THE DEVELOPING CLARINET PLAYER: NEW MULTI-GENRE, PAN-TECHNICAL REPERTOIRE

by

BRADLEY DAVID MILLARD

Bachelor of Music (Queensland Conservatorium of Music) Licentiate in Music Australia (Australian Music Examinations Board)

Licentiate Trinity College of London Associate in Music Australia (Australian Music Examinations Board)

Creative Industries Faculty Queensland University of Technology

Submitted for the award of Master of Arts (Research)

December 2007

ii

ABSTRACT

Those undertaking the study of a musical instrument may focus on a specific genre

of music or diversify through exploration of a range of styles and forms. Students

wishing to gain insight into a variety of styles may seek guidance from a number of

sources, particularly in their formative years. In the interests of achieving stylistic

authenticity and in the absence of teachers with wide-ranging musical experience, the

student may seek direction from repertoire and pedagogical resources. This research

aims to address a deficiency in existing repertoire and teaching materials for the

beginner to intermediate classical clarinet player by contributing to and extending

current resources.

The thesis is presented in two parts - folio (60%) and exegesis (40%):

The folio involves the creation of a series of original works written in a range of

archetypal jazz, popular and classical music styles, aimed at providing a level of

instructional support for both student and teacher in the achievement of stylistic

integrity. This is realised through the inclusion of annotations and recommended

practice strategies for each piece, as well as a general guide to style section. To be of

further educational value to the student, compositions in the folio incorporate both

traditional and extended techniques.

The exegesis reviews current leading instructional manuals and repertoire, discusses

their strengths and weaknesses and identifies areas where resources are deficient. It

analyses and presents an overview of compositions in the folio and provides a

detailed commentary of the compositional process, using a selected work as an

exemplar.

Given the nature of the folio, which is aimed at the young clarinet player and teacher

and commences with advice on style followed by a series of compositions, the

exegesis precedes the folio in this thesis.

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CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vi

STATEMENT OF ORIGINAL AUTHORSHIP vii

EXEGESIS 1

CHAPTER 1

Introduction and Background to the Study 1 Structure of the thesis 1 Rationale for the study 1 My musical beginnings from childhood to teenage years 3 Transition from teenager to tertiary student 4 From pre-professional to professional performing and teaching musician 6 My career to date as a professional music educator 6 The research question 7

CHAPTER 2

Literature review 9 Repertoire trends - a shift in focus 9 Repertoire for the beginner to intermediate clarinet player 12 Method books for clarinet 13 Group method books 14 Individual method books 16 Technique for clarinet 20 Performance repertoire for clarinet: genre-specific 22 Performance repertoire for clarinet: genre-diverse 25 Summary 32

CHAPTER 3

Methodology for the Study 34 Practical application of the guiding principles 39

CHAPTER 4

The Compositions 44

Table: Overview of Compositions and Characteristics 46 Liquorice Stick an analysis and commentary 49 Analysis of works and description of compositional process 58

CHAPTER 5

Conclusion 65

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FOLIO 67

Introduction to Style Guide and Practice Strategies 68

General Style Guide 69

General Suggestions for the Clarinet Player 72

The Compositions 74 Liquorice Stick 75 Mellie the Excitable Dog 79 Surfers Paradise Salsa 85 Rock It Man 92 Clarimania 99 Foofaraw 107 African Rhapsody 113 2 Cool 4 Skool 121 Important Occasion 126 Aunty Hilda 129 Strange Goings On 133

WORKS CITED 139

BIBLIOGRAPHY 141

v

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr Adrian Thomas for his guidance and advice.

Thanks also goes to Richard Vella for his suggestions. I wish to acknowledge the

contribution of a number of people from libraries and music retail outlets who

assisted me during the process of completing this thesis. Finally, I would like to

express my appreciation to my family and friends for their constant support and

encouragement.

vi

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

AMEB Australian Music Examinations Board

ANZCA Australian and New Zealand Cultural Arts

CD compact disc

DVD digital video disc

vii

STATEMENT OF ORIGINAL AUTHORSHIP

The work contained in this thesis has not been previously submitted to meet

requirements for an award at this or any other higher education institution. To the

best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously

published or written by another person except where due reference is made.

Signed: _____________________________________

Date: _______________________________________

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EXEGESIS

CHAPTER 1

Introduction and Background to the Study

Structure of the thesis

This practice-led research submission for the award of Master of Arts (Research)

comprises a folio of original, annotated compositions and documentation (style guide

and practice strategies) for clarinet and piano (60% of total thesis) and an exegesis

(40% of total thesis).

The constituents of the folio are:

Original works to extend the solo clarinet repertoire (clarinet with piano

accompaniment) and to contribute to the body of original Australian music,

addressing pedagogical issues in the areas of development of a response to style and

practice strategies. This takes the form of eleven compositions written in a diverse

range of archetypal jazz, popular and contemporary classical music styles, aimed at

beginner to intermediate level clarinet players. Annotations - accompanying

directions on style and indications for performance - are included, as well as general

advice for the young player. Also included is a range of fundamental traditional and

extended techniques on the instrument, intended to provide the student with both a

solid technical grounding and an introduction to the concept of expanded techniques

and possibilities for further exploration of tonal colours in order to achieve a broader

understanding. The addition of practice strategies is intended to assist the student and

teacher to focus on the most apposite features of the piece in relation to stylistic and

technical demands.

Rationale for the study

I have long held the view that musicians are capable of proficiency in a range of

genres and styles. It has been my experience that many classical musicians attempt

this, with varying degrees of success. In the absence of teachers skilled across a

range of styles or without access to informative repertoire, those steeped in the

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classical music tradition who set about learning to play other genres have a limited

chance of appropriately capturing style. This has been a principal motivation for the

present study.

Through my experience as a clarinet student, teacher, professional musician and

examiner and by a review of available clarinet literature, including commonly used

teaching materials for young classical players, I have identified a significant gap in

knowledge: jazz, popular music, contemporary techniques and concomitant musical

idioms are underrepresented for the classical clarinet learner and classical teacher.

Repertoire written in these styles at an appropriate level exists, but sparsity of

instructional support or in many cases even phrasal and articulatory detail assumes

idiomatic insight that the classical trained student and teacher do not necessarily

possess. To address this, to extend knowledge in this area and to make a contribution

to Australian music as a whole, I decided to compose a varied range of original

pieces for beginner to intermediate clarinettists which broaden the students exposure

to and focus on the understanding of the styles identified above. This is achieved

through the incorporation of detailed articulation, phrasing and contemporary

techniques together with advice on performance technique and idiom realisation

through the use of speech-related applications and annotations. The inclusion of

practice strategies for each piece is designed to help the student achieve focus and

direction for effective learning. I based the pieces on classical technique to contribute

to the albums value as a teaching resource, as well as through consideration of the

background of the intended recipient.

Rather than being proffered as an all-encompassing resource, the folio of original

compositions is intended to increase the classically-trained clarinettists cognitive

skills and understanding of style by contributing to learning and teaching resources

currently being used by the student and teacher. The addition of extended

instrumental techniques in a number of pieces is intended to expand the players

concept of technical and timbral possibilities. Given the likely young age of student

clarinettists exposed to these compositions, an emphasis on enjoyment has

underpinned the creation of each work.

