CALM
Principles of calm:
-Breathe – slowly and deeply
-Relax – go down to the accurate and necessary muscular tension
-Summon up – pay attention to the posture to remain "centered"
-Slow down – take the time to play each note: "Each note is long" as Samson
François said
To MEDITATE: There is a difference between calm and immobility, CALM is a
controlled force and IMMOBILITY is a forced control.
CONFIDENCE
I.
The average man seeks certainty in the eyes of the onlooker and calls
that self-confidence.
The warrior seeks impeccability in his own eyes and calls that
humbleness.
The average man is hooked to his fellow men, while the warrior is
hooked only to infinity. Self-confidence makes one be certain about
things; humbleness makes one not be wrong in his actions and feelings.
Castañeda.
Soldier Qin Shi Huangdi in Shaanxi (China)
Confidence in one's skills is built through a repeated and successful series of an
action.
Most people undergo the experience in the state of the not "able" mode. They don’t
give themselves the chance to work it out, instead they consider themselves
straightaway incompetent. In reality: Skills have to be acquired and built.
There are numerous of misunderstandings about confidence: Nonetheless the idea
that "I will never make it" is so ingrained within ourselves that we don't put it to the
test. We don't even try.
"You know, I am not apt for this! - But have you tried to? – Not really. I’m not good
enough! - But how do you know when you haven't tried?" In such circumstances one
can conclude that this negative conviction often comes from one's experience of
having been humiliated, degraded or even been called incompetent.
So be mindful: Confidence can also be threatened by the judgment of masters and
friends.
Confidence in one's own skills is a feeling that emerges from work and
reflection. Depending on his personal conviction; the whole being is
tested by reality.
II.
Four "types of confidence" can be defined:
- basic confidence: Corresponds to the "being" or the "I am".
- confidence in one's skills: It refers to the "doing" and to the "know how".
- confidence in one's desires, one's needs: The feeling, that leads to the ability of
choosing and taking an intimate and personal decision.
- social confidence, relational: The one making us feel good and have our place
among others.
According to one's past experience, good and bad, each of us develops a different
confidence potential in theses four categories.
Let’s say during a music lesson the teacher's words are very significant, regardless of
the way the pupil comprehends them; does not make it less important. This
development of being aware can also divert or likewise subvert the sense of the
teacher’s remarks.
The result is that words describe a problem of "know-how". Which is not serious in
itself since the aim of a lesson is to learn and allow to progress in this “know-how”.
Yet owing to the result of our self-conscious that reflects our own “being” can end up
hurtful. To illustrate it, if the intention of a teacher was to give a constructive
criticism and in return, regardless of the effort and well thought out words, one still
takes it to heart!
In all different aspects in life, be it a failure at an examination or even a simple lesson
that doesn't happen well, are right away magnified with the loss of self-confidence.
For instance: One can develop great skills: Become someone brilliant, etc.; and then,
there are times that at the least failure everything collapses in an incomprehensible
way. But Have no fear, this is normal, it happens at any age, one can momentarily
loose self-confidence. Let it not frighten us away from going forward. The main
problem is that we dramatize more our falls than to find a way to patch things up
again.
Isn’t it more convenient for most people to say that they lack self-confidence?
This is a perfect alibi to provide in order not to make any effort; to refuse to open up
to the world; to get involved; to withdraw from routines or especially not to confront
with one's own fears.
Have courage to participate, dare to build something and affirm your skills!
CREATIVITY
I
A. The creative state is a state in which one should create:
- The "domain": Open up, listen, observe, taste, learn, admire, exchange, get
amazed and gather every piece of information.
- The "person": Develop this sparkling state of creativity with a paradoxical mixture
of imaginativeness and discipline and of imagination and practical sense.
- The "criteria of judgment": Welcome all the ideas, sort them out with
objectivity and without any prejudice.
B. Five stages of the creative process can be observed:
- Immersion: preparation, documentation
- Incubation: let all the ideas come without any prejudice
- Evaluation: Feel if an idea needs to be developed
- Definition of the guiding line of the project
- Concrete development: Stage of the work and the perspiration where one should
remain alert to new ideas and intuitions, be flexible and open and remain vigilant
about the objectives
C. Here are a few crucial elements to be observed:
- The objective must always remain clear; it is necessary to assess every step and to
correct bad orientations.
