Instant help for Playing and Teaching The Clarinet A fast-find reference, self-help book for clarinet students and teachers by Leslie Craven A.R.C.M. hons. PRINCIPAL CLARINETTIST ORCHESTRA OF WELSH NATIONAL OPERA www.lesliecraven.co.uk 1 Instant Help for Playing and Teaching the Clarinet by Leslie Craven Foreword The intention of this book is to help students of clarinet and in particular, trainee teachers. In today’s economic climate many unitary authorities prefer to employ musicians who are multi-instrumentalists, engaged to teach many woodwind instruments, hence not all peripatetic teachers of clarinet are “first study” clarinettists. This can lead to the situation where a flautist, bassoonist, or oboist is obliged to offer clarinet tuition. It would be unrealistic, and indeed unfair to expect non-specialist clarinettists to diagnose and offer remedies to the myriad problems posed by teaching the clarinet. It has taken me over 40 years to accumulate the knowledge of my instrument to be able to teach it to a level of proficiency to produce high-calibre students. During years of professional playing and teaching, I have given a great deal of thought and analysis to both teaching and playing. I would find it very difficult to teach the other woodwinds, and this thought prompted me to write a book in which many difficult areas of teaching are addressed as concisely as possible. I hope that those prospective teachers and currently practising peripatetic teachers, who read this book, find the solutions to the teaching problems, concise, clear, and easy to understand and convey to the pupil. There are numerous comprehensive clarinet-teaching manuals but I have discovered that too much information can be as much a problem as too little. I have tried to keep this book simple and easy to understand. No doubt, some clarinettists would prefer it to be more “in-depth”. In reply to those people, who would like much more detail, I suggest you read Tom Ridenour’s excellent book (mentioned later). I know some people who would be completely nonplussed by too many facts, figures, and analyses. It is sometimes more useful for the novice driver to know the type of fuel to use in the car and how to start and stop it. I fully appreciate that on the other hand a formula one racing driver would find the frequency and order of piston movements, the gear ratios, brake horse power, and the kinetic energy lost during braking, of great interest. I trust this makes my point. In addition to wishing to offer help to the general peripatetic community, I felt the need to share my experience with my students, so that a record of some of my teaching methods can be of help to those who wish to adopt them. I would like at this point, to acknowledge my late parents who worked very hard to pay for all my clarinets and necessary equipment and my brothers and sister for putting up with my incessant practising as a child. I was lucky to have had teachers of the highest calibre, David Gordon, Christopher Ball, (Royal Academy of Music Junior Dept) and Sidney Fell, (professor at the Royal College, former principal clarinettist of the London Symphony Orchestra and pupil of the great Frederick Thurston). All of my teachers would devote hours to one small but important aspect of a musical idea or technique, had enormous patience, and gave much encouragement. It was they who opened my eyes to some of the different applications of teaching method and helped me to recognise that most good teachers say and do the same things, albeit often in completely different styles. 2 In recent years, I have been encouraged and supported by Andrew Roberts a fine player, teacher and friend. It was his desire to take the instrument to its highest level that inspired me to write this book. I also need to thank Alistair Logan another fine player and friend who recently published Music@Site a brilliant sight-reading, theory and aural training educational tool for musicians of all ages. I would also like to acknowledge the time spent giving excellent advice, and proof-reading, from colleague Peter Fielding (Bass Clarinettist of W.N.O.) and Christopher Bolton (a pupil of mine, wine enthusiast and fellow cricket fanatic). Many thanks to clarinettist friend Javier Defez Requena (I originally met Javier on the Clarinet Summer School in Liverpool where he played to me in master classes) for allowing me to publish his reed making method in this book. Javier is currently translating this book into Spanish. He currently teaches in The Conservatorio Jesus de Monasterio in Santander Spain. Javier kindly taught me the authentic method of cooking Paella Valenciana, (when he came to my fiftieth birthday party) thanks to his mother who taught him this wonderful dish. Javier lives in Camporrobles, Spain, a beautiful village in the mountains above