The Bass Clarinet Guru

Why The Big Bang Theory Could Teach School Music Teachers A Few Things

2011-04-05T10:24:00.000-07:00

School music is a cold and cruel place. For the most part, you have to know someone to get where you want to go. So, it actually has nothing to do with innate skill or hard work. Hard work isn't rewarded for teachers -- brown-nosing is.

That stretches all the way into the classroom where kids are pushed to their limit, for the most part, to get a rating or a score. That rating or score really doesn't do anything for them, but it DOES give a boost to the Director's reputation and THAT'S what it's all about, right?

Wrong.

You know how you get an NBA (National Band Association) Citation of Execellence? Pay the dues and get one of your friends to give you one. That's it. It is rarely connected to actual merit -- just, who you know. Again, buffeting the Director's reputation and bio in the name of education, but at the cost of time at home for both the Director and their students, many students' self-respect, and some harsh words.

Look at The Big Bang Theory. It's one of the most beautifully written shows ever. If you've never watched it start now, but I can fill you in.

Leonard (Johnny Galecki, who used to play David on "Roseanne") is a physicist and his three best friends are Sheldon, Howard, and Raj. You've got a physicist, engineer, and astrophysicist there. They're brilliant people. Penny (Kaley Cuoco, who is undeniably drop-dead gorgeous) moves in next door. From the PILOT Leonard says, "Our children will be smart AND beautiful."

Four seasons into the show, as of today, and Leonard and Penny have misfired, miscommunicated, been together, been not-together, been together again, and broken up. However, the CRUX of the show is "Leonard and Penny are each other's soulmates, period." How long it takes them to figure that out gives us more and more hilarity with every new episode because everyone on the show is so funny.

However, Penny and Leonard are growing up and learning how to nurture each other in a completely unlikely relationship. She's a wannabe actress from Nebraska and he's a freaking genius. They're so mismatched, but the writing and acting is so good how could you NOT want them to eventually end up together?

It's a beautiful thing to be lauded (for the superb acting, especially of Jim Parsons as Sheldon Cooper), to be celebrated (because people should GROW in love with each other), and commended (because it isn't vulgar or stupid -- it's authentic.)

So, as a school band director I'm touched by it. However, I actually care about something other than my bio and how many times we've gotten superior ratings.

Now, take this lovely show with a lovely premise and put it in front of your classic student-mauling, rating-seeking, over the top director and they will likely see little value in it at all. They won't care if Jim Parsons is a comedic genius, or if Simon Hedberg is oddly likable, or that Leonard and Penny's relationship is still beautiful even if they haven't figured it out yet.

They truly love each other and that is how well the show is acted. How can you NOT be affected by how those two people feel about each other? Penny beats a girl's ass because she feels like said girl is taking advantage of the guys. She's a caring person.

How do ratings-seekers find no value in this lovely little show?

There's nothing in it for them. Nothing to add to them bio. No superior rating. Just beauty. Beauty they can't comprehend or that they can't take credit for.

Watch the extras on the DVD's for this show and Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady (the creators and head writers) give ALL the credit to the cast. They just heap on praise about how beautifully the cast acts their scribble-scratch they threw down in the writer's room.

Yet, a school band, orchestra or chorus director will sit at their desk ALL DAY with their feet up and hands casually behind their neck regaling ANYONE who will listen about how THEY did this and how THEY did that.

That's not beauty. That's total, uncontrolled, ridiculous, disgusting, egotism. It's exactly the opposite of the Big Bang Theory. A place where even Sheldon can learn to hug Penny when she gives him a great napkin, Penny can love (nearly unconditionally) a guy who is not her type, and Leonard can finally learn to express to his soulmate how he really feels. THAT is art. THAT is beauty.

Superior ratings be damned. I'll take this sit-com anyday over some pontificating jackass who pretends he or she built the world in five days and bested God.

Long live beauty and the art of The Big Bang Theory. Be gone ye rigid, conceited, rating-seeking, egotism. I like my art with a couple nerds, some honest emotions, and some tender hearts. Isn't that what your band, orchestra or chorus should be made of?

PS -- Feel free to steal my idea if you get it, but don't pass it off as your own. We have it here in black and white on the internet that I wrote it down first :)

Haven't You Ever Had A Bass Clarinet Thought?

2011-01-29T18:45:00.000-08:00

When was the last time you looked at your instrument and had a thought consumed with hope for how well playing the horn would go that day?

Know Your Literature

2011-01-29T18:15:00.000-08:00

I received a very encouraging note from my college Clarinet teacher yesterday. Basically, it made my whole college experience.

So, today Iw as poking at literature and reminding myself that I need to know "my" literature. Not everybody else's.

In that same vane I can still add to my literature, but only slightly. To date I hold onto:

Echange...Xenakis
Duo...Loevendie
Parable...by a friend (trust me when I say it's about 10 minutes and it's a bitch to play)
Waltz...by a college colleague. He just needed to write it for a class, but I like it to this day.
Acht Stucke...Hindemith (it's actually for Flute)
Syrinx...Debussy
Carnival of Venice...Herbert L. Clarke
Towards the Crest...Robert Carl
Six Studies in English Folksong...Vaughn-Williams
Interludium from Six Dances...Phillip Martin (my favorite because I love ripping the hell out of it)
Voltage...DuBois
Bach...Cello Suites
Rhapsody...Osbourne

As I write this I'm definitely taking on the Mozart. What could possibly go wrong?

There's more, but for now I'm committing to taking down the Mozart--just for funsies.
This should be good...

Bass Clarinetists Are Idiots Sometimes

2011-01-16T12:36:00.000-08:00

So, today I did someone a favor. I ran over to a rehearsal to lend out one of my instruments to someone who's playing in a conference in a couple weeks. Apparently, this person's instrument wasn't treating them nice.

No big deal.

I bring my horn over and I asked that that person's instrument be present so I could take a look at it. Now, basically, I have four theories about instruments that "don't work".

1. It's a mis-adjustment of the throat A key. Too tight and the Ab may be slightly open. Too loose and air will leak out of the key. It needs a little "play", but not much.

2. A mal-adjusted low G or A. Some Bass Clarinets have all kinds of adjustment screws down there for low G and low A. Some have vent keys for low A and some don't. Keeping two adjustment screws in balance, OR getting the right level on just one could be difficult. Sometimes, an inexperienced Bass Clarinetist (even if they are a seasoned musician or Clarinetist) may not be able to play through a slight mis-adjustment of this key.

3. Odd bending of keys and adjustment plates around low B or Bb. There's all kinds of systems designed to deal with these keys, but sometimes they're just bent too.

4. The person just flat doesn't know what they're doing and they are AFRAID. Yes, AFRAID. I even had a sane person who is a specialist on Bass Clarinet tell me that they played this instrument and sometimes it squeaked weirdly, etc. Fear makes you do stupid things, and it makes you play badly.

I boil all this down to stupidity. You have to REALLY know the instrument and you really have to know its tendencies. Not the tendencies of just your instrument, but the tendencies of the Bass Clarinet in general.