- Find the balance between the difficulties of the company and your ability to carry it
through. In other words, not to restrain, at the same time, remain within the limits of
the possible; hence, the fear of failure will disappear.
- Make sure your project is a source of pleasure!
Quotations:
"Your task is not to foresee the future, but to enable it"
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
"You shall become the person you are. Do what only you can do".
Nietzsche
II.
Noosphere
The noosphere (a concept forged by the Russian savant Vladimir Vernadski: It is
the place in where all the thoughts are gathered as well as the consciences and the
ideas produced every moment by humankind; like a "thinking layer" that would wrap
the surface of the Earth, like the biosphere.
In Chance and necessity, in 1970, Jacques Monod puts forward the hypothesis that
ideas could have his own autonomy and be able, like organic beings, to reproduce and
multiply.
Richard Dawkins, in The selfish Gene (1976), brings up the concept of "ideosphere":
"When you plant a productive idea in my mind, you literally parasite my brain and
transform it into a vehicle for spreading the idea".
In a time of computers and Internet, an idea on a blog can spread faster in space and
time and join faster the noosphere to meet new ideas there.
EMBOUCHURE
There are two instruments that are worse than one clarinet: two
clarinets.
Caricature from Honoré Daumier
A good embouchure is based on the respect of the four following principles:
1. Position of the flat chin.
2. The embouchure is stable and doesn't move; in particular for the staccato and the
big intervals.
3. No air leaks.
4. The (basic) sound is straight.
EXAMINATION
I.
- “I never have stage fright”, confided a young actress to Sarah
Bernhardt.
- “Don't worry, it will come with time” Sarah Bernhardt promptly
answered.
Fright is a good thing if we can manage it well; it is a reserve of energy that can help
us give the best of ourselves.
Therefore, here are a few tips and advice before the due date:
A. the preparation:
- Set concrete and realistic objectives.
- Look after your diet and get enough rest.
- Get sufficient exercise and fresh air.
- Place yourself with good-natured people.
- Undertake on going to concerts and spectacles.
- See things with open-mindedness and humor.
B. the last minutes:
-control your breathing.
-be proud and happy to have made it after so much effort.
-be prepared that certain situations will be different compared to the rehearsals.
-concentrate on the basic technique.
-let the technique help you.
-before coming on stage: Remember that you will perform in a competitive
environment to refrain from being surprised.
- concentrate on the commencement and begin without hast.
...the audition:
-Remember the first lines before coming on stage.
-Come composed on stage; take your time; smile; say hello and get ready.
C. Pay attention to these 3 points:
-Vitality: Set yourself above average. Radiate a channeled and natural liveliness of
energy without a complex.
-Awareness of the stage: Position. Listening. Adapt your performance to the
acoustics of the room. Put yourself in relation to the ones who are listening to you by
playing for them.
-Control: Show resoluteness, self-discipline and a forceful personality. This is the
moment where all the work you did previously will fully express itself.
II.
If the craftsman is working with bad grounded tools, no matter how
talented he is, the result won't be satisfactory.
Drawing from Hoffnung
The examination approaches: Are your tools well grounded? Is your clarinet well
set? Did you choose your reeds carefully?
Beware that your body is also a tool so make sure you get a balance diet, sufficient
amount of exercise, enough sleep and plenty of fresh air.
INTERPRETATION
I.
Every music requires the alternation of phases of tension and thaw; that
is inherent to it from the melodic, dynamic and formal point of view.
Drawing from Hoffnung
The expression: From a musical point of view, it is the enhancer of the feelings that
articulate around melody, rhythm and harmony.
It consists in translating the feelings and impressions with the help of certain specific
modifications of these 3 aspects of the musical discourse:
-dynamic: expressive process of the melody (nuances, articulations and emphasis:
progressive strengthening, extenuation, increase or decrease of the sound...)
-agogic (from the Greek agogos, "that leads", hence the notion of "direction of the
phrase"): expressive process of the rhythm (haste, slowdown, regular or irregular
breaks, tension/thaw, calm/agitation)
-modulation: expressive process of the harmony (clarity/darkness that leads to a
work on the color and the texture of the sound)
The way 2 phrases follow on is called tuilage (tile phenomenon).
The expression curve consists of the tension (arsis, élan) and the thaw (thesis, fall),
that is to say anacrusis, metacrusis and ending.
The apex of intensity is called "climax" or acme.