The syllabus of the Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) has been chosen

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as a principal reference point for much of this exegesis, given both the popularity of

the AMEB system in Australia and my connection with the syllabus as an examiner

and previously a student. The AMEB, having been established as a national body in

1918, is a leading system for music examinations in Australia and internationally and

competes for candidature with other private examining bodies operating in the

country such as Trinity College of London, the Associated Board of the Royal

Schools of Music and Australian and New Zealand Cultural Arts (ANZCA). During

the course of this research a review of the AMEB clarinet syllabus occurred. This

further influenced the study, as will be discussed later.

My musical beginnings from childhood to teenage years

We are all products of our upbringing. It is inescapable not to have been influenced

and shaped by our past experiences as well as through exposure to teachings and

other factors from our parents, friends, educators and other people and events of

significance. Further, we are affected and influenced by situations and experiences

that we both like and dislike.

In the mid to late 1970s, as a teenager involved in the study of music, classical music

was the main focus of my musical education, but was one of a number of styles of

music in which I was interested. I was also drawn to the infectious nature of jazz and

popular music, but did not possess the musical intelligence, analytical skills or

understanding needed to accurately reproduce such styles on my instrument - I was

aware only that these other musical styles appealed to me.

My teachers were skilled exponents of classical music and were able to provide

reliable advice on response to style within that genre, but lacked experience and

insight in many styles aside from the classical canon. As a result, I sought guidance

from sources other than my teachers in the form of repertoire and associated learning

and teaching materials commensurate with my level of understanding. Searches for

appropriate resources exposed a deficiency in this regard. Material did exist for the

learning of improvisation specifically, and sheet music was available for the bulk of

the standard or mainstream jazz and popular music repertoire, but more structured,

formalised repertoire or pedagogical resources which included explanations on

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achieving appropriate style across a range of genres and styles were non-existent. In

the absence of suitable resources and teachers experienced in a wide range of jazz

and popular music styles, I developed an understanding of and ability to perform

these and other styles of music by listening to advanced exponents, imitating their

performance style and through trial and error. With persistence over time, I made

some headway with this rather haphazard approach, though on reflection my

progress would have been faster and more thorough had I access to more relevant

repertoire graded to suit my developing technique and musicianship and/or

educational resources containing detailed instructions.

With regard to classical music repertoire, given the low profile of contemporary

classical music in Brisbane at that time, I was unaware that in addition to the

conventions of traditional technique typically associated with the early years of

instrumental study, there existed a field of non-traditional techniques and tone

colours which allowed for a still greater range of self-expression - the area known as

extended or contemporary techniques. These were part of what was considered

very much a specialised field at that time and furthermore, were usually only

introduced at an advanced level, if at all.

A central part of my musical training was to undertake examinations within the

AMEB syllabus. The AMEB system - the graded repertoire on offer and its solo

examination structure - was a major influence in my musical upbringing and I

completed a number of examinations from the syllabus as will be revealed. It was to

become an integral part of the present study.

Transition from teenager to tertiary student

My transition from a student clarinet player in his early teens to a tertiary music

student involved the aforementioned formal, structured approach to classical clarinet

study, as well as a relatively unstructured method of developing my skills and

understanding of jazz and popular music. My efforts to learn jazz included practising

Dixieland and mainstream jazz pieces from sheet music and occasionally playing in

my mothers dance band. The sheet music contained the musical notation, but

assumed understanding on the part of the player, for it contained very little phrasing

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and articulation detail concerned with capturing the style of the piece. As a result, my

approach to learning how to play these pieces was rather arbitrary.

A turning point in my jazz development occurred when I attended week-long jazz

camps over two consecutive years with the leading Australian jazz clarinettist, Don

Burrows. Don advised me to work on my feel for the music before attempting to

become a proficient improviser. His opinion was that to develop a response to style

was a higher priority than learning how to improvise at the expense of style. Don

Burrows cited no literature to assist in this regard; instead, he suggested practising a

home-made percussion instrument - a shaker - formed by inserting a small handful of

uncooked rice into an empty, dry plastic shampoo bottle or similar. Don said that

learning how to play a shaker in time and with ease would assist in my development

of a relaxed and easy feel which I should then transfer to the clarinet. My

observation that Don Burrows had not recommended any literary support is to me an

indication that there existed no such pedagogical resource at the time.

While attending the camp, I purchased some vinyl records featuring the Don

Burrows/George Golla duo and it was these records that were pivotal in the

development of my understanding of jazz style. In the absence of suitable repertoire

or a text on the subject, I listened to various tracks over and over again until I was

able to replicate note for note what Don Burrows played. As well as copying each

note, I imitated Dons style - his phrasing, articulation, dynamics, intonation and

inflection. After much time and effort, I was able to play along with the tracks I had

learned to imitate.

I began imitating the performance style of others on recordings. Although this was

the principal way I developed the ability to play and understand jazz, development

also occurred through playing with other musicians, listening to recorded and live

performances and through trial and error. It was rather haphazard, but these were the

only methods I knew. Through this means, over a period of some eight years I

progressed and became reasonably proficient at capturing jazz and popular music

style. However, I still was not sure why I was inflecting notes and phrases in certain

ways - I was doing so more and more intuitively, but was frequently uncertain about

the accuracy or validity of my efforts. In hindsight, with further guidance through a

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greater range of learning methodologies such as clear and detailed texts and skilful

mentors and teachers, I would have progressed considerably faster and had a much

clearer understanding of the genre as a whole.

From pre-professional to professional performing and teaching musician

After leaving school, I was accepted as a student of clarinet at the Queensland

Conservatorium of Music, where classical music performance remained my focus. I

had developed a fundamental concept of jazz style, but in the interests of gaining

further experience and greater insight, I joined the inaugural conservatorium big

band, directed by conservatorium staff members. The staff members were highly-

skilled musicians and were well-meaning, but like most of the members of the

ensemble, came from a classical music background and had little experience or

knowledge of jazz and popular music style. Participation in the big band exposed me

to a wider range of repertoire than I had previously encountered and was a great

experience in many ways, but was of limited value as a means of significantly

increasing my understanding of style.

As my performance skills improved, I began to gain professional experience in a

variety of musical styles and settings. The range of styles included orchestral work,

musical theatre, the corporate band circuit and other ad hoc engagements such as

television telethons, recording session work and supporting various touring artists. I

played with and for various leading musicians and performers. These included

original members of the Glenn Miller Big Band, former members of the Buddy Rich

Big Band and Duke Ellington Big Band and leading English musicians who were

touring in bands supporting the likes of Shirley Bassie, Elaine Paige and Tim Rice. I

also played in ensembles that supported Australian artists such as Don Burrows,

George Golla and James Morrison with leading musicians from Sydney and

Melbourne. By listening to, talking with and imitating the style of these musicians, I

continued my path of development as a jazz and popular music instrumentalist.

My career to date as a professional music educator

As a professional music educator, clinician, examiner and performer on clarinet and

related instruments for more than twenty-five years, I have had experience across a

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diverse range of musical styles and settings. In my capacity as a clarinet and

saxophone teacher in both one-to-one and group lessons as well as through positions

as musical director in the areas of chamber music, big band, jazz ensemble and

popular groups, I have worked with student musicians from beginner to pre-

professional level and have observed methods and forums of learning a wide range

of western music genres. Additionally, a substantial portfolio of engagements as a

music education consultant has involved leading workshops and masterclasses in

individual instrumental and ensemble performance, improvisation and theory, as well

as conducting rehearsals and performances. In these roles, I have worked with school

groups, community organisations, professional and private music education bodies

and professional ensembles. As an AMEB examiner I have examined clarinet and

saxophone players from beginner to advanced level over many years. Through my

experiences in the range of professional activities listed above, I have confirmed my

lifelong belief that the area of least understanding, competence and confidence

among students and teachers is command and understanding of style and associated

aspects such as phrasing.