So, though the term "idiot" may seem a little harsh, it's all I've got. If you're not learning this stuff as you're playing then you just aren't using you brain. That's the hard and fast truth.

I played a perfectly good instrument today because of someone else's fear and lack of knowledge. Though it's frustrating it's not surprising.

When will we learn?

On Conducting: The Beginning of Beginnings

2010-12-15T18:57:00.000-08:00

Conducting in the morning sucks. No, it does. Every early morning feels like Monday and the colder it gets the worse it gets. If your rehearsal space has windows anybody near those windows is freezing and the pitch is all over the place.

Just imagine going to your favorite holiday sale and everyone is bundled up and when the employee opens the door they look not-so-enthused. You know why? They're hurting too.

Now change that story around. You're the employee and the players are the shoppers. They rush in (because they typically have more energy than you anyways) and you get trampled.

Think about it this way -- no two rehearsals are the same. They're just like snowflakes. Were I you I'd do the following things:

1. Start your early rehearsals a little late. Let everyone warm-up and practice on their own and warm-up the room. Bodies make the room warmer and the use of air to play instruments produces latent heat which will warm-up the room. Even if you've only got 45 minutes you'll spend the first ten minutes being cold. Spend those ten minutes letting the people warm the room up.

2. When you get on the podium fake it like there is no tomorrow. You can acknowledge THEIR tired state, but not yours. Act like you're hopped up on coffee and any other stimulant that doesn't seem completely illegal. Trust me, it holds their attention.

3. Kick them in the face. Hard. Work them harder than they've ever been worked. If the room is warm and you're looking like a maniac you can usually get anybody to do anything early in the morning (even if it's four million below zero outside.)

That's the beginnings of beginnings. No drudgery. No yawning. No complaining. No wasted rehearsals.

Just hard work and a little room to breathe before you start the day.

On Conducting: How Much Help To Give?

2010-12-14T18:42:00.000-08:00

Yep, I'm a conductor. I work from the podium everyday. I love how band directors all say the same thing, "Don't help the kids too much because they won't be independent!"

Well, as cute as that is, don't you think you have to show the kids what you want? There's got to be some wiggle room given for the conductor to show the ensemble what he wants. Period.

The only route to independence is being told over and over what good musical decisions are. If you're conducting every little nuance of the rhythm or the melodic line you're teaching the kids that each note has meaning. If you act like a badass and give the ensemble nothing they might be able to play all the right rhythms, etc. However, they won't be able to play those rhythms and notes with any meaning behind them. With any feeling.

Yes, even the most mundane rhythms from a rhythm exercise book like Grover C. Yaus' "101 Rhythmic Exercises for Band" can be musical. If you help long enough you'll hear a change in the way the kids play. You can't just pump out "right" stuff and expect it to be good enough. Being right only gets you so far.

Do you know how many "right" renditions I've heard of scales and exercises that sound completely vapid? It happens everyday. We can play them right, but making them into an "exercise" that is not conducted, poorly conducted, or simply "passed over" isn't helping. Sure, it breeds order, but it doesn't breed improvement.

That's why middle school bands in Japan play Grade 6 literature. They don't screw around like we do here.

Let's just say I teach very young kids. They play band instruments and our best group plays repertory from Grade 6 pieces. They play very difficult music. Not all the time and not in mass quantities, but they do play it. However, they are playing what kids that are 3 years older play all the time. We don't mince notes in our band.

In four or five years we'll be doing nothing but playing major literature. Why? Because we don't waste time. Oh, and I help out. I conduct every single little thing.

When I can't fit something in I tell them, "I can't conduct every single little thing", but they can handle that. They learned how to make musical decisions whilst being given every little musical detail from the podium.

The podium looks great for most people because they love power. That's not what the podium's for.

It's for good. It's to help. It's for music.

A Setup Is Just A Setup

2010-12-14T17:55:00.000-08:00

You've got two choices when you put your setup together. You can:

A) Buy all the expensive everybody on the message boards says you have to buy is you're "serious".

or

B) Get stuff that works for you.

Hard reeds are not a red badge of courage. Closed tip mouthpieces are not the mark of a true professional. And expense is not the hallmark of good equipment.

You know that nasty stock mouthpiece that comes in a rented instrument? It works just fine. Charging $250 or more for a mouthpiece does not make the mouthpiece maker an "artist", "craftsman", or even good at his job. It just means his mouthpieces are exorbitantly expensive. Too bad a good reed and a similar mouthpiece that is half as expensive or less would play almost exactly the same way. Mouthpieces only matter in your mind's ear (and my mind's ear is not comfortable spending $500 on a mouthpiece.)

You know the relatively soft reeds you started on in middle school? They work just fine too. In fact, they'll work for a really long time until your embouchure is strong that you just can play the soft reeds anymore.

What about that plastic instrument that's a little leaky? It plays just fine. If everyone started playing on a $10,000 horn then no one would have any real skill at playing the instrument. You have to build character playing instruments that aren't perfect.

That's why you hear about pros going to gigs and finding their horn doesn't work. They aren't used to playing on unregulated equipment and a tiny little leak stumps them. All that time you spent on a leaky horn will pay off when you need it most.

I'm going to hand a young student a plastic Bass Clarinet that's never been overhauled, never been regulated, that has been rained on, snowed on (just once), marched all over the place, been subjected to drastic temperature changes, with a stock mouthpiece and some soft Gonzalez reeds tomorrow and that kid will play the horn just fine.

Why? Because they don't care if the horn is nice or not. They just want to play. To them:

A setup is just a setup.

Pushing The Limits: Playing Loud

2010-12-14T16:31:00.000-08:00

Playing the Bass Clarinet isn't a mystery, but so many people make it out to be harder than it really is. Case in point:

I teach a private lesson and the kid tells me, "So, everytime I try to play out it's out of tune." Well, how do you know that?

"The Director told me it sounded wrong."

Did you director give you a solution?

"No."

Before I say this please remember that I AM a band director:

Stupid band directors!

Every band director on the planet wants more from their low woodwinds, but very few of them actually know how to get it to come out. When you're playing louder on a Clarinet the pitch goes through the floor. On Bass Clarinet this drop in pitch is only accentuated by the size of the instrument.

So, what should your band director know that they don't?

You can't just "play louder" you have to "play broader". If you're listening to the lower parts and riding the wave with them it's easy to bring the color of the Bass Clarinet out without playing massively out of tune.

This means you're listening. Listening is good.

What if it's still a little off? Then you're going to need to adjust your embouchure. The softer your lower lip is the more flexibility you have to move the pitch up and down. Keep the top of your embouchure strong, but let the lower lip rest so it can push the pitch up and down.

The reed is huge and it doesn't take much, but you can make small changes without trying that hard.

That, my friends, is something most band directors have no clue about. They think you're supposed to use a Clarinet embouchure. Not so. Soften the lower lip and you'll be amazed at what you can do.

The next time you're sitting next to the Tuba and Timpani just remember that adjusting the pitch and "playing broader" makes your tone color jump out of the band. It's the best sound you can imagine.