For each phrase you must define the phrasing, the nuances and the quality of
the articulation and of the sound.
To paraphrase Boileau one must remember that what is conceived well is
enunciated clearly, and the notes to say it come easily.
When you play, be eloquent so that music is alive, contrasting, expressive and
listened to as such!
II.
The sense of detail...
Here is a little something I learned after my journey to China.
Chinese clarinetists had to practice at the two Superior Music Schools in Beijing,
particularly at the Central Conservatory and at the China Conservatory.
For fun I tried to say a few polite and useful words in Chinese for asking them to play
again or to support, and so on.
One of the difficulties in the Chinese language is the mastery of the 4 tones.
The 4 tones are a very subtle variation of the intonation: The 1st tone is straight and
even; the 2nd is going up; the 3d is going down and then going up; and the 4th tone is
going down.
Long Gallery (728 meters)-Summer Palace
The same word, depending on the tone, for instance "tchi", will mean "seven" ,
"raise" .
To ask a pupil to "support" I only need to say "tchi" with the 4th tone (which means
energy and breathe at the same time).
If it is pronounced incorrectly, we might come to a misunderstanding; if not
unintelligible!
Music is also a language.
Beyond notes and rhythm, there are subtle details that influence the musical
discourse.
In this excerpt from the 2nd piece from Stravinsky for clarinet only (Chester Music),
there are a couple of subtleties to consider:
- certain "small notes" are "out of" the bind whereas others are "included".
Get the difference heard or not heard alters noticeably the musical discourse.
- Stravinsky minded to write down the position of the breathings (and explicitly
demanded to respect it).
To do what is recommended means to respect the composer's thoughts and make the
construction and the punctuation of the phrases understandable.
- the "F" before the breathing has a precise rhythmic value.
Playing the longest note with disregard (as I often hear it) changes the music.
- there is an "F" with a period and a "G" with a chevron.
Your execution will be enhanced if you respect this difference.
Here is another example from Pierre Boulez's "Domaines" (Universal Edition):
Beyond the choice of nuances (which makes up one of the variable parts of the piece),
this passage is a real study on the modes of attack: chevron under bind, period,
period under bind, period under line, line under bind, bind.
From the 20th century, the grading becomes particularly precise.
Here is an extract from Debussy's "First Rhapsody".
I invite you to examine these few lines and to be on the lookout for the (numerous)
details, especially the nuances and articulations. There is a lot to do in these few bars.
In consequence, exactly as written, the quality to play will be objective to "give to
listen".
You will see how the refinement of the detail will induce the musical precision!
If you sometimes feel musically powerless, the simple act of playing all the details of a
piece of music is already a very rich source!
It is also the best way not to betray the composer's thought!
We often say that the devil is in the details...
Look at this picture carefully (it is a picture of the West portal of Notre-Dame-de-
Paris) which represents Adam and Eve.
Adam is the one with the beard. Eve is on the right bottom corner; she is biting into
an apple while an angel is watching...
And don't miss the detail here...
the angel puts his hand on the apple tree: Here is how the angel becomes the demon!
As I said, the devil is always in the details!
INTONATION
Small acoustic synopsis:
Because of its axial canal (cylinder-shaped on about 2/3 of its length) the clarinet
follows the physical rules of the cylinder-shaped tubes closed at one end. The
special feature of this kind of resonator is to exclusively provide odd harmonics;
which produces the "quintoiement" (quintoyer) of the clarinet (this is why we have
a clef of twelve and no octave clef).
The acoustic ideal would be when the blowtorch's quintoiement gives the same
accuracy to the corresponding notes of the clarion. Unfortunately, the acoustic
principle of the clarinet makes the registers of the clarion and the high
have a different sound than the blowtorch.
From the manufacturer's point of view, the accuracy of a clarinet is a
matter of compromise: e.g. the low G produces a twelfth (the D) too high.
Therefore, we have to lower the low G to limit the height of the D; On the opposite
effect in a perfectly in tune "D", it will force us to have a low G that will be too low...
that's why we have to find a compromise.
From the instrumentalist's point of view, the first thing is to know the
acoustic principles and their consequences; and then to accept them! We
can then search and imagine the necessary compensations in order to play in tune.
The first step is to know the precision of the tune of your instrument.