The research question

Classical, jazz and popular music genres are all native to the western world. In its

various forms, classical music has existed for hundreds of years, but jazz and popular

music, as we know it today, was not evident prior to the twentieth century. While

classical music conventions of performance, theoretical and educational

epistemologies for the student musician have been developed, refined and

standardised over some considerable time, similar models in jazz and popular music

are still being developed. In the early stage of the rise of jazz and popular music, skill

acquisition generally occurred through imitation or replication of leading

practitioners. Merit in this method is acknowledged, but critical and cognitive

thinking as exemplified in the classical music tradition has resulted in more formal

and structured modes of learning being sought. This is especially true for those

steeped in the classical music canon. Furthermore, early practitioners of jazz and

popular music styles were typically illiterate, but much of the music encountered

now is notated in some form.

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In its infancy, in the latter part of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth

century, most jazz music was not notated at all. This was also the case with much

popular music in the 1950s and 1960s. Even today, works regarded as being

mainstream or standard characteristic jazz and popular songs are usually notated in a

form that does not contain the same amount of detail as classical music. Jazz and

popular music is often referred to as an aural tradition and some today still maintain

that it should be learned accordingly. However, the worldwide existence of jazz and

popular music courses of study at school and tertiary level supports the view that

these genres can be studied in a formalised, structured way. It should be noted that

western classical music was itself regarded as an aural tradition in its genesis and

was similarly not notated until after many years of practice. It now has a rich history,

universally recognised and practised, of approaches to teaching and learning based

on notated music. Although a significant amount of jazz music relies on musicians

improvisational skills, a firm understanding of stylistic awareness is necessary in

both improvised and notated jazz music.

I have recognised there exists parallel issues between my own lack of understanding

as a student musician across a range of musical styles and a similar trend amongst

students today. I have asked myself why this is the case. Are there resources

available today which address this issue and if so, to what extent? How are these

resources structured? How enlightening are they?

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CHAPTER 2

Literature review

This chapter will review a wide selection of repertoire and other resources available

to the young classical clarinet player and teacher. Using the AMEB second grade

clarinet syllabus as an exemplar, the first section will look for any shifts in the nature

of repertoire over the past thirty years. Second Grade has been chosen for this

purpose because a grade-two-standard piece in my composition folio, Liquorice

Stick, has been used in Chapter 4 to demonstrate my compositional process in detail.

After comparison of AMEB second grade syllabi, discussion of a body of eclectic

repertoire separated into relevant categories will show a cross-section of that which

is available for the classical clarinet student wishing to diversify across a range of

genres and styles. It will examine repertoire created by leading composers in their

field - repertoire which offers the student exposure to a breadth of styles and the

degree to which it is accompanied by concomitant stylistic guidance and practice

advice. I have deliberately not sought classical works to review, because this review

is aimed at classically trained students wishing to diversify.

Repertoire trends - a shift in focus

As alluded to earlier, the AMEB is a leading designer of performance music

curriculum in Australia. Current practice within the organisation is the publishing of

grade books for a number of instruments, the clarinet included. The editor for the

current series (series 2) was Brisbane clarinettist Ruth Bonetti. In the foreword of

Clarinet Second Grade Series 2 the then National Manager, Ann Blore described the

AMEB as Australias pre-eminent music examinations body. (Australian Music

Examinations Board and Bonetti 2000b p. 2) As a means of comparing repertoire for

the classical clarinet student from thirty years ago to that available today, it is

instructive to make a comparison between the AMEB clarinet syllabuses from 1976

and 2007. The second grade examination syllabus has been chosen as an example,

given it fits within the beginner to intermediate level concerned with here. As will

be seen, the previously classical-music-only domain of the AMEB is now populated

with a far wider range of styles from jazz, popular and classical music.

10

Candidates undertaking an AMEB examination at the level relevant to this present

study are required to present a range of pieces, including one of their choice from

each of lists A, B and C. These are the three main works required in the examination,

as was also the case in 1976. Normally, pieces in List A are unaccompanied studies

or etudes, while those from Lists B and C are works accompanied by piano. List B

and List C pieces usually differ from each other in their origin too, though this is

more clearly the case in the current syllabus than in 1976. List B pieces are generally

earlier works derived from the Baroque or Classical periods, while List C pieces are

usually more recent works, in most cases having been composed in the Romantic or

Twentieth Century periods of music.

1976 AMEB Second Grade Clarinet syllabus

As can be seen from the 1976 Second Grade Clarinet syllabus requirements above,

candidates had a choice of five pieces from each of Lists B and C. The most

modern piece from either List B or C was To a Wild Rose by the American

composer Edward MacDowell (1860 - 1908). Other choices included works from the

Baroque to late Classical periods by Schubert, Mozart, Beethoven, Bach and Haydn,

as well as a small number of lesser-known composers.

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A comparison between the second grade syllabus from 1976 to that of 2007 clearly

shows a shift in the choice of style, as well as a significant increase in the number of

works available for selection. Today, candidates may choose one of fifteen pieces

from List B and one of eighteen pieces from List C, a number of which are derived

from jazz and popular music.

2007 AMEB Second Grade Clarinet syllabus

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Referred to earlier, AMEB grade books are compilations of pieces taken from Lists

A, B and C in the syllabus that a candidate may present in examination. There are

two series of books for clarinet, both comprising one book for each of grades 1 4,

with each book containing three or four pieces from each of Lists A, B and C. The

first series was published in 1992 and the second in 2000 and the pieces in both

series are still eligible for examination. Further evidence of a trend towards an

increase in the inclusion of jazz and popular music in the hitherto classical focus of

the AMEB clarinet syllabus can be seen by a comparison between the series 1 and 2

grade books. Of the thirteen List C pieces from grades 1 4 in series 1, one is written

in a jazz style. In series 2, published just eight years later, six of the twelve published

List C pieces are derived from jazz and popular music. The increase in numbers of

non-classical works over such a short period demonstrates the rise in popularity of

jazz and popular music into a previously classical-music-only curriculum and further

justifies the need for educational support for students and teachers tackling styles

possibly unrelated to their areas of expertise. One way the AMEB has attempted to

address this is through a feature of the more recent series - the provision of

Performance Notes for each work. This aspect, as well as closer scrutiny of

specific pieces in the grade books, will be discussed later in this chapter.

Repertoire for the beginner to intermediate clarinet player

Compared to repertoire for the advanced player, pieces written for the beginner to

intermediate level clarinettist are typically brief. This is due largely to the inability of

the younger player to cope with the physical stamina and concentration required of

playing the instrument for a long period of time. As a result, it is more common to

find repertoire pieces for players at the level in question here in albums or

compilations rather than presented as stand-alone pieces.

The study of a wide range of repertoire and other resources for the student clarinettist

reveals that each item can be classified as belonging to one of the following types:

1. Method Books for clarinet

a. Group Method Books

b. Individual Method Books

2. Technique

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3. Performance repertoire: genre-specific, for example all jazz pieces or all classical

pieces.

4. Performance repertoire: genre-diverse, for example combinations of styles, such

as classical, jazz and popular music in the one publication.

