How to play Rhapsody in Blue glissando

This video is intended for the experienced clarinet player if they are interested in learning some tips to glissando (a la Gershwin).

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Clarinet
• Glissando
• Rhapsody in Blue
• How to

[MegaMrTinman]

Hi cw9123mingus nice clarinet my clarinet is a buffet my pop says your play really well i started playing this year at my school i love singing and musical instruments could you put another clarinet video up please and again the sound that comes out of that thing is wonderful keep it up

[cw9123mingus]

@MegaMrTinman I've gotten enough responses to warrent making another one. Maybe when the semester ends in a few weeks, I can make another one.

[opera123able]

Great video and you play very well indeed.

Can you glissando using side keys also? - Or is it just the note where only holes are involved? On Rhapsody in blue it nappear like the Gliss doesn't begin until you get to middle register D.

[cw9123mingus]

@opera123able Generally, you want to use more of the your tongue and not certain keys to get a good gliss....I don't know anyone who can gliss starting on anything lower then the B or C...only the good gliss is possible then....you can use that same concept down low, but it won't sound right and will be really flat....since this is a video on playing the EXCEPRT, I would play is this way since in a good hall the bottom tones will smear together anyways, not to mention it's really quiet.

[opera123able]

@cw9123mingus

Thanks for the reply - I recently had a grade 5 (UK associated board) exam and played a jazz piece which had a crotchet Glissando from middle reg D and had to gliss DOWN to E flat in one crotchet beat! It didn't go too well

I found doing a gliss going from middle reg D immediatley to middle reg C extremely difficult to get smooth - i.e. much hard as a side key had to be used. My teacher was convinced that a top player could still gliss through the side keys - what do you think?

[cw9123mingus]

@opera123able Glissing downwards requires a slightly different technique and I haven't been able to find anyone who can do one that has the same quality as the one going up. Also since it was in that short amount of time, what they were asking for wasn't really a gliss and more of just a "start on the top note and lip down as you throw your fingers on the keys" its a technique that saxophonists use a lot and it works better on the sax.

[Sirvalorsax]

Great gliss but wrong notes for the other part of the song. G-F-E-Eb also Ab on the way down not A-natural over the break.

[richardmatchett]

Can't wait to annoy my family by practising this! :D

[cavalierfan2008]

@IMASIANSNIPA I agree with tongue position but disagree with changing the embouchure. Thats the whole point of using the tongue instead of the embouchure. If you mess with the embouchure while doing this you can really mess up everything else.

[cggage]

Very nice! I have always wanted to see the break-down of how that is done on the oboe. I am trying to do it on the piano which, of course, is different. I like both the oboe and piano versions. Good job! Thanks for posting this. You do a great job in both playing the intro and explaining the details of it.

[daveiba]

your face turned really red.

[cherryblossom1351]

@cw9123mingus

Do you have any tips???