We start in "B" (3d line), then we slowly go up a chromatic scale and observe what
happens with the tuner without changing anything. Soon afterwards the same thing,
we start in "B" but we go down the scale.
According to these observations, you now have to find the best compromise with
regards to a chosen diapason (generally 442 Hz).
Pulling at the drum and between the two bodies we have to bring a maximum of
notes closer to the right intonation; knowing of course that "pulling" extends
the tube and thus lowers the intonation:
- Pulling at the drum influences the notes of both hands, especially the
left hand
- Pulling at the centre influences the right hand
Pulling at the level of the mouthpiece is not recommended (but possible) and pulling
at the pavilion is also possible. Nevertheless, it has a limited influence.
The idea is to find the right "length" of a clarinet One that will have a favorable
result for the notes of the left hand and of the right hand. Once you have found this
optimal length, you can then stabilize this "length" with "rings".
However, bear in mind that the external temperatures can alter the regular markers;
that the pianos will not always be at 442 Hz or the force of the reed: A difference of
6° C increases the sound of one coma. In theory, between 15°C and 35°C, there
is a gap of a 1/3 tone! Take in consideration that adjustments will have to be made!
Once you "configured" the clarinet at its best, there are still gaps (as in the past
example; the low G couldn't be reasonably lowered; our "D" will always tend to be too
high). First, you have to know the tendency of each note of your clarinet (with
the help of your tuner) to try t to compensate with:
-the pressure of the lips: Tighten them will increase the intonation, loosen them
will lower it.
-the correcting fingerings: It will allow you to correct the intonation and
sometimes the quality of the sound. As for an example the medium, is the axial canal
is in theory "too big with a very short length"; with the result that the tone is poor in
harmonics The correcting fingerings will give life back to these notes while
correcting the intonation.
Remember that the nuance influences the intonation: playing piano tends to
increase it and playing loud tends to decrease it. Please note that other instruments,
such as the flute, behave conversely. In case of unison, you will have to take this fact
into account. Moreover, the principle of the odd harmonics (only the clarinet has this
peculiarity) produces a particular tone that can make this unison more delicate...
In playing a melodic scale, as in Stravinsky's 1st piece for example, the intonation
quality of the intervals, qualified as "right" (that is to say the quarts, the fifths and the
octaves) is particularly sensitive. The tone and the half tone also deserve a particular
attention. Even if the tuner is a precious and objective marker, the most
important thing remains to listen to oneself!
If you listen to yourself and use the tuner as an indicator, your ear and mouthpiece
will develop the "reflex" of the precision.
We can also remember that the "harmonic" precision obeys its own laws: a chord
of seventh of dominant, such as C/E/G/B flat; played by a wind quintet with each
note perfectly precise for the tuner, will sound wrong!
In order to sound right, the tonic and the fifth (the C and the G) will have to be
perfectly precise, whereas the major third (the E) will have to be played low; the
seventh (the B flat) will have to be played very low!
You can experience this in "grading" the chord progressively: first the fundamental,
then the fifth. All the instruments that double these notes add themselves.
At this moment, if the precision is right, the harmonics coming from the chord
"go out", of which the third and the seventh. As follows, those who have to play
these notes must adjust and adapt to these harmonics so that the chord sounds right.
As a result:
- the major third must be played low
- the minor third must be played high
- the seventh of dominant must be played very low
The mastery of the clarinet is a construction: All these small recommendations are
only valid if the rules of the mouthpiece are well regarded (article from June 8th,
2009).
Of course, it is preferable for the instrumentalist to play with sobriety!
Drawing from Hergé
PEDAGOGY
I. Mistakes are salutary...for them who correct them! (What the Shadoks certainly
do not do, since they are too busy being stubborn in their stupidity...).
The Shadoks, according to Jacques Rouxel.
Shadok's principle: It is only by trying continuously that we succeed; so the more it
fails, the more chances we have that it works.
Therefore, the teacher must belong to these "unreasonable" persons who see
opportunities where others only see obstacles.
As for the pupil, he must keep in mind that in a way, there are no mistakes and no
coincidences. All the events that happen during a working session are as many
opportunities that are given to us to learn.
As a matter of fact, it is mostly through correction of our mistakes that we build
experience (this much talked-about lantern we carry on our back and which only
throws light on the road we've travelled!).
At the end of the day, we are always sure that we’ll succeed when we allow ourselves
to make mistake with impunity!