Consideration of each of the above repertoire categories discloses that the type most

relevant and applicable to this study is that found under Performance repertoire:

genre-diverse, though all four types contain in part some similarities to the nature of

this study. A brief description of each category will follow, though due to its greatest

relevance, Performance repertoire: genre-diverse will be focused on and the works

of leading international exponents of this type of repertoire analysed and discussed.

Method books for clarinet

It is customary for beginner instrumentalists to commence lessons using an

instrumental method book as their principal or even sole reference book. Such is

their importance, they often remain an important resource for both student and

teacher for up to two years. The content of clarinet method books is typically wide

and varied, though it can be expected that in each, one would find at the very least a

progressive series of exercises, etudes, solo and group pieces based on the

introduction of new notes, rhythms and articulations. Usually included is some

degree of basic theory as well as information on a range of fundamental aspects of

clarinet playing such as assembly, care and history of the instrument, posture,

fingerings and technical tips, embouchure, breathing and tone production, tonguing

and style. A trend in more recent method books is to cover a more eclectic range of

styles, as will be discovered in this review.

Within the range of method books available, there are two main types - those

designed for group teaching and those written for the individual in one-to-one

lessons. For the clarinet player, leading method books of both types in use

internationally are discussed below. A notable recent addition to a number of

leading, but not all, method books or other sheet music is the CD or DVD or both.

CDs and DVDs may contain so called play-along tracks which allows the student

to play along to a pre-recorded accompaniment. Some CDs contain demonstration

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tracks, where the student can listen to a professional player or synthesised clarinet

demonstrating the melody first before tackling the melody line on their own, either

with or without the play-along track.

Group method books

The three group teaching method books reviewed here, Essential Elements 2000 Plus

Book 1 (Lautzenheiser, Higgins, Menghini, Lavender, Rhodes and Bierschenk 1999),

Standard of Excellence (Pearson 2004) and Accent on Achievement Book 1 (O'Reilly

and Williams 1997), have been chosen because they represent a cross-section of this

type of method book and are universally regarded as being the leading methods of

this type.

Essential Elements 2000 Plus Book 1 is a group teaching method book, designed for

the American high school system centred around band-orientated learning. A DVD is

included with the book, which contains tracks dealing with assembly and

disassembly of the instrument, playing position, tone production and playing the first

note. There are play-along tracks included on the DVD, though these contain audio

only. As the beginner progresses, the pitch range is expanded through the

introduction of new notes. It also includes basic theory, two pages of unexplained

rhythm studies and a reference index containing definitions of terms, composers and

a list of world music pieces in the book, with music from Africa, America, Australia,

Austria, Canada, the Caribbean, England and various European countries. In most

cases, there is only one piece derived from a particular country and the pieces tend to

be either folk-related or classically-orientated.

All pieces in the book are brief, as appropriate to this level. The selection of

American pieces includes American Patrol which, although a jazz-orientated piece,

is marked Allegro in the book, giving no real clue as to style and inflection. When

the Saints Go Marching In is also marked Allegro, resulting in the same blurred

signals to the young player. Beyond the Allegro indication, there is no clue

provided in relation to style. One could argue the same applies to a classical work

marked Allegro, though it should be remembered that the use of Italian, French and

German terms is the norm in most classical music. Jazz and popular music pieces

usually have terms written in English such as medup swing (medium to up-tempo

swing) or slow bossa (slow tempo, bossa nova in style).

15

Essential Elements 2000 Plus Book 1 also contains Daily Warm-Ups, including tone

builder and flexibility study, but no information on how to practise. Interestingly,

Essential Elements 2000 Plus Book 2 also includes a version of American Patrol,

this time marked moderato but written with different note values from the version in

book 1. Again, there is no instruction about swing or style generally.

Bruce Pearsons Standard of Excellence, subtitled Comprehensive Band Method

Book 1 (of two), is also a group-teaching method book based on the American band

system of learning. It includes two CDs including audio play-along backing tracks

and iPAS Assessment Software. This method book contains appropriately short

pieces throughout, contains basic theory, introduces new notes as a natural

progression of learning and includes sections for clarinets only and woodwind only.

There are short exercises called excellerators - for clarinet only which are tone and

fingering exercises, with suggested alternative fingerings provided.

An interesting inclusion is the iPAS software. iPAS software allows the student to

play to a backing track and to record their performance. According to the publishers

website, iPAS software evaluates a students performance using the following

set of criteria note correctness, rhythmic and pitch accuracy and note duration.

(Kjos Music Company 2006) Specific instructions for achieving the above qualities

are not evident. The inclusion of some scale-based exercises is useful. No

instructions on style are apparent throughout the method - presumably the intention

is for the young musician to imitate the style of the accompaniment track. There is a

range of styles evident in this book, though again, specific, detailed advice on

achieving stylistic accuracy is not evident.

The final band or group method for clarinet reviewed here is Accent on Achievement,

which, like the previous two group methods, includes play-along CDs. The authors

have included a brief welcome to the band student, which reads As a skilled band

musician, you will be able to play a wide variety of musical styles from symphony to

jazz, from contemporary pop to marching band. (O'Reilly and Williams 1997 p. 1)

Here, the allusion to style could be construed as meaning the book will include an

emphasis on achieving an understanding of style. There is no clear evidence of this

16

being the case, however, apart from the opportunity for the student to attempt to

imitate the style of the CD backing tracks. The book has sections on assembly of the

instrument, naming components, fundamental theory, introduction of new notes,

catchy titles and the use of graphically represented pictures.

Individual method books

Learn As You Play Clarinet by Englishman Peter Wastall is the method book I

preferred when teaching students of the appropriate (beginner) level several years

ago. The original version had a cassette available for separate purchase which

contained the accompaniment for various pieces in the book, though a separate piano

accompaniment part was also available. It now comes with a CD or cassette

containing the same accompaniments. The book is structured in separate two-page

sections called units, with three concert pieces appearing at the end of each

eight-unit section. The pieces in this method book represent quite a broad range of

styles. A feature of each is the presence of detailed articulation, though no further

instruction, practice tips or strategies targeted at specific pieces or techniques

concerned with style can be seen.

A New Tune a Day for Clarinet Book 1 by Ned Bennett is an updated version of the

iconic method book A Tune a Day for Clarinet Book 1 by C. Paul Herfurth, which

was published in 1942. It now includes a DVD and audio CD. A notable difference

between the original and updated versions of the method book is the addition of

pieces from jazz and popular music genres, such as Little Brown Jug, Joshua

Jazz and The Entertainer. There is an explanation of swing in Lesson 18 on page

56 though it is less than half a page long In classical music all quavers are played

exactly as written: that is, lasting half as long as a crotchet. In jazz, however, quavers

are normally played unevenly, with the first of each pair longer than half a beat and

the second shorter to compensate. This is called swing. (Bennett 2005 p. 56) The

book does include some phrasing detail but very little articulatory detail.

Henry Lazarus The New Lazarus Tutor Book 1 is also an older, iconic method book

which has been given a more modern treatment. It contains an introduction to jazz.

17

The editor states:

jazz, in all its forms, has its origins in rhythm. When playing jazz it is essential that the player feels the rhythm that applies to the jazz being played. The important discipline to be learnt at this stage is the interpretation of the half beat or the sub-division of the crotchet or quarter note.

