Find Your Ultimate Clarinet Sound, Part I
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- Опубліковано 15 чер 2024
- Looking for your ultimate, most beautiful clarinet sound? You're in the right place. In this video, we'll discuss tips and suggestions to find your best clarinet sound. #clarinet #clarinetist
![[Back to Basics] Fix the Fuzzy, Airy Clarinet Sound](/img/n.gif)
Bonade’s assessment of the clarinet does not sound refined up close but does in the hall is so true. Many times my perception of my sound in my personal space is not good, very dull and small, but when I hear the concert recording it sounds pretty darn good from the hall. It’s hard to train yourself but as you suggested playing in larger rooms or rooms that have a little bit of reverberation can be a good reassurance if you don’t have a second set of ears (bathroom works well 😅). And recording yourself is critical in many aspects, but just tonal quality.
Wow! I am 81 years old began playing clarinet through junior high and high school only. Since that time have picked it up intermittently and I’m now teaching my granddaughter how to play beginners clarinet. And all that time I don’t remember clarinet tone described as “colors.” I wish you would define what you mean by “dark“ or “bright“. I kinda know, but it would be good to have a definition. Do you have an earlier video where you have defined those terms?
I am a professional drummer and honestly this is great advice for every instrument.
-Develop taste before putting in the hours
-Dont just go along with the hegemonic idea of what ¨correct¨ is
-Make sure your sound is flexible enough to always be applicable
-Respect your teachers
Thanks! Thanks for watching!
I love this take on things. One of my biggest concerns is my students avoiding "bright" sounds - the words of Brad Behn (and he might have been quoting someone!) ring in my ears: "If you went to a museum to see all the art works, would you want it to be dark, or bright?" Great video - thank you!
Thank YOU! Thanks for watching!
@@john.kurokawaYou make perfect sense
@@john.kurokawa My BFF says the same thing and she's been playing the clarinet since she was 3
Hello, your videos popped up in my recommendations and they are very helpful and informative. When watching the video I realized I knew you from somewhere. I went to the 2023 Wright State honor band as it was the first honor band I ever went to and it was a really good experience. I’m hoping to get picked again for the 2024 honor band because it was nice to be around such talented musicians.
Great to hear! I’ll make a note of it.
I enjoy the format you’ve chosen for your videos recently, I think that’s what helped promote them to my feed in the past week. I’ve also been curious to see how long it would take for clarinets to pick up on the education angle that some great saxophonists and other instrumentalists have taken for making videos on this platform, and I like that you’ve gone in that direction instead of making the same kinda videos every other clarinetist has already made on here. Now I just need to properly organize my schedule, carve out some time, and make some myself…
I’ll refrain from going on a mouthpiece diatribe for now, except to say that I do think it’s true that many mass production pieces on the market are the realization of a design philosophy that is too 1-dimensional, completely boxing in a player to nothing beyond a “dark” sound, effectively flattening and deadening the possibility of tonal options and versatility on those pieces. Would love to see some discussion about baffles in clarinet mouthpieces in the future, don’t know of but a couple people who have been talking about such things seriously.
That being said, I like your/Dale’s use of tonal depth as a description for what players look for in a clarinet sound. I think an understanding of how we use and focus air is what then leads to tonal depth - the presence of many overtones and how our voicing shapes them. Years ago in my undergrad, when I didn’t know how to focus my air and all I wanted was a “dark” sound, I ended up producing a spread and flat sound on dull mouthpieces without enough flexibility.
Now, I have a standard piece that is both comfortable and flexible, and I have two fundamental approaches to voicing that produce tonal focus and depth - the standard German/French common practice “Classical” voicing passed down through our teachers and institutions, and a more “vocal” approach that is just as well suited in Classical as it is in Jazz. Not sure if the latter taught in any Russian or Italian schools, but I’ve for sure heard some Russian and plenty of Jazz players/saxophonists use this approach to great effect.
Some soprano clarinetists on my current Spotify rotation are John De Lucia, David Orlowsky, Francois Houle, Andreas Ottenstamer, Robert Spring, James Danderfer, Buddy DeFranco, Todd Marcus, Alex Simu, Alexi Gorokholinsky. Some great folkstyle players are Helmut Eisel, Ivo Papazov, Husnu Senlendirci, Andy Statman, Petrouloukas Chalkias. You’d also like Gorge Montilla, he’s done some great work on Eb soprano.
Hope I didn’t write too much! It’s just nice to see more clarinetists around here :)
Not at all! I enjoy the conversation. I love a lot of the clarinetists on your list. I still remember hearing Buddy DeFranco live at the Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium back in the day. Life changing!
I wish I could use a more vocal voicing, it feels so different with amazing freedom of the wind, but I’m not quite comfortable with the mouthpieces/reeds that requires. Maybe that would be a fun summer project? 🤔
Thanks for watching!!!!
the best videos ever! i like all your music concepts!! great video!
Thanks for the kind words and thanks for watching!
In the next part of this, can you suggest a few good mouthpieces for your "Focus and Depth" sound? btw i love your videos
Sure thing! A mouthpiece video is coming!
Juggling harmonics, Changing tone colour is often about relaxing on sax. Different embouchure, same concept. Great video
Thanks!!! Thank you for watching!
Jack Brymer
Thank you
He was brilliant, no doubt! Thanks for watching!
Gracias por el video ❤
Hi Professor...how do you approach circular breathing ?
I don’t circular breathe- if I ever learn I’ll tell you! Thanks for watching!
Could we get a link to that playlist?
That list contains a lot of recordings that are not on the streaming services, however... they are available if you look for them. Currently:
Burt Hara- Solo from Glazunov's 'The Seasons'
Robert Marcellus- live performance of the Ginastera Variations
Jim Pyne- live performance of the Spohr Songs
Eli Eban- Concerto in D by Pergolesi
Donald Montanaro- Pregheria Prayer
Louis DeSantis- Through the Looking Glass
@@john.kurokawa thank you! I picked up clarinet again after a 10+ year hiatus. I really want to redevelop my tone.
What are your top three favourites for your clarinet inspiration playlist?
It changes on a regular basis. Right now:
1. Live performance of the Ginastera (THAT Ginastera) with Robert Marcellus
2. Pergolesi Concerto (arranged by my friend Steve Becraft) with Eli Eban
3. Florence Jenkins- Adoration with Afendi Yusuf
It’s a long playlist and I change it up frequently. What are on yours?
@@john.kurokawa I don't really have one tbh, been trying to build one recently.