Back-to-School Hidden Offer - Prepay for 3 lessons, get one hour free. Just mention this ad. Call Beverly at (562) 688-2487 or email
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Like many musicians in Southern
California, I play in a variety of community groups with players of
widely varying skill levels, from beginner to pro. Many colleagues who
are high school age and beyond have asked me as a teacher, “Why should I
take lessons? I know the fingerings. I know how to read music. What
could you possibly teach me that would make it worthwhile?”
When an adult begins playing, they have high expectations. Perhaps
they want to sound like that clarinetist they heard on the local jazz
station; they will buy the instrument, check out the best jazz
mouthpiece, research which reed to buy, and then emulate a jazzy vibrato
style before learning about embouchure and breathing. Or perhaps they
heard Mozart’s clarinet concerto, and said, “I want to play that!”
They’ll go to the local music store and buy it, and try to play that
piece, and ONLY that piece. After all, the first movement looks pretty
easy, right? But they don’t know about phrasing and breath control
that’s needed to make this VERY DIFFICULT piece sound easy. In both
cases, the student may get frustrated because they don’t sound like the
recording, and abandon their quest to learn a musical instrument.
Such learners may not see the sense of an instruction book. “Give me
a fingering chart and a recording of what it sounds like, that’s all I
need”, they may say. As their teacher, I help them find a book a level
or two below where they think they are at, to build the all-important
embouchure, tonguing, and breathing technique. These are building
blocks to achieving that wonderful jazz sound, and perfecting the
Mozart.
Everyone has life skills acquired in a professional career or through
life experience which will can give students who are young adults and
older a running start when it comes to learning an instrument. However,
the following rule still applies to many aspects of learning an
instrument; “You have to crawl before you walk, and walk before you
run”.
Taking lessons will help get you from crawl to run.
As of today, I can maintain an air stream from air stored in my puffed cheeks while inhaling only about 20% of the time. AND only with a soda straw in a glass of water. However, the 24th isn't here yet. Here's what I'm doing:
Inhale-exhale-puff cheeks while exhaling-expel while inhaling-repeat.
My observations to date:
I can expel the stored air from my cheeks while inhaling, but haven't yet mastered how to smoothly transition back to normal breathing.
Using a soda straw in a glass of water is a great idea.
"Circular breathing is a technique used by players of some wind instruments to produce a continuous tone without interruption. This is accomplished by breathing in through the nose while simultaneously blowing out through the mouth using air stored in the cheeks.
It is used extensively in playing the Australian didgeridoo, the Sardinian launeddas and Egyptian arghul, as well as many traditional oboes and flutes of Asia and the Middle East. A few jazz and classical wind players also utilize some form of circular breathing.
Costa Rican saxophonist Geovanny Escalante holds the world record of almost ninety minutes for continuous playing of a wind instrument, breaking the previous record of 45 minutes held by saxophonist Kenny G."
Kenny G? Really???
Anyhow, there's more:
"The person inhales fully and begins to exhale and blow. When the lungs are nearly empty, the last volume of air is blown into the mouth, and the cheeks are inflated with this air. Then, while still blowing this last bit of air out by allowing the cheeks to deflate, the person must very quickly fill the lungs by inhaling through the nose prior to running out of the air in the mouth. If done correctly, by the time the air in the mouth is nearly exhausted the person can begin to exhale from the lungs once more, ready to repeat the process again.
Physiologically, the process is similar to drinking at a water fountain and taking a breath of air while water remains in the mouth, without raising the head from the water stream. The body "knows" to not allow water into the lungs. It is this same instinct that a circular breather uses to play their instrument.
One learning technique is to try puff out the cheeks with mouth closed using only air drawn in through the nose. This technique is very challenging, but when learned and mastered it can be repeated easily."
Does Kenny G puff his cheeks? I digress...
Enough from Wikipedia.
Actually, that's a pretty good synopsis. Also, it really helps to actually SEE what it looks like. Here's some links to YouTube videos:
Here's Kenny G demonstrating circular breathing. (Yes he does puff his cheeks slightly). In spite of the plug for Rico Reeds at the end it's pretty informative.
Let's go to the Clarinet Bulletin Board which is a wonderful resource to clarinet players everywhere thanks to the efforts of the site's administrator Mark Charette (SHOUT OUT). Searching on 'circular breathing' unveiled several entries and a very infor
mative article by Dr. Robert Spring. Dr. Spring's article can be printed and includes exercises. Yessss!
I'm in a band playing a work that has long, sustained notes in the clarinets. The notes are mostly in the lower and throat tone range, and we are one to a part. As I tried to gracefully exit and re-enter the piece every 10 bars or so, I wished for the ability to circular breathe.
I read somewhere that if the blogger has a goal to work towards it makes it that much easier. Since getting this blog started again has been a struggle, I'm hoping they're right.
So here goes.
My goal: Learn how to circular breathe, and put it in action before the performance on May 24, 2010.
I've been
considering alternatives to the "traditional" employment scenario (8-5
Monday to Friday, regular paycheck, employer benefits, 401K, etc.) To
bring in a little cash and keep me busy I've been selling stuff on
eBay.
I also answered an ad for "music teachers needed" and had a great conversation with Jason Blair of Drumming Uncut
based in Alhambra, Ca. He wants to branch out into other instruments
and has lots of good ideas for building and maintaining a student base,
and said I could share his studio and even use the space to sell
clarinet books and instruments. I'm excited at this opportunity, and
look forward to helping Jason build his business while I learn more
about the music business from him.