This is written or

The notation of is usually played

The notation of in a slow tempo can also be played

but in a medium or fast tempo the quavers or eighth notes are played in strict time observing that the accent is given to the off beat such as the second quaver or eighth note e.g.

(Lazarus 1994 p. 54) This could be a little confusing for the young player. A couple

of pieces follow written for clarinet and guitar, but are not marked as being in a jazz

style as such.

The Rubank Elementary Method for Clarinet (Hovey 1934) was published as early as

1934 but was still quite widely used when I was a student. It follows a very

traditional approach, comprising largely exercises built on scales and arpeggios and

other short key-related studies. There are no catchy titles, there is limited use of

articulation and stylistically, the book is firmly entrenched in the classical music

tradition. No advice on style or suggestions for practice is evident.

Enjoy Playing the Clarinet is an Australian work, written by Brisbane clarinettist

Ruth Bonetti. Its most recent edition has a piano accompaniment part available

which is published separately from the method book itself. Enjoy Playing the

Clarinet is mostly classically-orientated, but includes some variety of styles, with

pieces such as Jamaican Rumba, Stranger on the Shore, In the Mood,

America from West Side Story and Happy Birthday To You. Some brief tips on

practice and some entertaining exercises are evident in places.

18

Another Australian method book is Teacher on Tap, by Richard Percival and Peter

Dorich. This method comprises the usual advice on fundamental aspects of clarinet

playing, such as assembly, posture, breathing and embouchure formation. It includes

a lesson plan section, practice routines, key/scale outline, technical studies and

pieces. Teacher on Tap does contain practice strategies, though these relate less to

specific pieces and more to practice routines of a general nature. Instruction related

to achieving style across a range of styles is not apparent.

As stated on the front cover of Progressive Beginner Clarinet, it covers a variety of

styles including classical, jazz, pop and rock, along with an introduction to

improvising. (Gelling 2001) A further statement reads Progressive Beginner

Clarinet assumes you have no prior knowledge of music or playing the clarinet. No

previous music knowledge or experience is necessary. (2001 p. 4) The book comes

with a CD which includes musical examples. The book shows you where to put

your fingers and what technique to use, while the recording lets you hear how each

example should sound. (2001 p. 5) It includes broad advice on practice, as well as

the usual assembly of and how to hold the instrument, introduction of new notes and

basic techniques. It does introduce swing rhythms. This is done by writing a triplet

rhythm including the counting underneath, then tied triplets, then as the rhythms

would normally be written, in a similar way to that seen here:

then then

where

However, there is little evidence of articulation markings leading to appropriate

phrasing. Despite this, a positive inclusion is one exercise of four bars duration, two

bars of which include appropriate articulation and phrasing of the type seen here:

The method includes transposition, fingering and key signature charts. Interestingly,

this book uses the American style of notation in preference to the English system

usually used in Australia, referring to crotchets as quarter notes, quavers as eighth

19

notes and so on. The introduction to improvisation would be more useful if the

player had some prior knowledge. For instance, Lesson 16 presents enharmonic

notes, the blues scale and riffs. It explains what they are but doesnt take this any

further, as the following section (lesson) introduces the 16th note. There is no clear

connection between the blues scale, riffs and their application to improvisation.

There also exists some useful information on major and minor keys and scales

including the natural, harmonic and melodic minor scales. This part is useful as a

reference section, but seems too advanced for the young player. As mentioned, the

inclusion of accurate, stylistically appropriate swing phrasing is a positive addition,

though its presence is minimal, which possibly sends a message to the student that

this aspect is not particularly important.

Of the range of method books reviewed here, a trend in the more recent publications

is the introduction of a greater variety of styles, most notably in the areas of jazz,

popular and world music. Given the breadth of styles and mix of genres present, it

might be expected that a number would include specific, focused advice on phrasing

and style, though this survey revealed that to be not the case. While some books

contain some advice on certain styles, overall they offer very little assistance in this

regard, ostensibly leaving this most important factor in the hands of the student and

teacher. Without prior experience in a particular style, the potential for success is

affected; certainly, the answers to questions of style must be found elsewhere. Some

texts suggest practice strategies for some aspects of playing, though these are almost

always of a general nature and do not relate to a specific piece or the style contained

within.

A notable inclusion in some books is the CD or DVD or both and in one case, access

to computer software. The occurrence of this recent addition to some method books

is noted, though again, the chances for gaining stylistic insight occur through the

ability of the student to emulate the style of the accompaniment through osmosis

rather than through applying principles learned through clearly articulated textual

instruction. The usefulness of having access to a pieces musical backing on one of

the above media is acknowledged it allows the student to rehearse indefinitely with

the accompaniment in the practice room and to develop consistency in performance.

However, given the backing remains identical each time, it also encourages a static,

20

non-spontaneous performance style, the opposite of which can be achieved through

interaction with another live musician or group of musicians in the moment.

Technique for clarinet

Typical resources of this type for the clarinet include studies, etudes, exercises, texts

on improvisation and extended techniques. Of the books containing studies, etudes or

exercises, each one is designed to serve a particular purpose. Some concentrate on a

fundamental area of clarinet playing such as finger technique, breathing, tone

production, tonguing, intonation and so on. Many focus on idiosyncratic

characteristics of the instrument within one or a number of those fundamental aspects

of the clarinet.

Books on improvisation usually combine theory with practice. The Jamey Aebersold

Play-Along Series is a leading example of a resource for learning improvisation.

Produced for a range of instruments and organized according to the keys of each

instrument, the Jamey Aebersold series is available for Bb, Eb, C and bass clef

instruments. There are 120 volumes in the series and each comes with a play-along

CD. Some volumes are exercise or study based, such as Volume 2 Nothin But the

Blues and Volume 3 The II-V-I Progression. These present the scale-chord theory

behind the music and allow the musician plenty of scope to work on familiarisation

with harmonic, melodic and rhythmic relationships. Other, later volumes often focus

on a strand of jazz or the music of a leading exponent, as in the case of Volume 64

Salsa/Latin Jazz and Volume 108 Joe Henderson Inner Urge respectively. The books

usually contain background information on the style of that volume and in some

cases a discography, recommended reading and nomenclature used in the book.

Jazz Technic, written by one of the great jazz clarinet players, Artie Shaw, is not a

method for learning the instrument as such. Rather, it focuses on supplying the

reader with scalic, chordal and theoretical information required for jazz

improvisation in a similar way to that of the Aebersold series and others like it. A

selection of rhythmic exercises is also provided. Its contents includes whole tone

scales, whole tone exercises, throat tone studies, slurred semitones in various

intervals, arpeggios and rhythmic figures and a sample from the Artie Shaw

21

Concerto for clarinet. A brief explanation of each follows, plus a short, broad

suggestion for practice in general. There are no explanations of style.

The classical music equivalent of the Artie Shaw book is Note Cruncher by New

Zealand born Australian resident Mark Walton, which comes with a CD and contains

a combination of studies, scales, arpeggios and duets. It is designed to support the

improvement of finger technique and basic theoretical understanding in relation to

scales and arpeggios and is typical of classical resources of this type.

Two publications dealing with extended techniques are Allen Sigels book The

Twentieth Century Clarinetist: Advanced Studies in Contemporary Music for the

Clarinet. The target audience for both is clearly the advanced player. The former

contains auxiliary fingerings and trill fingerings, with exercises and studies which

tackle these and other more advanced musical components such as rhythmic

complexities. This is a text-based, comprehensive work which describes techniques

like glissando and portamento, flutter tonguing, teeth on the reed, air sounds,

vocalizing while playing, mouthpiece alone and electronic applications among

others.