II. Concerning the air pressure
The mason is the master of the hammer and still... It is the hammer that has the
advantage upon the mason because the tool exactly knows how to be handled,
whereas the one handling it doesn't really know how to handle it.
The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, Milan Kundera.
Caricature from Honoré Daumier.
Let's try to understand what our clarinet "tells" us.
As a matter of fact, the clarinet must not submit to our will (it is "inflexible" by
nature) but we have to try and play her with intelligence with her; that is to say in the
sense in which it "wishes" to be played.
The clarinet knows exactly how it should be played, we only know it
more or less...
so we follow its teaching!
For this we have to LISTEN.
So we must first develop the two "qualities of listening":
- the external listening - that of the sound
- the internal listening - the feelings; the emotional sensation.
Here is a concrete application (rather meant to the "advanced" clarinetists).
I can identify 3 types of intervals:
- type 1: the "simple" intervals (I maintain… I change the note... and it works)
- type 2: the "impossible" intervals (I support… I change the note... and it doesn't
work)
- type 3: the "tricky" intervals (I support… I change the note... it's ok, but the legato is
not good and we can feel a "constraint", a "blocking" in the air outflow).
To make the type 1 interval: You only need to support (maintain the air pressure).
To make the type 2 interval: You must imperatively cut the air to get the second
note; we sometimes talk about "air depression".
To make the type 3 interval: It is the same principle in which the interval is
"bargained" with the help of an air depression. It will be successful if the external
listening confirms a qualitative legato while the internal listening validates the fact
that there was no "forced passing".
This mainly concerns the big intervals (especially the descending ones) and those
with changes of registers.
During the learning period, the pupil must first learn to support (it is an essential
step of the work; it is a kind of "first layer"). Later he will need to improve his playing
(that will be the "second layer" of the work), by learning to use these air
depressions while supporting.
The paradox here is that there is a discrepancy between what we do (cut the air) and
what we hear (a perfectly smooth and linked interval)!
Have fun in discovering the subtle relations between what you feel and what you
hear.
Try to be in harmony with your instrument without ever forcing or constraining it.
...that's exactly what the clarinet "wants"!
III.
Cyrano, the weather forecast and the Eiffel Tower...
At the top of the Eiffel Tower (3d level): clear and sunny weather, very good visibility,
360° perspective at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower: foggy weather, very reduced
visibility.
In the Ancient Greece, etymologically, the pedagogue ("agog": the one who leads /
"pais": the children) is the one who used to lead the children on the way to school.
Nowadays, the teacher-pedagogue is the one who "accompanies the children on the
way to knowledge".
Let's go back to the Eiffel Tower, a metaphor of this way towards knowledge, towards
the top of the tower, where things are clear.
The pupil hardly sees anything, from the bottom to the top of the tower. From the 1st
to the 2nd level, it's not better, doubt, tiredness and discouragement emerge...
But still, it is the right way!
At this stage of the metaphor, Cyrano could say:
"Ha! No ! That's a bit short, young man!
We could say... Oh! My God! ... a lot of things.
With a different tone for example:
doctrinal (from Saint-Augustine):
"It is better to follow one's way limping than the wrong way with a firm
step".
Wise, (Japanese proverb):
"Even a thousand-mile way begins with a step".
Warlike (Zulu proverb):
"If you move forward, you die; if you move back, you die... so why move
back?"
provocative, like a Parisian kid, (from Jacques Audiard):
"A seated intellectual doesn't go as far as a walking idiot".
"British", (like a popular song):
"But long is the road, hard is the way, heavy my load, but deep is my faith,
long is the road "
practical, (Chinese proverb):
"To know the way, ask the one coming from it".
philosophical, (according to Robespierre)
"The one who doesn't know where he's going arrives somewhere else".
And above all, we shall not forget that with a staircase made to climb up, we often
manage to climb lower than when we would have walked down with a staircase made
for climbing down... and inversely!
Case made!
IV.
Why putting on the seven-league boots if we don't know where to go?
A pupil is playing. Some notes in the medium are too high (the famous "breast
notes"). The pupil is playing wrong but he ignores it. We define this act as: The
unconsciously incompetent.
The teacher asked him to listen to himself. The pupil becomes aware of the difficulty
in his pitch. However, he is unable to solve it. We define this act as The consciously
incompetent.
