[This post includes a wonderful personal story below, worth reading, even if you are not interested in clarinet mouthpiece angles] Each person’s mouth, teeth, jaw and lips are different. Each musician must find the optimum placement of vibrating part in…
Penderecki 3 Miniatures for Cl. and Pno 1956
A few years back The Columbus Symphony and the Ohio State University held a special joint event to celebrate the music of Kristoff Penderecki. I got to play these delightful and inventive set of miniatures with OSU piano professor Steven…
More Breath Support ideas
I just responded to a question/problem with gasping for air, posted on the Clarinet Bboard on www.woodwind.org. The problem: To my knowledge, I have never had trouble with breath support or with air speed. I think my tone is decent…
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Anthony Pay on Relaxation
This is taken from the famous Clarinet Bulletin Board pages of the site http//woodwind.org. The original post and discussion is HERE. The key quote in this long intro is at the end! Have you noticed how the heels of your…
Weber Quintet, 2nd movt.
From the same performance as the first movement, with colleagues from the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. (except for an insecure string entrance in the second bar, it went well) Carl Maria von Weber Op. 34 Clarinet Quintet, Movt. 2 [audio:https://blog.davidhthomas.net/wp-content/uploads/Weber-Quintet-for-Cl.-and-Strings-Movt-2.mp3]
Orchestras, not individuals, follow conductor.
During a rehearsal today, Jean-Marie Zeitouni said “Don’t follow me. Listen to the soloist and play with him.” Referring to the English Horn solo in the second movement of Dvorak 9th Symphony, J-M Zeitouni recommended not playing exactly with his…