Dutchman Erik Veldkamp created Play em right latin volume 2, published in 1999.

The book is for the player wishing to become well-versed in the varied styles of

light music attention given to various bass rhythms and articulation techniques

(Veldkamp 1999 p. 3). It is essentially a style technique book with the clear

purpose of exposing the clarinet student to latin phrasing styles. Some performance

pieces do appear at the end of the book, though the majority encompass repetitive

exercises with detailed articulation. Further evidence of this objective can be seen

through examination of a section informing the student of numerous

articulation/phrasing markings and what these mean. Veldkamp suggests relating

these to singing or saying phonetic sounds like dat, dap, du or du-wap in a brief

section at the beginning of the book. No other assistance for the player is present.

The book includes chord symbols for piano or guitar, but no accompaniment part as

such exists.

22

From the above it is clear supplementary material may take a number of different

forms. They are usually focused on a particular area or technique such as

improvisation instead of the achievement of understanding of style. Of these, the

majority are structured on a theoretical basis, where the chord-scale relationship is

explained and exercises and pieces put in place as vehicles.

Performance repertoire for clarinet: genre-specific

Genre-specific works are so called here due to their origins within the same broad

musical field, such as classical or jazz or popular music. A survey of repertoire of

this type showed that this category represents the majority of all existing resources

for the clarinet. Similarly, it represents the major type of works found in the AMEB

syllabus. Genre-specific repertoire assumes the player and/or teacher possesses a

basis of the understanding of style, or that that aspect will be researched in some

way. Where the publication is derived from a genre which is the focus of the

students lessons, the assumption presents no obvious problem.

An example of a music resource designed to teach jazz style is Easy Jazz

Conception: 15 solo etudes for jazz phrasing, interpretation and improvisation for

Clarinet by American jazz saxophonist Jim Snidero. The pieces are based on the

chord progressions of well known jazz tunes by some leading composers, presented

with new titles and new melodies. As with other books by Advance Music in this

series, the book has no accompaniment part as such, but comes with a CD containing

both demonstration and play-along tracks. The accompaniment on the CD is supplied

by rhythm section, comprising piano, bass and drums. The composer says:

One of the most important aspects of playing any style of music well is to interpret it in an idiomatically correct way. In jazz, knowing how to phrase common melodies and rhythms, swinging and developing a good tone are all essential elements in sounding both convincing and authentic. Easy Jazz Conception is intended to give musicians, unfamiliar with the jazz idiom, a basic proficiency in jazz style to aid in the study of phrasing, the first ten etudes have many of the phrasings indicated with tenuto (-) and marcato (^) markings. (Snidero 2000 p. 6)

23

He goes on to say:

The last five etudes are more typical looking charts with limited phrasings indicated. At this point, you should be able to better interpret the etude without every phrase being indicated. If youre not sure how something is phrased, refer to the recording. Ultimately, you have to listen to the recording and emulate the way the soloist phrases. (2000 p. 6)

The Easy Jazz Conception series is available for a range of instruments. The

composer also encourages players of these different instruments to play together, as

the pieces are all in unison. Phrasing markings are quite detailed in the first ten

etudes, though there are no slurs at all. The first piece Basies Blues has dynamic

markings but I could find no other dynamic markings in any other piece. Some are

marked with indications of style, such as swing, bossa nova or latin, but some

have no indication of feel only a metronome marking. There are some techniques

like scoop, smear and acciaccatura incorporated.

It is interesting to compare Easy Jazz Conception, Jazz Conception (also by Snidero)

and Fernando Brandaos Brazilian and Afro Cuban Jazz Conception for Clarinet, all

part of the same series published by Advance Music in 1996, 2000 and 2006

respectively. Of note is that the most recent publication differs from the earlier ones

through the inclusion of annotations and exercises along with explanations of style,

which is significant in relation to validating this research. It also includes an audio

CD, with both demonstration and play-along track. The explanations are detailed,

though the music is advanced and the range of styles falls only within latin beats.

Certainly this is too difficult for the beginner to intermediate player. The book has

general exercises at the beginning of the book and has annotations and exercises at

the end of the book. Given these sections do not occur alongside each relevant piece,

I found the layout a little confusing. The annotation and exercise section is complex

and focuses on improvisation. The pieces are all at least two pages long and are

clearly aimed at advanced players.

All Jazzed Up, subtitled Solos written and arranged by Oliver Ledbury, contains a

combination of original pieces and arrangements presented as clarinet with piano

accompaniment. No CD is present. The range of pieces is suitable for beginner to

intermediate clarinet players. An arrangement of the well known jazz standard

24

Autumn Leaves by Joseph Kosma and Jacques Previt and arranged by Oliver

Ledbury, is marked:

Medium Tempo

which is another potentially confusing instruction, especially as there are no dotted

quavers or semiquavers in the clarinet part of this arrangement.

An example of jazz sheet music can be seen in iconic publications widely regarded

as the first choice of jazz sheet music albums, The New Real Book series. As can be

seen in the score excerpt below, features such as phrasing marks, articulation marks

and dynamics are often omitted altogether, leaving these considerations to the

discretion of the performer, as was the practice with published music in the Baroque

period. Here is Anthropology by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, in this case

taken from the C and vocal version of The New Real Book series, but consistent in

its lack of detail with Bb, Eb and bass clef versions of the books.

Example 1

hallaThis score is not available online. Please consult the hardcopy thesis available from the QUT Library

25

With little or no background in experiencing and performing jazz and/or popular

music, the performer may stumble through without adequately capturing the essence

of the music.

The following three resources are typical examples of a number of play-along

resources available for the clarinet and numerous other instruments today which

come with a CD and no other accompaniment part. Latin Hits for Clarinet is part of

the Hal Leonard play-along series. It has a CD backing and no piano part. There is

some use of articulation markings evident, but scant use of dynamics. No other

information including instructions on style, phrasing or musical expression generally

were present.

Another Hal Leonard play along book is Essential Rock, containing pieces by Elton

John, Rod Stewart, Steve Miller and others. I could find no arranger or editor

acknowledged in either of the two publications above. Again, little information on

the music in the area of articulation, dynamics and phrasing was apparent. A similar

book to above in the classical vein is Classical Greats easy play-along for clarinet

published by Wise Publications. This has a series of well known classical pieces like

Air on the G String by Bach, Can Can by Offenbach and Clair de Lune by

Debussy. Curiously, it comes with a fingering chart for clarinet. The pieces are of

suitable standard and these are quite detailed in their application of articulation

markings.

Performance repertoire for clarinet: genre-diverse

As its popularity increases, genre-diverse repertoire is much more widespread today.

The English composer, clarinet and saxophone player James Rae is a leading

exponent of repertoire written in a range of styles of the type described in this

exegesis. Rae has written almost 70 albums of works for clarinet, saxophone, flute

and trumpet in solo, solo instrument with piano accompaniment or small ensemble

settings. Through an analysis of the following of Raes works, the following

observations have been made. Play It Cool contains numerous styles from jazz and

popular music. Most pieces are written in the low register of the clarinet, which in

26

itself suggests a target audience of the beginner clarinet. Each piece has an

interesting title and is accompanied by a brief, broad description of style in the

dedication text section underneath the pieces title, along with some tips of a

general nature, such as avoiding rushing or taking note of accidentals. The book has

a piano part and CD with both demonstration and playalong tracks. Raes 40 Modern

Studies is a book of progressive works in a range of appealing jazz and popular

music styles. It contains no support for the soloist aside from a general instruction at

the beginning of each piece, though all pieces do contain considerable detail in the

form of articulation, phrasing and dynamics.

