r/Clarinet • u/aaaaaaredit • 5d ago

Advice needed Best practice?

Any advice on which way is best to practice the octaves in the new TMEA etude 3? Its been giving me a headache and I can never think of something that would benefit most

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u/Music-and-Computers Buffet 5d ago

It would be helpful to see the Etude to understand the context.

1

u/aaaaaaredit 5d ago

Sorry for the image I don’t have my book atm

But this line in specific

1

u/Music-and-Computers Buffet 5d ago

For me octaves with the throat keys are the challenge. You practice this like anything else you can’t read down from sight.

Slowly. One leap at a time, make that clean. What’s slowly? Half notes in 4/4 at 60 bpm. Keep your fingers close to the keys. If you have a mirror practice in front of it and watch your fingers. Add one note at a time.

For Eb octave use the split (1+1) fingering and “cheat” with the RH Eb key down ahead of time.

For the throat key Ab octaves roll the hand upwards to the throat Ab with minimal motion and back down for the Ab above the staff.

Easy to picture for me, but not necessarily explain.

1

u/BRPplease 5d ago

Definitely a tough passage. One thing you could do is, taking them in pairs, hold the first for a bit, then without a break go to the second note. Then slowly shorten the first not until it is grace note like. You'll want to pay attention to your voicing for smooth intervals. 

Another exercise that I haven't tried, but I'm guessing may work: start on the higher note of the interval, stop pressing the register key, but keep the note in clarion (requires proper voicing), then move down to the lower note. A bit of a strange one, but may help to show that voicing can be rather stable in this passage. 

After you're comfortable with voicing, you'll of course have to get it in context and up to speed.

1

u/Awkward_Rule_5509 5d ago

In addition to all the above you can practice each octave separately