviles
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2021-01-15 20:47
Hi Harry,
Thanks so much for taking that well. I think your playing is lovely.
Paul - I know what you mean about how moving could be criticised unnecessarily. I think the Jaqueline du Pre attracted a lot of criticism when she was first in public and now we take her style for granted.
For me, the bobbing up and down thing is just because it does literally make me motion sick, which means I can't look at the video. I get the same from certain computer user interfaces and I know several of my friends do too, so I always make sure to mention to people who are creating material where this matters. It would be such a shame if the userbase, or in this case the fanbase, was missing out just because of what in computing circles is considered an accessibility issue. I think Harry's playing absolutely smashing and I'm looking forward very much to hearing more of it.
Jen x
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Author: JTJC
Date: 2021-01-16 20:55
Great playing Harry. Lovely sound and very even. You play well in the ensembles, which from one of your descriptions seem as if they’re not regular but ad hoc groups, so lots of additional difficulties there for everyone. Challenging repertoire too, so well done.
I’m not so bothered about the moving as others. If I was I couldn’t watch quite a few big names, Frost included. It’s a bit like people saying they’ve
‘seen’ great conductors, rather than heard them. It’s music, so people can shut their eyes if movement affects them that badly. Also, I think you have to be yourself as well, but of course we all get into habits.
Small points - It’s probably an effect of the microphone/distance so it’s hard to judge, but the sucking to clear the mouthpiece is quite loud. Ask colleagues what they think. Also, in performance, and if it is loud, non-players won’t understand why you do it so more discretion might be necessary. In the solo piece you wipe your mouth with your hand. More traditional stage etiquette might say have a clean handkerchief ready. It doesn’t take any longer and in these times I think that would look better. Hope I have stirred a hornets’ nest there.
Can you say which mouthpiece/reed you play on. Seems it could be quite a resistant setup, but each to their own,
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Author: ghwan96
Date: 2021-01-17 10:09
Thank you for your input, I have always had a problem with excessive saliva, and I actually did develop some fear of playing publicly from this issue. I tried to diagnose the problem, but it seems that perhaps it may just be because of nerves.
That performance I played on Wodkowski mpc that I frankly do not remember which model it was. I believe the reed was V12 3.5+.
Harry H.
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Author: JTJC
Date: 2021-01-17 16:06
Thanks Harry. I go the other way and get too dry, not in normal orchestral concert but solo performance, which I feel is worse. Didn’t always have that problem so things do change. You problem may well disappear over time. I think your honesty and openness are commendable and will stand you in good stead in your studies and career. Best wishes for the future.
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2021-01-17 19:34
Maybe there's a market for someone to design a mouthpiece with a little hand-operated hatch that we can open during the silent passages, so we can suck the mouthpiece without making a noise? My son's french horn has a little drain like that. (I'm know this is unlikely, but just pondering the idea.)
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Author: ghwan96
Date: 2021-01-18 00:01
@JTJC
Thank you again for your kind words and your advices, I appreciate it greatly.
@SunnyDaze
Now that would be a innovation that I would love to explore further. I see some brass players doing some form of a lip reset, but I can't say much due to my limited knowledge of brass instruments!
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