New Zealander Christopher Norton has a reputation as an icon in the world of

writing and teaching jazz and popular music styles for the classically-trained

musician. He is composer of the bestselling Microjazz series. Published by Boosey

and Hawkes, The Microjazz Clarinet Collection 1 is subtitled Easy pieces in popular

styles for clarinet and piano. No CD accompanies this publication. It contains a

range of styles, though these are not identified as such by name. The pieces are all of

appropriate standard and length for beginner to intermediate level and all have catchy

titles, which I agree is important for this level of player. Some, but not all pieces

contain detailed articulation and phrasing marks. There is no space for improvisation

and no chord symbols appear above the music. A brief section with performance

advice appears at the beginning of the book, though this is broad in nature and does

not attempt to deal with individual pieces. The pieces have performance instructions

of a non-style specific nature like urgently, sternly, calmly, positively and

gently. The range, nature, standard and duration of the pieces is appropriate,

though there is no clear indication of the type of style, no instruction on style and no

practice strategies present. The composer says the solo parts are all of moderate

technical difficulty, but they all repay close study by players of any standard. Most of

the accompaniments, which are also easy, may be played on piano, electric or

electronic keyboards. (Norton 1998 "Composer's Notes")

The website of Boosey and Hawkes, Christopher Nortons publisher, claims the

Microjazz series helps the student develop musicianship and technique through

the familiar sounds and styles of popular music. It is this unique combination of

modern genres with traditional technique that has made Microjazz an international

27

success with teachers and players and one of the most widely used educational series

ever published. (Boosey and Hawkes 2007)

Kerin Bailey is a leading Australian composer of instrumental jazz and popular

music, ostensibly with the classically-trained player in mind. A number of Baileys

very good pieces are included in various AMEB woodwind and brass syllabi. Two of

these pieces are fifth grade clarinet pieces Stokers Siding and Wily Bossa from Jazz

Incorporated Volume 1, written for clarinet and piano. As the title suggests, this book

contains a spread of (eight) pieces from the jazz world. The soloist has chord

changes written on the clarinet part, though there are no instructions on how they can

be incorporated into a performance. Apart from broad instructions as to the nature of

each pieces style (swing or bossa nova and so on), there are no directions on

interpretation, ostensibly assuming a prior knowledge of these forms of music. Given

the AMEB has selected a number of pieces for various syllabi, some degree of

assistance in this regard would be of value to the uninitiated. Some pieces in the

book contain detailed articulation some are more sparsely marked. A CD with both

demonstration and backing tracks and a Jazz Incorporated Analyses book are

available separately.

Composed by Australian jazz clarinettist Andy Firth, Play Clarinet with Andy Firth

Book 1 contains sixteen pieces suitable for beginner to intermediate players in a

range of styles and keys and as appropriate for this level, none are more than one

page long. Some have indications such as lively swing with:

Others have more generic markings like Andante Misterioso. The pieces have a

piano accompaniment and backing CD, with both demonstration track and play-

along track. The composer advises use my performances as a guide and then

gradually try to devlop your own style and approach to each piece. (Firth 2003 p. 5)

This is a well written and conceived collection of pieces. Articulation and dynamic

markings are quite detailed overall. There is no advice on style other than the general

comment about hearing how the composer intends them to sound.

28

Jazzin About is a series of thirty-five books by Pamela Wedgwood, a prolific

English composer of instrumental music for the young player. Her music is

published by Faber Music, which informs the reader that she has achieved the

milestone of 500,000 sales. (Faber Music 2003) Jazzin About for clarinet/tenor sax

and piano comprises a number of pieces written in such styles as blues, rock, jazz

waltz, samba and lyrical. There is no CD included. The book commences with a

one-page introduction, containing a section addressed to teacher and student

separately. This gives an insight into the intention of the album, which, together with

consideration of the range of styles present, is not dissimilar to that of the works in

my folio. The authors address to the teacher at the beginning of the publication

demonstrates the intention of this work:

Jazzin About is an original collection of material written in popular rock and jazz styles. The pieces are arranged approximately in order of increasing difficulty and I hope that teachers will find this collection a useful addition to any teaching programme, providing a firm foundation for more advanced studies in this style of playing. Stimulating accompaniments for piano (or electric/electronic keyboard) will help the student to achieve scrupulous articulation of rhythmic patterns and familiarity with the feeling and characteristics of the music. One of the most important aspects of teaching a musical instrument is to ensure that the student enjoys what he or she plays. The study of varied idioms will encourage the pupil to progress faster both technically and musically. (Wedgwood 1992 p. 2)

There is no instruction given on style, though each piece does include reasonable

detail of articulation. The blues pieces are written primarily using the dotted

quaver/semiquaver rhythm. It is interesting to note the composer feels that despite

the absence of any instruction on jazz and popular music style, provision of

stimulating accompaniments will help the student to achieve scrupulous

articulation of rhythmic patterns and familiarity with the feeling and characteristics

of the music.

In the diversity of styles represented in Peter Wastalls Practice Sessions, it covers a

greater range than most books reviewed here. According to the composer, Practice

Sessions is an intermediate course which places the maximum emphasis on

developing expressive playing. Pieces and studies have been chosen which

29

encourage phrase shaping, rhythmical playing and dynamic control. (Wastall 1992

p. 2) He goes on to say that the book covers a range of styles including jazz, blues

and rock, as well as music from the established clarinet repertoire. (1992 p. 2)

Practice Sessions is structured in sections, usually two pages long, which focus on a

specific technique. Each of these sections includes both textual advice as well as

exercises and pieces based on that technique. Examples of this are staccato, playing

by ear, improvising, ornaments and glissando. The subject of one two-page section is

swing. It includes a brief reference to playing in a swing style and contains a couple

of pieces which make use of the less-favoured notation:

rather than the preferred

The standard of works in Practice Sessions is intermediate level. Neither a CD or

piano part comes with the book, though a piano accompaniment part for the pieces is

available in a separate book. The book also includes a fingering chart and table of

trills.

Written for clarinet and piano in 1991, Englishman Steve Pogson created The Way to

Rock, an album of pieces containing a good spread of popular music styles

appropriately written for the younger player. Some of the pieces include optional

solos, which take the form of written out improvised solos. It comes with a piano

accompaniment part and no CD. The pieces contain quite detailed phrasing and

articulation indications.

In the Foreword for each of the series 2 AMEB grade books for clarinet, Ann Blore

states Through its publications the board strives for the highest standard of editorial

presentation and offers advice on interpretation from some of the leading

practitioners in the country. (Australian Music Examinations Board and Bonetti

2000b p. 2)

As seen earlier in this chapter, in 2007, List C choices from the second grade clarinet

syllabus include works derived from the world of jazz and popular music, including

the following works from the AMEBs Clarinet Second Grade Series 2 publication -

Stranger On the Shore by Acker Bilk, Henry Mancinis The Pink Panther and

Cowboy Blues by Australian composer Peter de Vries. The book contains

30

performance notes for each piece however, the notes are brief and focus largely on

considerations of a technical nature more so than that of style. Other second grade

clarinet pieces include La Cinquantaine (The Golden Wedding) by J Gabriel-

Marie, (Second Grade Series 1) Spiritual or Gospel from Microjazz by

Christopher Norton and Jumping Jack from The Way to Rock by Steve Pogson. As

mentioned is the case with pieces from The Way to Rock, the pieces in Microjazz

contain no performance notes or other help in the area of style, other than articulation

markings on the music. Although the choices for a second grade examination in 2007

are considerably more wide and varied than in 1977, the publications, including the

AMEBs own, offer little in terms of advice or instruction for the classical clarinettist

or teacher wishing to gain greater insight into the stylistic qualities of each piece.