The teacher gives him concrete keys (correct the fingerings, listen to the intervals
work with the tuner, etc...). Now the pupil can correct the intonation. We define this
act as The consciously competent. A big step has been made. However, this requires a
steady attention every time he plays these notes.
At this stage, the pupil plays correctly but the required attention doesn't allow him to
have the necessary detachment and it occupies a great part of his concentration.
The next stage of the pupil's learning consists in becoming unconsciously competent:
It consists in going into depth by making time be part of the work. What required a
steady attention will be integrated in depth and almost become a reflex, a "second
nature", an almost permanent "sleeplessness state", unconscious to intonation.
If you followed the process, you will have noticed that the role of the teacher is mainly
to help the pupil reaching the stage of being "consciously competent".
Then, except stimulating the pupil with "booster doses", the role of the teacher
becomes minor: the pupil has to fulfill his responsibilities.
To make myself clear, I know that calm is decisive, and my objective is therefore to
master calm at the time of the next examination. In theory I know the means (see the
article about the calm on the blog).
But in practical terms, what have I done today in this direction?
Have I paid attention to the quality of my breathing? To the muscular tensions? What
about my anchoring on the ground? Have I thought about all the notes of the line?
Is it clear in my mind that I will have to start again tomorrow and the days after?
I know that intonation is a fundamental parameter of my playing. I read articles on
the blog which is related to that subject, but have I put the assigned exercises into
practice? Is it coherent that I haven't organized myself yet to obtain the rings? Or to
change the battery of my tuner?
Define your personal objectives and their deadlines, and use every concrete and
necessary means to achieve them! Day after day!
Dear pupils, your turn!
SCALES AND ARPEGGIOS
I
The diatonic scales must be played in a clear and precise frame; that is to say with a
"floor" (the lowest note on the scale) and a "ceiling" (highest-pitched note on the
scale, in the chosen limit).
We start with the keynote and we go up to the ceiling (I generally recommend the
"A" or the high "B flat" as a ceiling, as given in the examples above) and then down to
the floor and finally we go back to the keynote.
The floor and the ceiling can be modified to vary the work. To offer as an example we
can choose the "top C" or the "top C sharp" as a ceiling (to choose only when the
scales with the B flat as ceiling are perfectly assimilated:
The keynotes will be long which allows us to verify the support of the air; the
sound must be perfectly straight as well as the intonation. The ear listens and
corrects and it can be accompanied by the tuner.
The scale is played by respecting the 4 fundamental rules of the mouthpiece and of
the calm (see "calm").
The regularity and the precision of the fingers can be improved by the "linked 2 by
2" articulation.
Practice these scales without any piece of music; it will be an effective practice for
your ear!
Reminder: The clarinet is by far not a perfectly homogeneous instrument; the low
medium doesn't tend to sound much whereas the high one tends to burst. Thusly, you
should play lower and lighten the high tones (inner feeling) and listen and verify that
the whole sound is at the same sound level (inner listening).
It will only takes 3 minutes to play the group of major diatonic scales once you have
learned them!
Same thing for the minor scales, which means at the whole it will take only 10
minutes! (including a small margin to falter a bit...)
Ten minutes to review the full tessitura of the clarinet... why deprive yourself?
Therefore, these scales that are prima facie off-putting will quickly become a real
pleasure!
II.
To practice the arpeggios...
Here is a method to practice the scales of the seventh of dominant:
We start on the chord of E7 in broken arpeggios (see below), the we go up to the
ceiling (that will have been defined). An example: if we chose the high B flat as the
ceiling, we then go up to the highest note of the arpeggio without going beyond this
ceiling. In this event the G sharp for the arpeggio of E7; then we go back down to the
floor (that is to say the lowest note of the arpeggio).
We go on with the next scale in the cycle of the fifths: E7, A7, D7, G7, C7...,
beginning the arpeggio of the floor, which gives:
Here are the beginnings of the 12 arpeggios of the seventh of dominant:
To sum up: You simply need to go up each of these arpeggios to the ceiling then go
down to the floor and with that perform a series of them.
Once you've learned them it will only take 6 minutes to play one after
another!
Just for a pleasant change, you can modify the ceiling (for the "black belt" version,
choose the top C sharp) or modify the floor: Start from the high E (4th line space)
since the floor allows you to only focus on the high and the very high... which is not
an easy task!