Go, blow your conductor away. I mean it, go! We'll talk soon.

I'm baaaaaaaack

2010-12-14T16:15:00.001-08:00

Someone commented that I had kind of wound it down. Well, I'm back.

We're doing weekly updates on "Zen and the Art of the Bass Clarinet".

Come back very soon because we're going to have some pretty cool things going on here. I've got a lot more to say!

Join Us On Facebook!

2010-07-30T17:28:00.000-07:00

Join me on Facebook!

Bass Clarinet: The King of Versatility is our new group!

Hopefully we can expose more people to the endless possibilities the instrument provides!

Come visit me

2010-01-18T04:32:00.000-08:00

Hey there,

I've been doing alot of sports writing! Come visit me at genxxl.com.

I'm writing as The General and loving writing about sports!

I've got a feed on Twitter at genxxlgeneral

So, I've Been Busy

2009-10-04T18:05:00.000-07:00

Since I last posted I've taken on about 8 (maybe less, not all have come to fruition) freelance writing gigs and I have no time to write, just to write. This blog, however, is a priority because this is my main instrument.

I also took a gig playing for a local training Orchestra where I'm playing on the premiere of the Conductor's 3rd Symphony.

I'll be doing some excerpt studies on here to sort of get everyone through the process of learning long and drawn out Symphonic Lietrature.

Stick around and hopefully I can get something good up here.

Peace...

Back to School...Back to Reality

2009-08-04T17:45:00.000-07:00

So, I teach school. Band actually. Beginners, to be frank. Kids with little common sense: if you must know.

Every new school year is an opportunity to change the way we provide instruction, the methods with which we teach, and the way in which we want kids to learn.

This year I'm thinking about getting "away" from the book more than I have the past couple of years. I've had spats of being "in" the book, then "out" of the book, then back "in" and now I think I'm gonna be about a third "in"and two-thirds "out".

What does this have to do with Bass Clarinetting? Well, you have to go through spells as a player. Things have to change. You can't keep doing the same thing everyday forever. You WILL go crazy, no matter how much you claim you love practicing. It's inevitable.

I heard an old interview on Friday on with Merce Cunningham, the eminent dancer, choreographer and dance company leader(he was also John Cage's life partner, talk about a pair!) Terry Gross, in her 1980's interviewing splendor, engaged Cunningham in this very long discussion about the body, practice, demand, and the artistry of men vs. women.

They're going back and forth about all sorts of stuff and then she ask him if he still warms-up or practices daily. Even in his mid 60's (at the time of the interview) he said yes. Not only that, but he said it wasn't regimented,he just did something.

Aha! Anything!

There's something to a familiar routine, but there is also something to be said for changing your "routine". When I was in college my idiot Band Director would have the whole order for the rehearsal on the board(that's fine) but he would have some stupid harmonic minor scale on the board just for fun. Yeah, that's stupid. Do things that you're going to succeed at. If you cna play your harmonic minors, cool. If not, don't warm-up on it...practice it.

How interesting!?!? Right!?!?! What if you just...warmed-up? What if.....gasp....I told my students to just....warm-up. Yeah, I can teach them to warm-up (like I was taught) then make them do it. Ding ding ding ding ding, we have a winner!

Most times people DON'T warm-up because they weren't taught how to or they feel like they have to have this insane regimen that is a mile long. This is not the case.

Don't write it down. Write down what you should be practicing and enjoy a leisurely warm-up.

Back to reality doesn't have to be tedious. It could turn out to be refreshing...

How To Tell You Don't Have The Melody

2009-07-12T18:20:00.000-07:00

So, were at church today and where we go we have a worship band. Not an orchestra...I'm not bitter, but an orchestra and traditional service would be nice every now and then (only because I could play in it.) We've got a Bass Player that plays with the group almost every week. He's actually a really good player, but he's a little too impressed with himself and it's starting to get on my nerves.

He plays a lot of extra mess on top on the Bass movements that he is supposed to be supporting and it bothers me because I can't hear anything when he's going crazy every other bar. Listen people and listen good. The Bass Line is not something to be trifled with. The Bass Line is not the melody. Here's how you can tell:

1) When you are playing something that obviously is not the melody, but you can't really hear the true melody...you're in the wrong. I think people who use electronic equipment and point monitors at themselves forget this all too often. You can really tell a pro because they either don't use a monitor at all, or they use an ear piece and not a huge monitor, turn it up too loud and get way too INTO their playing. If I can hear your mess over the tune, you're wrong. If you're constantly playing with the volume controls on your equipment, you're wrong.

2) If you play an acoustic instrument and you can clearly hear yourself, you're probably wrong. Rarely does a Bass Line also act as a melodic line or fragment. I could spend all day citing examples of Bass Lines in literature that are also melodic fragments or melodies themselves. Here's an easy way to tell....you're exposed...nothing else is going on. When other people are trying to do their thing too, you're not the melody.

3) If you have all these "great ideas" in your head...keep them to yourself. Here's an assignment for you:

a) Buy any FUEL album. Something Like Human, Sunburn, Natural Selection, whatever and listen. The Bassist play solid, firm, Bass Lines. He rarely plays extra stuff and when he does it actually a melodic fragment that will come up later or is a supporting countermelody. It is NOT random stuff but, rather, quite calculated.

b) Listen to the "Screamers" album by the Eastman Wind Ensemble. It's a great collection of Circus Marches. Now tell me how much of the Bass movement in those pieces is melodic and, if it is, tell me how much of it sounds random. I bet your answer will be zero.

c) Start listening to Bass Lines in popular music and tell me how random all of it sounds. It doesn't.

We've got to be better consumers of music if we're going to be better performers. If you're listening to music you like and you don't know they part you would be playing then you're not consuming the music very well. Everything I own, every CD, I can sing along to the Bass Movements in the music, because it's MY part. I'm consuming something that is improving my playing. If you only know melodies and words and you play a Bass instrument you're going to play like someone who has the melody or the words. Not helpful. Not helpful at all.

Think about it. Think about how much time could be saved if every listened with their part in mind. We could change the world...well, not really, but you get the idea.

Playing by "feel"

2009-07-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

This morning I was going through my Basses again to make sure the backing I put on a pad had actually taken and I played through each of my Basses with my 11 year old Clark Fobes "Basso Nova" mouthpiece. Yes, it is THAT old and yes he used to call it "Basso Nova"...(I know, I like the Bossa Nova reference to.)

So, the mouthpiece responded beautifully, as always. A Side Note:

I've got a Fobes Debut on my Soprano Clarinets (and it works great) I have a Nova Mouthpiece for my Alto Clarinet and I have my old Fobes "Basso Nova" with my Basses. He's the man. Check him out at www.clarkwfobes.com

Anyways, I'm playing through my horns and I started with my un-extended instruments. Let me tell you, they feel like they weigh nothing when I play them. It's almost like playing Bb Clarinet, they're that light to the touch.