I've also decided to apply with local Parks & Recreation
departments to teach clarinet through them. I picked up Course
Proposal forms which are due in February for the Summer session. I
need to decide how much to charge, how many students I can take, what
times, and also want to work out a deal with a local music store to
help students with rentals if they need one.
Of course, I'm still playing. Cerritos Community Band just started
up for the spring, and Long Beach Community Band starts later this
week. The LA Clarinet Institute may be having a concert next month so
I'm looking forward to it as well. Money's a little tight these days,
but on impulse (and because I got a really good deal on it) I recently
acquired a Reed Mate
reed holder which is supposed to keep reeds from warping and getting
moldy. On the plus side, it's cool looking, made from clear lucite,
and its construction does protect reeds well. On the minus side there
is a charcoal insert at the bottom which needs to be replaced every few
months and it's a tad bulky in size - about twice the size as a
standard 4-reed holder many clarinetists use. The jury's still out on
how effective this item is at extending reed life and since that's a
main feature I'll report back at a later time.
So, back to writing up course proposals for Lakewood and Long Beach
and hopefully Mausbach Music will be approved for this new venture!
I'll keep you posted.
Here it is, Labor Day Weekend, and school starts next week. Band camp has come and gone (to my daughter's relief, I think) and they're looking forward to their first show. Parent preview night was Thursday 8/28 - I was travelling on business and missed it!
Community Band has started up again. Our first rehearsal, the clarinet section accounted for 50% of the entire group! Yeah! We've got a nice mix of returning players and new faces. Should be a fun semester...NO PRESSURE...don't forget your pencils, people! Our first performance is coming up - September 11, for the City of Cerritos' Patriot Day Observance.
The Clarinet Institute of Los Angeles will be playing this Sunday, August 31, at our usual location in Pacific Palisades. Hopefully it won't be too hot and humid....
...but NOTHING is as hot and humid as Irving, Texas, where I was this past week on a business trip. Temperatures were in the 90s and humidity about 150%. No kidding. Really. I'm grateful for California weather that I tend to take for granted.
Coming soon...an overview and opinion on various clarinet method books.
I like playing in summer band– the group is larger, and there’s more diversity.We have players ranging in age from 10 to 71, from beginners to semi-professional.In summer band many aspiring music teachers pick up new instruments; sax players take up the oboe, or violinists learn percussion.Clarinetists branch out to bass clarinet, flutes to piccolo.
Summer band literature offers the old standards (America the Beautiful, Stars and Stripes Forever and other patriotic works), music from Broadway, and jazz.It was in summer band I got my first taste of playing big band style (Glenn Miller’s ‘In the Mood’) and was instantly hooked.The next summer we did ‘Sing,Sing,Sing’ which offered the opportunity for an extended Goodman-style solo in the middle.A favorite this summer for the clarinet section at least, is ‘Clarinet Polka’.
Typical venuesinclude the Orange County Fair, the local Independence Day observance, and Cerritos College’s own outdoor stage.
As I battle warm weather, dry reeds and windburn and take a swig from my water bottle I’m contemplating the fall season ahead, but not ready to leave summer behind.
I’m currently test driving a Buffet R13 clarinet that belongs to my friend Mark, a colleague from community concert band who bought it about a year ago.He’s never been happy with it, and now insists it’s “possessed”.
First, the barrel developed a crack (that was replaced by the retailer he bought it from.)He also experienced intonation problems so pronounced he was constantly adjusting the barrel based on what register he was playing in.He claims (but I don’t believe him) the problem got worse during a full moon and on Friday the 13th…Eventually, he got so frustrated he bought a different clarinet altogether - a Selmer.I asked if I could try out the possessed horn for a week or so and either perform an exorcism so he can sell it, or help him bury it or something. I own a Buffet E11 (which I bought 4 years ago), and was eager to get an R13 in my hands again.
Like lots of other clarinet geeks, I’ve read up on the differences between an E11 and an R13 but was still pleasantly surprised at how smooth and rich Mark’s R13 sounded, in all registers but notably in the lower register.(For the technical details on Buffet clarinets, go here.)
Possessed?Heck no.Just not right for him, because he loves his new Selmer.
Now, if you’re in the market for a new (or new to you) clarinet, I recommend you shop around.Never purchase a horn without being able to try it out (unless it’s really cheap, and maybe not even then).
It may be difficult to find a store in your area with a decent selection of horns to choose from, so call around, and ask the local band directors and private teachers.Mark found a local store with five, count ‘em, FIVE, Selmers in stock to choose from.If you’re not so lucky, some online retailers will send you an instrument (or two) to try out; the caveat is, you usually pay for it up front and get credited after you return it.
Once you’ve got a new clarinet or two in front of you, do a thorough visual inspection (even if it’s new).Make sure everything is intact and in place.If you’re not sure what to look for, have a teacher or a fellow player do it.
Run each clarinet through its paces by trying out some of your favorite pieces.I found when I was playing Mark’s horn certain things were so much easier on that R13, like multiphonics and alternate fingerings. Use pieces you already play well so you can focus on the sound and feel, not the technical stuff.Make sure you play something in all registers.
Check the intonation on a tuner if you have one.If you’re in a store, borrow one.My E11 always plays a tad sharp in the throat tones.The R13 is fine in the throat tones but a bit sharp in the altissimo register.Neither of these is a show-stopper; neither would stop me from purchasing but it is good to know.
Prices can vary widely.Usually a music store will be on the more expensive side, but they will generally stand behind their product (such as in the case of Mark’s cracked barrel).If you shop through an established online retailer that is usually the case also.Buying from private parties is the most risky but you can also get a real bargain.
And now, I’m going back to playing with Mark’s possessed clarinet for the short time I have left.If I don’t play it every day I swear I can feel it…staring at me.