The Fingering Forum  
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Author: NNN clarinetist  
Date:   2003-09-06 17:28 
 recently 
i play a song :A colonial collage 
by james hosay. 
it is a grade 3 song 
but for me 
it is hard....... 
many running note n need to tonguing 
i find really difficult for me 
i play 1 st clarinet................. 
anyone who has played this score b4 plz give me some guidance 
i m juz an amature player 
thanks
  
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Author: sömeone  
Date:   2003-09-07 09:58 
 yes colonial collage 
very very very challenging especially for woodwind players 
doesn't seem to be grade 3 at all when i first played it 
the key is 'succession'. the first clarinet part actually plays altissimo as 2nd melody accompanying 1st melody played by 2nd n 3rd clarinets, with the other woodwinds of course.....balance is also difficult in the piece. Tounging is basically very difficult in the piece. You should try focussing the notes slowly, tounging each make suring that each not comes out clean. It is difficult because of the register. This problem will decrease as you progress with your playing. I was not able to finish the running passages last year. When i took the piece out again this year, it was rather not so difficult. Just remember to play slowly, very slow...at first....
  
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Author: NNN clarinetist  
Date:   2003-09-07 17:26 
 thanx.........u have help me a lot...actually i know u are malaysian..........me 2 but i live in peninsular malaysia............ 
ya 
i face 3problems: 
1.the running note is quite confusing 
   but i can sure if take more practice is ok. 
2.my tonguing is very blur...not clean at all......n  the     quick running note.............need to use other technique like double tonguing??coz the beat is quite fast 2 
3.ya......the register......like c from clarion down to g  then e then g is quite tough n need to add the articulation 
actually i absolutely agree that it is over the standard of grade3 for woodwind player especially st clarinet........second not so tough............can anybody teach me more about the ........maybe the feeling , n certain articulation need to play..........to improve?? 
there is a clarinet soli part in this piece 
i have listened to the cd  
is so warm gentle n nice
  
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Author: clarinet  
Date:   2003-09-08 19:49 
 i have never played it before-but to me lots of music grade 4 and 5 are easy im still in middle school. It would be best to play it slowly and work ur way up the metronome every time u get it perfect.
  
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Author: sömeone  
Date:   2003-09-09 06:38 
 Maybe u lack of practise on scales and scale related exercises like etudes and so on. Articulation problem, same as the running notes problem can be solved easily by practising slurs through the register, as you've mentioned above. One good book is benny goodman's method. I got it from the net, has a lot of effective register exercises. It will definitely take a bit of time to master them all. 
But you'll definitely do it. The soli part....do u mean the slow part with the oboe and flutes plus tuba? That is a difficult part of the song, although not as diffciult as the running notes, but balance between the 3 clarinet sections are most important here, the notes should only 'come out' when necessary. Let the oboe and mainly the flutes soar in the melody.
  
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Author: sömeone  
Date:   2003-09-09 06:38 
 Which school are you from and how old are u?
  
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Author: NNN clarinetist  
Date:   2003-09-09 16:46 
 i m from johor n i play clarinet already 4 years........ 
but still consider as a beginner 
perhaps that i really lack of such fingering n scale practice 
the soli part i mean is only 4 bar......... 
not in bar 54...........about .......in the middle 
after the trumpet play the melody 
bar 70 to 80 something 
today an expert come to our sch n teach.... 
he say a player muz at least play 3 flat n 3 sharp scale...n he teach the breathing 
when he teach the song 
in the beginning where flute n clarinet play 
he say muz more relax.... 
n some of our clarinetists move the embochure while playing the note 
is every semiquaver note........... 
i think i have to practise more high notes tonguing 
but there is a part where the running note c in clarion to d  in altissimo 
it is semiquaver n d is the auxilliary note 
if we use common d fingering 
the note will suddenly become very piercing as it is only liek passing note.....should use other alternative fingering which might not accurate in tune?? 
how about the fingering for c# to d# in altissimo.?? 
  
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Author: sömeone  
Date:   2003-09-10 06:25 
 your problems are very common 
it may not be a lack of practise but most probaly mistakes - more known as bad habits that provokes bad playing. 
 
Yes the embouchure should not move when tounging. 
Yes it is true. Most clarinetist tend to tighten or bite their embouchure as they play longer, but it may well as be a bad habit. Relax and apply pressure only to a certain limitation. It takes a period of time before you know what is enough, you should consult your colleagues if they are not facing as many problems as you are. discuss with them or better yet look for a tutor from KL or maybe johor will have a few of tutors available. 
 
I think i know which part of the song that you are refering as to soli part now...it shouldn't be as much a trouble, again practise is needed if you want to play music well. For example this part of the song needs what we call finger dexterity, where the mind, fingers, and air merge as one, because i do not have the clarinet score at hand now, i am not sure if there any involvements of alternate fingerings here and there, but it is necesarry to learn at least most of them if not all. 
 
Air support is very important if you want to play continuos phrases or running notes efficiently. Again scales, appregios, and key etudes are important towards good playing. How about long tones? Do you practise long tones? These basic are essential if you want to play good. 
We should talk more....haha.....my icq no. is 91308270. 
 
  
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