The Clarinet BBoard

The Clarinet BBoard The C4 standard

New Topic | Go to Top | Go to Topic | Search | Help/Rules | Smileys/Notes | Log In

Previous Message | Next Message

RE: The Self-Taught Player

Author: Dee
Date: 2001-02-24 00:27

A very well written piece. You might want to include how you tackled things like correct hand position and embouchure. Two areas where those who are self taught may struggle and not know how to diagnose and solve the problems.

If we stop and think about it, we have to acknowledge that the earliest players of the clarinet had to have been self taught. They had to develop methods and techniques without any help whatsoever. As time passed, each generation learned from the previous one and added knowledge to it.

It is not that being self taught is bad or means that a person is a bad player. Rather that they may spend an unnecessarily long time trying to figure out the causes of and solutions for various problems. Or they may not even realize a problem even exists. Or may not succeed in finding the answer.

Of course a private teacher does not guarantee that everything will proceed smoothly and the student become a wonderful player. Some teachers are far better than others. The main advantage is the the teacher can look and see what the student is doing and then explain and demonstrate techniques and solutions. Live demonstrations and interaction with the teacher can often clarify what seems incomprehensible in a text.

The presence of a private teacher will not guarantee success nor will the lack of one guarantee failure. However in any field of endeavor, qualified instruction by someone who can monitor your progress and provide corrective feedback does enhance the probability of success and accelerate the learning process.

Reply To Message | Avail. Forums | Flat View

Newer Topic | Older Topic

Topics