This is an odd phenomenon because my '59 Leblanc 400 is a heavy instrument for its size, but I've never thought of it as heavy and today it felt especially light. When I play those instruments and then move on to my extended Bass it also feels quite light in hand. Typically it doesn't work this way. You give a Clarinet player a Bass and they're like "Geez, this thing is so heavy!" So, it stands to reason that going from smaller Bass to larger Bass would be slightly uncomfortable regardless of how experienced you are.

It would seem to me that your approach to instrument colors significantly how the instrument feels and responds in your hands.

Think about that the next time you play. Are you walking up to your Bass and saying "Man, you're a big clunky instrument!" If so, you might not be having the best time. If you're a Band Director and you make regular comments like that then chances are you have clunky, heavy sounds coming from the Bass Clarinets and Low Woodwinds.

This same assumption prevents students who play big instruments from getting technically difficult parts. Really it's avoidance. Then, they never acquire technique because the don't need to. That's bad.

Coincidence? I think not!

Private Lessons: The Agony and The Ecstasy

2009-07-07T10:58:00.000-07:00

Today I'm gearing up for 4 private lessons with my 4 summer students on my side of town. I have a Senior Bass Clarinetist who made All-State last year, his 9th Grade sister, a Senior Clarinetist who is a monster player, and a 10th Grade Bass Clarinetist who is developing.

In each case the students are very different and relatively easy in the motivation department. We have issues ranging from tension, hand position, and embouchure all the way to reading, retention and fundamentals.

In each case the kids are coming from a similar stance: "What do I do now?"

The kids who have the upper hand and are very good did not start out that way. I've been teaching my Senior Bass Clarinetist since the summer after his Freshman year. In that time he's gone from the bottom of the Section to the top. He does exactly what he's asked and doesn't complain. My younger students may move slower, but they will get there.

I spend alot of time reminding people that this is a process. I've grown tired of the idea that everyone will just get it if we yell at them enough. There's a big difference between lazy students and students who don't get it yet. Kids who don't get it yet are working hard and not progressing at the rate they'd like to. No big deal, we can't ask them for more and no amount of complaining is going to change that.

Lazy students, on the other hand, DO need some less-than-subtle motivation to allow them to grow. Perhaps they've never worked under pressure before and they just don't realize how much effort is required to get a satisfactory result. Either way, there's two different kinds of kids at the bottom.

What drives me nuts is when people assume that the decent hard-working kid will get there with yelling and other tactics that should be reserved for time-wasters. I just can't teach that way.

So, everyone is starting today with scales, fundamentals, some kind of rudimentary exercise (that's on their level) and then working on whatever it is we're working on. Scales are a killer, but you have to keep hammering them until they get there. I have no problem working the same stuff time and again and again and again and again until it's right. We do other stuff too, but those fundamentals aren't going away.

Everyone is working on some kind of literature, be it etudes of actual complete works, but everyone is doing some kind of music that requires thought, reading and interpretation.

This is where I differ from alot of people. I spend a ton of time on interpretation and reading. How to read, how to see patterns, how to relate the music to fundamentals that you already know, how to take and give time, how to express yourself, how to remain tonally equal throughout the entire horn, etc. Most kids don't understand these concepts or don't get them until it's way too late to use them. I'm not sure I can count the number of people I met in college and beyond who didn't know how to do this stuff. It's like they never were taught anything but fast notes and loud/soft. Yikes!

So, the Agony is realizing I've got to do this stuff and knowing I'll never have enough time to do it all. The Ecstasy is knowing that I'm doing and doing it right. (And occasionally, it results in kids getting recognition for their hard work.)

Peace.

Private Lessons Here In Atlanta Now Open For Business

2009-07-05T10:53:00.000-07:00

This should end up being the commerical message of all commercial messages.

Being that I titled my blog "The Bass Clarinet Guru" one would think that I teach. Well, I do.

I teach privately here in the Metro Atlanta area and would love to have as many students as I can stand. I teach at home and I travel to the homes of students and I quite enjoy it.

Alot of people I know teach privately, but begrudgingly. They do it for money (which I do as well) but they hate it. I love it.

Working one on one with a kid is fun. Preparing them for auditions is quite a task, but it's something I'm good at. Preparing kids to move from one grade to the next is a challenging task, but one that I do happily.

Sometimes private teachers only teach one area of the instrument. I endeavor to tackle the whole kid and the whole experience. How to pass an audition, how to win a challenge, how to survive band class, all of it.

So, if you're in Atlanta I'd love to teach you. Please feel free to contact me for more information. I charge fair rates and have a good time teaching.

Peace.

Selmer/Bundy vs. Leblanc/Vito: a.k.a. "The Setup"

2009-07-04T09:14:00.000-07:00

So, the other day I was getting my things ready for the beginning of the school year and I pulled out my plastic Bass to make sure everything was still in order. After, backing a couple pads everything was fine and I began to do a little warm-up just to check the horn out. Then something occurred to me:

I play this instrument different than my others.

In case this matters to anyone I play a:

1997 Leblanc 430

1959 Leblanc 400

& a very old Selmer/Bundy Plastic Bass

So, I've got the polar opposites in the Bass Clarinet world in my studio. Selmer and Leblanc. These two titans tangled for many a year dominating the Bass Clarinet landscape while Buffet killed them with the R13 Soprano.

Selmers are slightly finer to the touch. Selmers are light in the hand. The bore is slightly smaller than a Leblanc. The cupped plateau keys provide a slightly lower key level and produce a slightly slower key action than a Leblanc.

Leblancs are hefty instruments. You could throw a Leblanc off a building(in theory, do not try this at home. I'm what you would call, a professional) and still pick it up and play it. Leblancs have gigantic bores. The keys are plated multiple times and the wood is thicker, making the instrument quite heavy. Leblancs "talk" to you. They are NOT delicate.

Now I must point out some things that neither of these horns are:

- "Squirelly" in the upper register. Anyone who is complaining about this problem either has a badly broken instrument or an inability to play in the upper register consistently.

- "Stuffy" in any register. An instrument is stuffy when it is badly out of adjustment or you happen to be playing the wrong mouthpiece/reed combination for your embouchure and air flow level.

- "Unresponsive" in the upper register. If the upper register is unresponsive it's because you aren't very good at playing in the upper register or you have a broken instrument.

Some things that individual instruments may tend to do:

- Some instruments sound Middle B and Middle C differently than others. That depends on the instrument, brand, the placement of the keys, placement of the register mechanism, etc, etc, etc, etc.

- Some instruments sound Low Eb differently than others. The size and shape of the bell, the placement of the Eb Pad (on or off the bell), the presence or lack of an extension all combine to produce the specific tonal profile of Eb on your instrument.

Some things to keep in mind:

- Your setup is vital to your success, but it does not have to be fancy. Case in point:

* I won 42 auditions in 6 years and for 2/3 of that time I play a Yamaha 4C mouthpiece and a 2.5 Hemke Tenor Sax Reed.

* The point at which I had to go up a size in reed strength is when I started to play noticeably flat. If you aren't doing that then you don't need harder reeds.

* I only acquired a fancy ligature at the end of my college career. Prior to that I played a Bonade Inverted.

