Recently a reader sent in a question about how to deal with fingers that don’t want to move at the same time. I thought it was a really helpful question to ask because it’s something that every clarinetist regardless of age or ability struggles with. I’ll post the question below (edited to remove some details) and [...]
|
||||||
 |
Just today I was teaching a student and the issue of how to make an embouchure came up. He and I have been working on air speed for quite a while and it was time to move to the next step. So, we did two experiments to find out if his embouchure was really working well [...] What does it mean to be in tune? That seems pretty obvious right? Just get out your tuner and play a note. If your not flat or sharp then you’re in tune. Easy. Done. But perhaps that’s not all there is to it. Maybe you’d like to play with an ensemble or even just one other [...] As promised here’s a thought on voicing that I’ve had for a few weeks now. For those who aren’t familiar with the concept, clarinetists use the term voicing to describe the way in which the embouchure and tongue affect tone production. Today I just want to focus on the tongue. The reason is [...] As clarinetists we spend a lot of time talking about good technique in terms of tone, embouchure, and breathing but today I want to talk a little bit about how good body position can help you refine your playing. I think it’s very easy to get used to playing in strange positions especially as young students. [...] Do you ever have the feeling that your embouchure is just falling apart while you play? I’ve had that problem on more occasions than I care to admit. However there is something you can do to help yourself out a little. Give your embouchure a break. Now I don’t mean take breaks during your practicing. That’s [...] It’s been quite a while since I’ve been able to put up a new post so thanks for your patience. As promised here’s a little bit about polishing up your rhythm. Many of you know some of the basic practice techniques for improving the evenness of a rhythmic passage. For instance there’s the one where you [...] The clarinet embouchure is one of those things that is easy to understand in principle but can get pretty confusing pretty fast. So here’s a quick way to check if you’re on the right track. Can you buzz your lips together like a trumpet player? Yes? Good. No? You might want to make friends with a [...] Recently I started taking a martial arts class at the JCC near my house. I’ve never been a very physical kind of person – I’m not good at sports, dancing, or pretty much anything that requires a lot of coordination. However, I’ve always wanted to try this and I figured if I didn’t like it I [...] For my first post to this site, I wanted to talk about breathing because I find it hard to pinpoint something else that touches on so many other aspects of clarinet performance. For instance breath control can effect: tension or relaxation, articulation, tone production, finger technique, phrasing, etc… For many people using air efficiently while playing [...] |
|||||
|
Copyright © 2010 Adam J Berkowitz – Clarinetist - All Rights Reserved |
||||||