STACCATO
The staccato is executed with the tip of the tongue on the tip of the reed and
pronouncing "tu".
It seems easy and obvious, but a lot of people don't really execute this move...
The problems of the détaché are mostly due to a bad position in where the tongue
works too far from its tip and/or too far from the tip of the reed.
A bad position on the reed will produce a puffy "articulation consonant". A good
position of the tongue will produce a clear and precise détaché.
Try first to observe how you do the staccato. If needed, close your eyes and feel
precisely the place of the tongue on the reed for each note of the following exercise:
If this "assessment" gives rise to a bad position, change it.
The support of the air is essential. In this exercise, the quarter notes (crotchets)
must be played with a straight sound and without cutting or reducing before the
sixteenth notes (semiquavers).
To make sure of the support of the air, it is always best to first play legato before
playing it staccato, taking care of blowing the same way, along with the work of the
tongue.
The first step of the work is qualitative. Respect "consciously" all the criteria
mentioned above (position of the tongue on the reed, support of the air,
quality of the articulation) as well as the 4 fundamental rules of the
mouthpiece and the calm of course.
Listen and correct yourself. The high-pitched tessitura is merciless but revealing:
- Is the staccato hard? Lighten the pressure of the tongue.
- Is the staccato not opposite (the note arrives "from underneath")? Correct the
embouchure (it should not move).
During the exercise you should observe the 3 pressures of the mouth:
- pressure of the air
- pressure of the lip on the reed
- pressure of the tongue on the reed (more or less hard, in relation with the
articulation you are looking for: louré, perlé, incisive, light...)
Listen. Observe. Feel, then explore... and finally correct!
The next step will be the search for speed. With the metronome, increase the speed
progressively, without going beyond your abilities: Let time work for you! Start
everyday with a slow tempo and increase it progressively.
The icing on the cake: the last "mi" of the exercise must be long and reduced... small
exercise of "filé sound" on a delicate note... it's always good for the taking!
Drawing from Hoffnung
NB: If you play the exercise with a slow tempo, then you will have to adopt another
type of staccato: the "rounded staccato" (which sounds like "pam"), is for example
the one to adopt for the scherzando pattern around the figure "/" of Debussy's
Rhapsody).
In this situation the stomach works more than the tongue in order to blow each note
and create a resonance and come closer to a pizzicato.
No need to hammer at the détaché for hours... 10 minutes minimum. Daily, definitely
beneficial!
Once you assimilated this exercise do the same work on a passage of the repertoire
(e.g. in Nielsen's concerto in "A Midsummer Night's Dream", etc...).
It is not easy to talk about the détaché in a general way... but this advice might help
you improve.
Now it’s your turn!
STRAVINSKY
In a general way STRAVINSKY clearly distinguishes the "interpretation" and the
"execution".
Only the composer can be the authorized performer of his music. The executants
must submit to his will and to the author's models.
The executant's value is to see what really is in the piece of music and not "his
stubborn need to be in it."
He reckons that the best performer is an infallible executant before everything,
with the technical mastery, a sense for tradition and an "aristocratic
culture".
The respect of the tempo is the main problem: "One of my pieces can outlast almost
everything except a wrong or vague tempo".
He demands that we play his music secco, non vibrato, senza espressivo, "only
made of bones".
Stravinsky, by Hoffnung
TALE
I.
Don't demand that things happen as you wish, but wish that they
happen as they do happen, and you will go on well. Epictetus.
Here a Zen tale:
A farmer once received a white horse as a gift for his son. His neighbor came to him
and said: "You are very lucky. I would never get such a nice present!"
The farmer answered: "I don't know if this is a good or a bad thing".
Later, the farmer's son wanted to ride the horse but it kicked and threw him to the
ground. The farmer's son had broken his leg; "How horrible!" said the neighbor. "You
were right to say that it could be a bad thing. The person who gave you this horse
certainly wanted to harm you deliberately. Now, your son is crippled for life."
This didn't seem to bother the farmer. He said: "I don't know if this is a good or a bad
thing".
Later, the war broke out and all the young men were mobilized except the farmer's
son with his broken leg. The neighbor came back and said: "your son will be the only
person in the village who doesn't go to war. He certainly is very lucky."
The farmer replied: "I don't know if it is a good or a bad thing."
If you understand, things are the way they are; If you don't understand,
things are the way they are.
II.