* I didn't start using a Selmer D until then end of my college career. This means that I did all the hard work on what most people would call an "inferior" mouthpiece. I call it inexpensive and user friendly.

* I ALWAYS used a neckstrap. Sitting, standing, it didn't matter. When you're sitting use a peg and a strap. When you're standing you MUST have a strap on.

* I DO use a fancy neckstrap. Why? Because my hand position is everything. Without the proper support I'm doomed. Personally, I use DeJacques straps. Back in the day they were $35. Now I think they're $95. Still worth it in my opinion.

* I adjust my own reeds by hand. I keep two reed knives, sandpaper, emery paper, a reed clipper, reed rush and I adjust the reeds according to an adjustment chart.

From the beginning, the beginning of this Guru thing, around 1994, I've always said that the difference between Selmer and Leblanc is personal preference. I got my first Leblanc (the '59 400 series) in '94 and I've stuck with them ever since. You could just as easily get a Selmer and enjoy them and stick with them. Were it me, I'd never flinch in the face of a Leblanc.

Leblancs are hefty instruments, as I said before, and they provide a sturdier platform to produce the sort of tone that I enjoy on Bass Clarinet. You can do just about the same work on Selmer, but I just like the feel of Leblancs better.

Notice that we did talk about Selmers and Leblancs, but we also talked alot about your setup. Your setup determines so much more than your horn. Without a proper setup (for you) you won't have the privelege of being picky about what kind of horn you play.

One should also note that I did not mention Buffet or Yamaha. For good reason. Yamahas are copies of the easiest to spot characteristics of Selmers and Leblancs and thrown together into one instrument, but that doesn't work. "Frankenhorn" isn't going to do anything for you. Buffets just don't hold up. I've never met a Buffet that didn't go out of adjustment simply at the sight of a performer. You can find message boards filled with horror stories of professionals taking their Buffets on planes or to different climates and their instrument just NOT working. Yikes people!

I once took my two Leblancs to NJ. When I left Atlanta it was 60 degrees outside and a slight breeze. There was a blizzard in NY/NJ and had nary a problem with either instrument the whole time I was up there. You see my point I think.

Quesrions, comments? Anything at all, the Guru is in.

So, why are we here?

2009-07-03T20:32:00.000-07:00

The Guru is in.

About 15 years ago I was given the moniker "The Bass Clarinet Guru". Aptly enough, it was given to me by a teacher, not a peer. I never really thought there was anything to it except that I knew I was very good at playing Bass. I recent set of circumstances has brought me to the conclusion that I need to start living up to the moniker "The Bass Clarinet Guru".

I suppose the easiest part of that is knowing that I'm not like Howard Stern and I didn't give myself the name, but that it was actually given to me by someone I respect who is a far greater musician than me.

I have imported posts from another blog of mine to get all my current Bass Clarinet content in here. I plan on updating frequently about every topic imaginable: sitting, standing, marching, playing, equipment, literature, you name it.

I WELCOME questions and comments. The only real way we can begin to grow a community of people who are talking honestly about the instrument is to have HONEST questions followed by HONEST answers. This is not a forum where some overgrown amateur is going to tell you to go out and spend $300 on a mouthpiece or $500 getting your horn adjusted after you just bought it. No one telling you that Alto Clarinet just isn't going to work so don't bother. No one telling you that the plastic Vito Contra your school has isn't good enough to play on. We'll cover all subjects concerning Alto, Bass and Contra Clarinets. Please jump in, the water's fine!

I'm talking about real answers for real players. I hope that students feel comfortable here and I hope that you are the majority of my readers. Of course, adults are welcome, but I want kids to feel like they can get some honest answers and feedback here.

I have alot of things on tap for the Bass Clarinet Community, so please stay tuned.

Peace.

Salon Music for Bass Clarinet

2009-05-24T18:38:00.000-07:00

I remember being at BOA Summer Symposium in 1999 and hearing Timothy Mahr talking about wanting to be a composer. I think he even does clinics on this topic now. His premise was simple: If you want to be a composer, then be a composer! That's it. Just do it. (I think some guy from Oregon might have thought of that one first)

Anyways, I always WANTED to be a composer, but I had these grandiose ideas that I could never get on paper. So, a couple of years ago I gave up the grandiose ideas and went with something I could control...I started writing for myself. In the past 18-20 months I've probably written 100-150 pieces for myself. Some big, many small. All of them for me, solo Bass Clarinet, that's it. (Well, I did write a Concerto for Bass Clarinet, but not this nutbag Corigliano-style piece, something much more neo-classical) So, I've got all kinds of music laying around that's just for me. Then I realized something.....

I can actually do something with this stuff!

Alot of my music is, on some level, extremely difficult. 9 times out of 10 that would be due to range issues, occasionally it would be for some extended technique. I've thought about recording and, the more I write, the more I want to record. It's all my stuff. I'm not being sized up against someone else. Not that that's a bad thing. There are tons of really good Bass Clarinetists out there (you'd be surprised, unless you're on of those people, or know one of them, then you'd know because playing at that level on this kind of instrument speaks for itself.) But it's like being a popular musician, you play YOUR stuff, not someone else's and when you DO play someone else's stuff it's out of respect. I really don't care how my version of "Echange" would stack up against Mike Lowenstern's (his is very good by the way.) I care a whole lot more about MY playing, MY sound, and MY style. I didn't spend four years in college working with a style-meister just to sit here and copy people.

That's my big problem with popular music and ESPECIALLY with Christian music. People copy each other in very eerie ways. I heard a song on the radio today that I was sure was Sheri Carr. All the idiosyncracies were there from Sheri's singing and yet the artist was someone else. Huh? I mean really? That would be like me performing "Echange" and playing it EXACTLY the way Mike Lowenstern plays it, so much so that people think it's him. That's disrespectful to him (because I'm basically misrepresenting myself) and to me (because I'm better than that. Really, everybody's better than that!) Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but at some point you lose yourself in that.

So, by doing MY thing, and doing it well I cultivate a style of playing that is altogether unique. If we didn't have anyone doing this musically we would never change periods, styles, or ideas. All the original ideas in music are not taken, we just have to willing to look for new ones.

That doesn't mean you can't be influenced by people, but it does mean you have a responsibility to yourself to do something more inspired than a straight transposition of something that's already been done. You could even release an album of hymns, but you'd still have to play them YOUR way with YOUR sound.

This means that if you're into contemporary techniques, you should use them, and if you're not...DON'T! Not everyone can do everything. Not every pro owns every piece ever played..they pick and choose their spots. You should pick and choose yours too. That's what I'm doing, fighting my own battles. Fighting an unseen opponent, the radio in your head, will drive you to distraction...

So, I'm the Salon Music for Bass Clarinet guy. Call me Schubert, Chopin whatever but I'm not comparing myself to anyone, just me.

Peace.

So, it's been awhile.../Have you got it down yet?

2009-04-18T05:11:00.000-07:00

My lovely bride informed me that I haven't updated in a few days. Well, it's been hectic. We had a VERY long spring break (at least that's how it felt) and have been back to school for a week. I've been busy people!

