 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2017-06-27 07:02
A while back Mr. Blumberg started one of my favorite threads on favorite clarinet YouTube videos. I know many of us enjoy it.
Along these lines, and maybe this will fail miserable--which is completely okay--I was wondering if fellow pedagogues might want to offer a post, 4 sentences or less, on their favorite clarinet advice to players. It could be a resource that players check with, for example, when facing a road block, to make sure that the important suggestions made here, for them at least, are being adhered to.
Try not to repeat themes, unless embellishment is warranted, but feel free to post repeatedly.
I think I have a near exhaustive list of them, but I'll go with my most important one, and hope others will chime in. Those who know my stance on study here will find this one no surprise.
======== My initial 4 sentence or less "clarinetism" ======
"A clarinet player's best friend is motivation, discipline, an etude book, and a metronome. Diligent repetitive study of etudes, with near religious adherence of the fingers to the metronome beat, taken no faster then passages can be played accurately and cleanly with no extraneous notes, is the fastest path to advancement. If only a small section is challenging then slow the metronome for that, not wasting precious time playing something slower than ability or correct tempo require. By no means is this the only method of advancement, just one of its pillars."
====What's your 2 cents?=============
Oh--and try not simply offering a suggestion, but a path.
Post Edited (2017-06-27 22:16)
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2017-06-27 07:19
Learn to count, learn to count, learn to count! Learn mixed meter and all types of syncopation. Learn to count rests, when you are not playing! Count out the Bernstein Sonata, the Stravinsky Story of a Soldier, the Bartok Contrasts, etc. If you can, take supplementary lessons from a percussionist. If you can get your hands on a copy, practice Allen Sigel's Twentieth Century Clarinetist, one of the few etude books for clarinetists that really adopts an "in your face" attitude towards getting used to the complexities of modern rhythm. That etude book ought to be reissued. Do not expect everything to be in straight 4/4, 2/4, 3/4, 6/8, and 9/8 time. Don't expect the rhythmic subdivisions to be symmetrical either. Get a copy of Joe Allard's Advanced Rhythm Book. Play it through in the time signatures indicated and then learn to play it through in cut time (that is 4/4 in 2 beats, 3/4 in 1, etc.) Count, count count! Learn to count all kinds of meter and subdivide all kinds of rhythm: Middle-eastern, Indian ragas, Afro-Cuban, Latino, all styles of jazz, popular music and rock, as well as modern classical music. Practice counting time and subdividing as much as you practice scales, arpeggios, and intervals. Go far, far beyond the rhythms found in Rose, Lazarus, Cavallini, Baermann, and Langenus.
Post Edited (2017-06-28 19:56)
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Author: Cappuccino
Date: 2017-06-27 21:05
The answer is always found through intelligent investigation. Practicing is not simply a matter of repetition, but of repeating a certain phrase and improving upon it *every time*. On your first repetition, focus on technique; your second, air control; your third, musicality, as an example.
Alexander May
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFZta2RG4iM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh8O5DC4Tqs
"Looking at art, you're looking at the result of a philosophy." - John Emmett
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Author: hans
Date: 2017-06-27 21:47
When playing in a group, listen to the other players carefully and focus on one whose playing includes something special. Afterwards, ask that player how she or he was able to do whatever it was that impressed you.
Motivation was mentioned. That's a complicated subject, probably worthy of its own thread.
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Author: WhitePlainsDave
Date: 2017-06-28 22:42
Ok, I'll offer a second one...see if I can breath some life into this post (maybe not.)
"Many clarinet supplies/accessories are a whole lot of waste of money. Few are not. They include a good mouthpiece, quality reeds, and the ATG system of reed adjustment. This is not to say that a reliable ligature or swab, for example, aren't needed, just that their connection to outstanding play, for all but maybe the very best of players, is limited."
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Author: ClarinetRobt
Date: 2017-06-29 02:50
Keep an open mind when purchasing a new (new to you) instrument. Times are changing and hanging on to antiquated ideals of what is 'best' is no longer true. There are better choices perhaps for you. It'd be a shame old school thinking kept you from obtaining the equipment most suited for your playing.
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