Trace your path!
Drawing from Picasso
An African folktale
A child asks his father:
- Dad, what is the secret to happiness?
The father asked his son to follow him. They leave the house and the father rides on
an old donkey whilst the son follows them on foot. They hear the people in the village
say:
- What a bad father, he obligates his son to go on foot!
- Did you hear them my son? Let's go home, says the father.
The day after, they go out again. This time, the son is riding the donkey and his father
is walking nearby him. The people in the village then remark:
- What a bad son, he doesn't respect his old father and lets him walk!
- Did you hear them my son? Let's go home.
The day after, they leave home and both ride the donkey. The villagers comment:
- They don't respect their donkey and overweight it!
- Did you hear them my son? Let's go home.
The day after, they go out carrying their belongings on their back, followed by the
donkey. Once again, the villagers found fault with it:
- Now they carry their belongings themselves! It's an upside-down world!
- Did you hear that my son? Let's go home.
Once they arrived at home, the father said to his son:
- You asked me about the secret to happiness.
Whatever you do, there will always be someone to find fault with it; Do
what you like to do and you will be happy.
WORK
I.
Be a good craftsman; it won't stop you from being a genius. Renoir
Drawing from Serre
Here are some advice to work on the regularity of the fingers:
Everyone is aware of the benefit of a "line" with rhythms.
This technique aims at alternating long notes and short notes, in an order that
changes according to the chosen rhythm.
Be careful, this exercise is only interesting with a CONTROLLED BEAT!
Remember: Working wrong means learning mistakes!... so it is worse than not
working at all.
For these "repetitive" exercises it is particularly important to work with a conscious
and inventive listening. Use the occasion to:
- vary your working times. Use the metronome.
- explore the different internal supports of the line that each new rhythm reveals;
they are technical or musical (we will particularly remember those that fulfill both
aspects at the same time: they will give you security and musical sensitivity).
- work on your tone: Pay attention to the "long" note and practice the support: Each
long sound must respect the fundamental rules of the mouthpiece (see article from
June 7th, 2009): The sound must be straight (like for the organ), the mouthpiece
must not move and there are no air leaks (I take into account that you already have a
good position of the chin, haven't you?).
- Respect the nuances and the phrasing and learn to work excessively until you feel
it fully. Use the occasion to try other phrasings and other nuances, and remember the
natural ones, the easiest ones and the most effective ones: Do not adopt the Shadok's
principle: "Why do simple when one can do complicated"!
- Pay attention to the intonation: Listen and correct the "long" notes in particular;
the tuner can accompany the ear.
- Work on the calm: Apply the principles stated in the article "calm, calm" from June
4th, 2009.
You can also practice the regularity with the articulation "two in two" (linked 2 by
2); this articulation must be played steady (almost legato).
The purpose relies in the fact that the fingers must synchronize with the tongue
(which normally beats with regularity). The correction of what is not right (due to the
desynchronization between fingers and tongue) improves the regularity of the fingers.
We can say that this exercise invites us to articulate our fingers in a fine and
comprehensive way.
Do not forget to work with the tools you have: the metronome and the tuner!
II
O time, suspend your flight! And you, happy hours, suspend your race!
To work with one's instrument several hours a day requires a good organization. Here
are a few principles that will help you think about your working time:
- Murphy's Law: We underestimate the time we need to complete a task,
which leads to chase time. Make a working schedule; Think ahead. Make steady
assessments and estimate the way progress made towards your objectives. When we
can't achieve our objectives, we shall no feel guilty and not break down, but revise
them.
- Parkinson's Law: Work expands so as to fill the time available for its
completion. Plan your daily work. Define your schedule (beginning, ends and
breaks). Regard your schedule.
- Fraisse's Law: Time is subjective. This law states that for each
individual, time seems to flow faster according to the level of interest in
an ongoing task. The more interesting a task is, the more it seems brief.
The time of a waiting is always longer. Define the content of your work. Be
creative so that your day is interesting and you enjoy working.
- Illich´s Law: After a certain number of working hours, time productivity
decreases and even becomes negative. From this level on, being stubborn
will cause saturation. Define your threshold of daily and weekly workload that is
beyond which you become unproductive. Learn and listen to the messages of your
body, such as signs of tiredness. Also learn to stop and stand back and take time for
yourself and be aware of your physical and mental limits will make you more
productive!