Well, we've had an interesting last couple of weeks. We were in a conundrum over what to do with our Tax Refund money. We were going to Disney, then not, and now we're going again! Heather had this intense feeling that the money wasn't for us. Well I prayed and journaled and read over tat until small group last Thursday when a friend of yours was talking about a mission going to do in Ethiopia working with orphans. apparently, when she got the fundraising info she only had like a week to raise $1700. Bleh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, as she continued to explain that she's not freaking out or anything like that and that she had about half of what she needed I heard God say "Give her the rest of the money!" So there you go, that money wasn't for us!

Then Heather felt as though she should gift a missionary couple who just moved back here after 10 1/2 years in Russia, so we did that. Then she planned to stock up on grains and stuff like that (cuz we're crunchy you know!) and then we still had some left over, THEN we decided to take a shortened version of the trip to Disney we had planned.

It felt good to get so much mileage out of that cash, especially since almost all of it was going to Disney before we did any of this. Yay God!!!

We've only got like 25 days of school, or something like that. People keep counting down. Not the students mind you, the teachers! I really hate that. I mean, I never really did that very much, but when I sold shoes I had an older co-worker who had been in retail for like 40 years and one night we closed together and as we were counting down the last couple of minutes before we figured we'd be released he said "It sucks counting your life away." Needless to say, I don't do that anymore. I'll count down to trips, but not endings. That's crappy. Bleh!

Now, we've got just a few more weeks of school and we've got drama all over the place. Apparently, it's all top secret so I can't tell you, or I'd have to, well, you know... Who knows what'll happen next year.

When were had resolved not to go to Disney I was thinking about getting a new mouthpiece. Even when I knew I had the money for it I couldn't resolve to get the stupid thing. What's up with that? I play a Selmer D (actually 2 of them, but you know that if you've been reading ;o) and I just couldn't bring myself to try something new. I no resolve and no peace about it. I even had an offer from a prominent mouthpiece maker to be one of his first customers of a new line he's making out this new space-age-like plastic rod that I thought would be cool, but I couldn't pull the trigger.

Well, in the meanwhile I hadn't played since the Thursday before Spring Break and I didn't play again until the Thursday after Spring Break, so that's two weeks. But, when I didn't crack the case, I sounded great! I even had a revelation on a note in the "Sopranissimo" (that's my term for notes that only I and a few other freaks play on Bass Clarinet.) I was actually shooting too high for a Double A. Dang people. I mean, now I'm in Lenny Pickett territory everyday (no joke, just watching the video below makes me want to practice that like right now) and I not even "trying" to get up there. I think this is one of those instances where I got behind the right mouthpiece at the right time.

I can hear all the dejectors. "EEEEWWWWWWWWW, factory cut mouthpieces are nasty and inconsistent." Um, yeah, but they're close enough and I don't think Selmer's going under anytime soon since they're owned by Steinway, who, in fact, is the largest instrument company on the planet. Plus, even if they did, there would be 4 gagillion mouthpieces on the market anyways and a million people willing to copy the ones I have. So there, haha you mouthpiece snobs.

Now, I'm not getting down on mouthpiece snobs. If you're a mouthpiece snob, I understand. I teach this unbelievable Clarinetist who's a junior in H.S. and plays on a Richard Hawkins. I don't think she's giving that puppy up, and I don't blame her. Besides, I'm a ligature snob. I have two vintage Harrison/Hurtz gold plated Bass Clarinet ligatures. You think I'm giving those things up? Yeah right! I'm even thinking of getting the Rico "H" Bari Sax version only because they bought the patent from Harrison's widow.

I also have a kid who is younger and just got a brand new Leblanc Rapsodie Clarinet. Very nice horn, it totally heavy like a tank, I love it. It's just like my basses, those babies are rock solid. He's loves that instrument, but it didn't instantly make him better. It's just gonna make it easier to do what I want him to do. No we see the problem.

I ain't never gonna buy nothin' that I feel like is going to "make me better" because I know better. Maybe I'll invest in some different ligatures or different reeds because they alter response, but I'm certainly not going out to get a new horn or whore myself out to a bunch of new mouthpieces. I can play doggone it! I don't need that stuff to make me better. I can handle a slight change in things here and there as an experiment, but I not expecting a miracle.

I keep thinking back to all the work I did in High School to get to where I am. I can't recreate that work with a new ligature, mouthpiece, or instrument. And that's why I couldn't commit to a mouthpiece. Everybody acts like their mouthpiece is going to instantly change the way you play. BALONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is NOT! Learn to how to play and you'll know how to play. The one thing that drives me the most crazy is when people who have professional "cred" act like a particular piece of equipment "allows" them to play things. It does not! Maybe the reason it "allows" you to do certain things is because the confluence of circumstances for YOU means that that piece of equipment "allows" you to play something you're actually not that good at. Heavens no, we wouldn't want to admit weakness would we?

I've been toying with Double A (as I said before) for 10 YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was in college when I stumbled on this note and now that I need it I've been getting back on it again. (It's happens 3 times in the Smith "Fantasia" and it's the last note and I refuse to play it down an octave.) As soon I got it to speak regularly yesterday I changed reeds, then, I changed mouthpieces and then I changed ligatures and I used the 2 reeds, 2 mouthpieces, and 2 ligatures I had in all combinations I could and kept playing the note to make sure it wasn't a fluke. That's how you know you've got it down. I even played it on a Rovner, by far my least responsive lig, and it still worked. Lenny would be proud.

We're getting warm

2009-03-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

I came of age in the land of the warm-up. In High School we would spend whole classes in the warm-up process. Hours upon hours were spent warming up the ensemble. Nothing could be more interesting, or boring, depending on your point of view.
Warming up is the ONLY thing you can do for yourself that is GUARANTEED to make you better. I can, and will, go on and on about what you can do to improve, but none of it is a guarantee, they're just really good ideas. This...this process that not enough people take enough time on is the one common thread that runs through all great wind players.
I'd said if you interviewed some band kids you'd find that most of them are quite bored by the warm-up process and find little value in it, they just know that their director insists on it. I was never one of those people.

Where I come from, the warm-up is the only thing we've got, kind of like when we tell our kids "You'd better be nice to your brother/sister because one day they're going to be the only thing you've got." If you don't have a warm-up, you don't got nothin'.

I can hear the arguments now "But, if you warm up all the time you won't have any time to rehearse!" On the contrary, Bass-Confucius say "If you warm up regularly your band will sound good enough to rehearse." "If you warm up all the time and then you can't get in a warm up at a crucial time then the band will suffer." Bass-Confucius say "If your band warms up constantly and you can't get in a warm up before a big show your band can walk off the bus and win the show (my Alma Mater has done and will continue to do this at least once a season.) "Oh my golly good gosh! I have to get married to a warm up routine as soon as possible or our band is going down the tubes!" Bass-Confucius say "If you get married to a warm up your band will become so inflexible that they won't be able to take a shorter warm up when it is warranted."
To me, these are big "DUH"s if you're a band director, but what if you are just practicing by yourself?