Valencia. Thanks also to Eddie Ashton of Woodwind & Co, John Parkinson of John Packer LTD., and Kerry Long of Vandoren U.K. for their support and co-operation in sponsoring various events and projects I am involved in and for their encouragement. Finally, grateful thanks to Thomas Ridenour, who has written several books and articles about teaching, playing and related clarinet topics such as reed adjusting and fingerings. I recommend his book “The Educators Guide to the Clarinet” wholeheartedly. Tom has been most generous in allowing part of his “A.T.G.” Universal Single Reed Finishing System to be reproduced in this book. To write a treatise on clarinet playing requires calling upon the accumulated experience and shared knowledge of many great players and teachers. Tom believes (as I do) that we teachers have a duty to share information with the clarinet community, without generous people such as Tom the clarinet fraternity would be considerably poorer. Similarity with some other authors’ material is inevitable; ultimately there are a limited number of ways to teach certain techniques correctly. I hope my views on teaching meet with approval from professional players, pedagogues, prospective teachers, and students. The clarinet is a truly beautiful instrument and deserves the wholehearted desire to master all its facets. To attempt to write a book without the support of family would be impossible. I owe my wife Chris and my three daughters thanks and apologies for being "chained" to the computer, it is only with the help from Chris that I was able to eventually finish my project, as far as any book about the clarinet can be deemed finished. In my experience it is like recording, once you have completed it you always find new and better ways of doing things. To those teachers and players this book is intended to help, I sincerely hope it enables you to pass on the great legacy of pedagogy which I was privileged to absorb from my teachers, their teachers and other great players. My next book could be about Paella making for beginners. Leslie Craven. Monmouth May 2003 The Author accepts no liability for physical (or mental) injury or any adverse effects caused by the application of techniques, exercises, or methods found in this book. Copyright belongs to the Author and reproduction of any part of this book by means such as photocopying or photography of any kind is illegal. 3 THE AUTHOR Leslie Craven began lessons aged seven and won a junior exhibition to the Royal Academy of Music aged ten and later an exhibition whilst studying at the Royal College of Music. He has played guest principal clarinet with most of Britain's major orchestras (including by special invitation the LPO at the age of eleven) and was Principal Clarinettist with the Royal Philharmonic Pops orchestra for many years. Whilst a freelance Principal player in London he performed in concerts and recordings as guest principal clarinet with the R.P.O., PHILHARMONIA, L.S.O., LONDON MUSICI and the B.B.C. CONCERT ORCHESTRA. In 1993 he was invited to join the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera. He currently teaches at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in both the junior and senior departments and is in demand as a recording artist, teacher, examiner and clinician, giving master classes throughout Britain and overseas. Recently his pupils have won places in the National youth Orchestras of Great Britain and the N.Y.O. of Wales and in the National Children’s Orchestra as well as scholarships to Cambridge University. He has examined at all levels internationally and was clarinet advisor on the audition panel for the new Seville Symphony Orchestra in Spain when it was first formed. His pupils range from beginners to “Masters” students. Leslie also gives consultations to fellow professionals for troubleshooting problems, and in particular for orchestral audition preparation. His solo performances on television include; the “Fantasia” on themes from “La Traviata” (for the SABC) and in U.K. the Mozart clarinet Concerto and the Basset clarinet obbligato in the aria “Parto, Parto” from Mozart’s “Clemenza da Tito” with “Singer of the world” Katerina Karneus and conductor Sir Charles Mackerras (for HTV and BBC). Leslie has a web site www.LeslieCraven.co.uk that tells you more about his work and career. The site has links to many other sites and a guest book where you can contact him direct and there is a forum for clarinet related questions. Leslie gives clinics, and master classes in performance, as well as individual lessons each year on the Clarinet Summer School in Liverpool. www.theclarinet.co.uk During the period 1975 - 1986, he was principal Clarinettist of the Cape Performing Arts Board Opera company, clarinet tutor and head of winds at the South African College of Music in Cape Town.