Today, I went up to school to teach a couple lessons. I brought out my short horn (in case you don't keep track, and you should ;o), it's a 1959 Leblanc 400) and didn't have a ton of warm-up time. I felt kind of hamstrung my whole lesson because I didn't get to warm-up AND I was playing a horn that I don't play everyday that I haven't tailored my reeds to. A good 30 minutes of warming up would have solved my problems.

I know, I know, you're thinking "Well, if I played the same horn everyday I wouldn't have those problems." Oh contrare' mon ami! If you play the same horn everyday and you HAVEN'T been doing this then you STILL need a lengthy warm-up. You basically have no idea what the instrument will do from minute to minute, but you are warming up regularly you will become more and more aware of what the instrument will do when you put air in it. Moreover, if you continue to do that and you, by chance, are playing a different instrument one day you won't need AS MUCH time to get acclimated. Even if you're playing a leaky horn you'll be able to isolate the leaks almost instantly as you warm up because the feel won't be right. You see, you can diagnose AND learn control at the same time.

I know, I know, now you're thinking "Yeah, that's cute, I can't play a leaky horn, it won't do anything." Ah, Bass-Confucius say "If you've been hammering your warm-ups, you'll get to the point where you can play anything in any condition in a serviceable way." Now, I'm not saying you'd go out and play a recital or an audition on a leaky or otherwise "broken" instrument, but you could get through a concert or marching band show or a practice session without it being a total wash. Let's say you can reasonably repair your instrument, now you know what's wrong. I've got that problem right now on my 400, and I'll get around to it, but I still have the 430!

Now, what if you don't have a leaky horn and everything's fine? Well, get to it!

What....

You don't know what to do. What kind of stuff you should be playing to warm-up. You're unsure if what you're doing is working, or going to work. I have a solution!

Warm-up the way you did in band. Don't get cute, just do things that work. An example:

(all in written pitch)

Long tones on the C, F, and G scales. No skimping, do them all and really work it.

Equality of tone is highly essential here. If you're not careful you could spend a massive amount of time realizing all the notes you have that are not equal in tone to the notes around them.

5 note segments in all major and minor keys (at a moderate tempo, play each one 3 times before stopping)
- You may slur
- or slur 2 tongue 2
- or tongue 2 slur 2
- or mix them up (play Slur 2 Tongue 2, then Tongue 2 Slur 2, Then tongue 1 Slur 2 Tongue 1 consecutively in one rep.)

You could very easily alter the articulated notes from legato, to staccato, to marcato, to a "swallowed" note that almost ends before it begins. You could get lost in this if you really wanted to.

Chromatic Scale (all slurred from E to C, no fancy pants extended range)

Remingtons (movement in half steps downwards from a tonic)
- I prefer starting on open G, that makes the pattern:
G, F#, G, F, G, E, G, Eb, G, D, G, Db, G, C
- Then change the tonic to C:
C, B, C, Bb, C, A, C, Ab, C, G, C, Gb, C, F, C, E, C, Eb

Playing the remington studies is the easiest way to hear if your pitch and tone are stable. It's also the best embouchure workout there is. Try not opening your mouth the breathe, but breathing through your corners and never really releasing your embouchure until you're done.

Now, I know this is simple stuff, but that's it. Some variation on this stuff will do. Just don't run off with some pretty warm-up, you'll get bored quickly, change is a good thing in these situations.

How long should it take? Well, if you're really working it you could go for a solid hour and not realize it. Seriously! This stuff is important!

You'll start to see a difference when you really start working this out. It's a maturation process that will net a wonderful long term result, but won't necessarily blow you away in the short term. You've got to be patient. I spent 3 years warming up like this constantly, another 4 playing 3 hours a day on my own and the last 9 holding to a warm-up of AT LEAST this level every time I play. No joke. Try it!

Stop-action tonguing

2009-03-10T18:09:00.000-07:00

So, I was in a lesson today and saw an interesting little article in my student's folder from a big-time Clarinet professor. They had all these articulation exercises written in and one in particular was intriguing...

There were 4 eighth notes each followed by an eighth rest. The instructions written were:

Do this for 5 minutes and move up one notch on the metronome each week, but the music was titled "stopped tonguing." I love this stuff!

So, one can only assume that "stopped tonguing" means stop the note with your tongue and then move on. Ok, I can get down with that. So, how do I do that?

I look at it this way. Tongue the note, release the tongue in order to sustain the note (yes, you are sustaining it, even if the note is mega-short) and then come back and stop the air with the tongue.

That means you're supposed to be doing 3 things to play one note, a note that might even be a half count long. That requires alot of control.

Control implies that you have to sound good, so, if you're having tonal issues (I mean, like you're just NOT HAPPY with your sound, then wait for this.) If you're cool, then control is pretty easy to obtain.

Definitely, just playing nice, easy, open notes with simple rhythms like 8th, 8th rest, 8th, 8th rest, etc... is a good idea. Definitely, set a certain amount of time you will venture to do this. You can do this in minutes (I'll do this for 5 minutes) or you could say "I'll do this for 24 bars." However, you can go two steps farther.

Step 1) Practice something with stopped notes. You could be practicing just about anything and, as a part of working something out, you just stop all the notes in that passage just to get in the groove of stopping notes.

Step2) Try it in an ensemble setting. If you're in a band or orchestra you could use this technique in musically appropriate places. Using the stopped tongue as a device to further separate (not shorten) notes is a great way to use the stopped tongue, cultivate it, and add ammunition to your articulation arsenal.

Stopped tonguing increases pressure in the back of your mouth, so it will feel funny but it's fun to do if you really get into it. Try it sometime!

Making Thine Ears Sensitive

2009-02-26T09:00:00.000-08:00

I remember, distinctly, being in rehearsal in HS and begin asked (as a part of the group) to sing something in our part. What? I don't sing! That's why I'm in band people! I didn't have any sort of relative pitch and I certainly didn't know how to carry a tune. How am I supposed to make my voice sing the notes you're asking for? Confusing!

Then I get to college and Theory and Sightsinging are taught in the same class period. No problem there. However, the class was slanted towards singers and piano players and there was no instruction in how to enact your voice. I have a really low voice and most people don't so I always found myself uncomfortably singing below other people (which I would not continue to do) or not being able to sing as high as required. Once again, it also didn't help that the class was slanted towards singers and piano players (it also didn't help that there was no actual teaching going on. No one started from the beginning and assumed we all knew nothing and then taught everything. It was more like having someone look down their nose at you every day because you didn't have the training they expected you to have so they wouldn't have to actually teach you anything.) To say the least, I was disheartened.

Then I was taking "Form and Analysis" (not really, they just called it that and the Organ Professor taught it really poorly) and I was struggling because there was no teaching going on and then we were singing stuff in harmony (which I can't do and wasn't taught to do) and was getting nowhere. Then....

I got into Drum Corps. The best part about that is that there are always recordings avialable, the shows are to the point, usually very well written, and easy to listen to over and over. I acquired a few Cd's and started listening. Then I discovered a few shows that I REALLY liked and felt compelled to sing along. I found that I could easily crack my voice and sing in falsetto quite easily (something multiple college professors, with Doctorates, were too lazy to do.) Then, I figured out that, after multiple listenings, I kind of had a pitch memory. Like, I could actually remember what was coming up next and sing it before the note started and be right! Yes!

Then I started thinking...Can I have perfect pitch on my instrument? Not actual perfect pitch, the kind you're born with, just perfect pitch on my instrument. How else do brass players know what note they're gonna play? How else would I know which note was which without seeing someone's fingers or reading the music they were playing? Good idea!

So, I started to just think notes before I played them. I "kind of" knew what everything sounded like, but not exactly, so I decided to start being much more specific with the level of sensitivity I had to pitch. Amazingly, it helped alot. Not only do I have a much better idea of how everything should sound on my primary instrument, but in playing anything, I have a much more acute awareness of how intervals sound and how harmonic progressions sound.

I never realized how close half-steps were until I started listening to how far apart I was playing some of them on certain parts of my instrument. Then I started listening to my private students and they were way off too! Then I have a flashback...

If you were taking lessons where I went to college you took a Fall and Spring jury with the entire wind and percussion faculty. I have no problem with this kind of stuff so I was never bothered by it, but I remember one instance in particular that I took a long time to figure out.

I was asked once "Do you feel like you're playing in tune with yourself?" I had no response for that at the time and no explanation was given. In fact, the subject never came up again. Granted, I did change mouthpieces that summer and that did bring my overall pitch up (I tend to play low, it's a consequence of my open embouchure) but I just didn't hear about it again.

So, I'm teaching someone a couple years ago and it hits me! Dang, all of these intervals are totally out of whack! You aren't playing in tune with yourself dude!

Now I can't stop saying it. It's everywhere! It's as if I can now see radio waves that were not visible before, like I've got X-ray vision. Craziness!

Anyways, how do you make yourself more sensitive to the changing of the tides? I don't know that there's a formula for gaining a more firm grasp on relative pitch, but I do know that there are things you can do...

- don't get discouraged
- if you're not a singer, become a shower singer (you know, like in the Golden Girls when Sophia realizes that Blanche's brother Clayton is gay "He's as a gay as a picnic basket!" "Ma, how did you know!?" "I heard him singing in the shower. He's the only man I ever knew who knew all the words to "Send in the Clowns." It won't be this revealing, but it will teach you about pitch memory.
- if you like singing with the radio, you're in business as this will also teach you alot about pitch memory.
- if you refuse to sing SOMETIMES you won't get any better at this stuff
- if you're ever in a rehearsal situation where you are guessing who's sharp and flat you're doing the right thing
- watch some American Idol and figure out how many of the singers are flat most of the time (hint - it's ALOT!)
- do a full intonation chart for your instrument
- try singing your parts to yourself, then check it against your own playing. You'll be amazed how "off" you are sometimes.

Try it out! Having a good ear is the best way to start moving around and changing instruments. If you have a good ear, picking up something new will be alot easier when you know what things are SUPPOSED to sound like.

Reflecting on Challenges

2009-02-25T18:31:00.000-08:00

Reflecting on my relatively short playing career (16 years of seriousness) I find that I'm constantly learning and never really mastering. I was in a class today and the Director made a good point to his kids "If you think you've mastered this part, you're wrong. Even professionals who make the big bucks [or don't] will be the first to admit that they are still learning." No kidding.

I know that I don't make the big bucks, but I'm a hardcore serious player. I've never really put a Clarinet down for longer than a couple months, and that is always necessitated by a lack of time. I remember being able to do things in 10th Grade that seemed simple in 11th Grade, and then again in 12th Grade. Every day from when I graduated from college to now I've improved a million percent. I'm growing, I know I must be, but it's so hard to tell sometimes.

If you have a bad reed day you feel like you're awful. The only thing you hear is a rough buzzing sound or the sound of swirling spit and you think "Ugggh, I suck!" I don't, but it's hard not to think that.

I would go to auditions in High School and College and think at every one "I SO hope that today's my day" like I wasn't prepared or something. I never thought for one second that I was "the man" or "the guru" (a title given to me by my assistant director.)

I was constantly tinkering with my playing back then, just like I am now. I know when I went off to college I sat down in my first lesson with my Clarinet prof. and he said "So, what do you really want that you don't have?" My response was technique, bottom line, I thought I had none. His response was "Ok." No, "Oh yeah, you really have horrible fingers, etc, etc, etc." Just "Ok"

We talked a little about the state of my playing and I referenced someone who went to my High School AND went to the same college who was like 5 years older than me. I said "I want to be as good as ___________." His response was "You're better than __________ when they graduated from college, right now."

Dang, that's nice. I sort of walked around thumping my chest for a couple days until I was confronted with all the little issues in my playing. Then I came back down to earth pretty quickly. Looking back on it, my teacher was doing the same thing. He's an incredible player, but as I see it now he was totally messing with his playing too. He had, as I feel I do now, a massive understanding of playing, literature, etc, but he wasn't satisfied. How do I know?

I remember hunting for literature and him just pulling things off the shelf. The time he came up with Hindemith's "Acht Stucke" and saying "Let's try this" was pretty interesting. It's a piece for unaccompanied Flute, I guess that says it all. It felt like a challenge "Can you learn this?" I bet it was also a personal challenge "Can I teach you this?"

I loved the challenge. I played many pieces like this and every one had the same caveat attached "Can you learn this?" I guess that's where I'm at now. Can I make this tweak to my sound? Can I slightly change my tooth position on the mouthpiece and make it stick? Can I start opening the first finger completely on Altissimo C# and D? Can I totally eliminate the "spit sound" even if my reed is horrible today or too soft today? Can I learn a tight french vibrato?

Every time I want to make a change it's always spurred by this thought "Man, I suck!" Now, I know I don't, but I can't help but feel that way sometimes. My Director in H.S. used to always advise everyone to keep around them papers and tests you got incredible grades on because sometimes you need to be reminded that you can do this, especially when you feel like you can't. I've got plenty of things like that around me as assurance, but I'm never going to get TOO into them, because if I do I'll get a big head about me.

I guess everyone's in this state of flux. Man, I rock. Man, I suck. Not in a Manic sort of way, it's just that sometimes you're doing great and sometimes you're not. I hope I'm always trending up, that's all. I get concerned that I might be going backwards. Sometimes, just like in life, you have no idea what to do to not be going down. Sometimes you have a pretty good idea what to do but you aren't sure how to enact your ideas, and it's hard not to get down on yourself because you don't know what to do.

It's so hard to fall back to this sometimes, since we're human and prone to stupidity:

Phillipians 4:13(NKJV) I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Part of the strengthening must be the quest for betterment, but it's still of Him who shows you the way. It's a delicate balance between striving and improving. It's so hard to find the place where you can say "This makes me better and I'm not acting like a raving lunatic to get there."