Of the other grade books for clarinet published by the AMEB, the Clarinet First

Grade Series 2 book contains a choice of two List C pieces, one of which is in a jazz

style. Star Quality by Paul Harvey is a swing adaptation of Twinkle, Twinkle Little

Star. Its swing feel is rhythmically represented by a combination of dotted quaver

and straight (even) quaver rhythms

rather than the more commonly used straight quaver approach

This approach could cause some confusion, as usually the notation of a swing piece

is consistently one way or the other, that is, either all quavers or all dotted quaver -

semiquaver. However, the approach to swing phrasing is appropriate and reflects the

current practice of accenting the second of a pair of quavers. This is achieved by the

implied accent in bar two of each example above, where the note G will be tongued

and therefore slightly featured, as well as the written accent on the note F in bar 3 of

each example.

where

31

In Clarinet Third Grade Series 2, one of the three List C choices is the iconic swing

piece Take Five by Paul Desmond. It is appropriately written entirely as straight

quavers, with the instruction

However, there is very little in the way of articulation markings. The absence of slurs

on the quavers below tells a classically-trained clarinetist to tongue all notes

It is still possible to achieve an appropriate swing style if all the quavers above were

tongued, but the tonguing would need to be discreet, as produced by articulating a

d sound. Classical players are far more likely to tongue with a clear, crisp t

sound, as has been my experience in examining this piece on numerous occasions. A

lazy, laid-back style is sought.

Clarinet Fourth Grade Series 2 also has one of three List C pieces in a style other

than classical music. The Oily Rag by Richard Percival is written in the style of a

rag, which by its nature contains a rhythmic pulse based on even quavers. As such, it

is more akin to a classically-orientated piece than one written in a swing style and

therefore more likely that a classically-trained musician would successfully achieve a

sense of style. Still, there are phrasing idiosyncrasies involved in playing a rag that

are not necessarily obvious to someone inexperienced in this area. The composer,

Percival, has been quite detailed in his application of articulatory markings, which is

beneficial to the player. The performance notes for this piece are minimal but apt -

Accents can be quite punchy and the staccato, crisp. Use the chromatic fingering for

F#, E#, F#. (Australian Music Examinations Board and Bonetti 2000a p.35)

However, there is little advice related to style for the player other than that implied

from the articulation and other detail on the music itself.

Overall, AMEB clarinet series 2 grade books from first grade to fourth grade contain

at least one piece in either a jazz or popular music style, as does one of the series 1

32

books. As has been seen, despite the inclusion of performance notes for all pieces in

the series 2 books, clear instruction aimed at achieving an understanding of style is

not a focus. The performance notes are useful and are well written, but for those

lacking experience in performing music from another genre, greater assistance is

desirable. An added issue which could further inhibit the chances of capturing the

nature of the music is the absence of detailed articulation and phrasing markings in

some of the works.

Summary

From this review it is clear that for the developing classical clarinet player and

teacher in pursuit of the study of a broad range of styles, a deficiency in resources

exists on a number of levels. On the whole, repertoire lacks diversity - as has been

seen, rarely is it found that jazz, popular and classical music styles are gathered

together in the one publication for clarinet. Whilst it can be said that an increase in

the number of works containing a range of styles exists, closer inspection shows that

the tendency is to vary styles within jazz or within popular music rather than to cross

over from jazz to classical to popular music.

Historically, in contrast to the generally illustrative and detailed nature of classical

sheet music, not all jazz and popular music scores contain the same scrupulousness

in the areas of phrasing, articulation, dynamics and tempo. For the young classically-

trained clarinettist and/or teacher striving to achieve stylistic accuracy and integrity,

pedagogical support to help achieve insight into how to execute and capture style

with a firm and clear understanding is often absent, or at most, implied.

In addition, solo classical clarinet music of the standard appropriate for the young,

developing player rarely contains instrumental techniques other than traditional ones

like trills, mordents, acciaccaturas and appoggiaturas. While it is understood that

certain instrumental techniques such as the use of multiphonics, extended range,

flutter tonguing and circular breathing are more suitable for the advanced player,

other more manageable techniques could be, though generally are not, incorporated

into music of the standard in question in this study.

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In the items reviewed here, any advice on strategies or tips for practice was of a

broad nature and not aimed at specific pieces. It should be noted that resources

containing suggestions for practice were almost exclusively method books rather

than those focusing on the study of repertoire and the nature of comments was

generally on a technical rather than musical level.

This research, therefore, aims to fill a gap in existing repertoire and teaching

materials by exposing student classical clarinet players to a resource that realises the

full scope of features discussed and in so doing extend repertoire choices and

contribute to the development of the young clarinettist and teacher as applicable, as

well as to the body of Australian music as whole.

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CHAPTER 3

Methodology for the Study

As has been demonstrated from the appraisal of resources in the previous chapter,

shortcomings in related resources for the young classically-trained clarinet player

seeking to play jazz and popular music styles have been the inspiration for this study.

It is acknowledged that some currently available literature contains certain useful

features related to the subject matter outlined, though I have found no existing work

which satisfies the complete range of criteria identified. Rather than distance any

findings from the perspective of a classical musician, a conscious attempt for this to

influence findings and methodologies is intended.

The mode of inquiry into existing repertoire as seen in the previous chapter took the

form of applied research, which The Australian Research Council describes as

original investigation undertaken in order to acquire new knowledge but is directed

primarily towards a specific, practical aim or objective. (Australian Government

Culture and Recreation Portal 2007) As articulated, the research is informed by both

the qualitative analysis and interpretation of similar existing modes of pedagogical

study and repertoire, as well as through empirical analysis of methods and techniques

over some thirty years in my capacity as a student and subsequently professional

musician and educator.

Consideration of numerous factors influenced the methodology chosen for this study.

The impact of one such issue was crucial in arriving at a suitable outcome the

likely age group of the intended recipients. The age of beginner to intermediate

clarinet players could be anywhere from approximately nine to sixteen years of age.

As a result, I determined the appropriate approach to take was through a combination

of praxis and theory, rather than one or the other, as in the case of a number of

resources reviewed in chapter 2. According to Denzin and Lincoln the field of

qualitative research is defined by a series of tensions, contradictions and hesitations.

(Denzin and Lincoln 2000 p. 24) Consistent with this thinking are the various

interpretative paradigms which provided the foundation for this research. The

dominant paradigms which drove the research process as a whole were aesthetics and

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critical theory. According to Bohman, a critical theory is adequate only if it

meets three criteria: it must be explanatory, practical, and normative, all at the same

time. (Bohman 2005)

Giving due consideration to all facets discussed, I concluded that an appropriate way

to advance knowledge in this area of contemporary clarinet repertoire and teaching

was to undertake the methodology of practice-led research through composing a

series of works and supporting exegesis. The University of Technology, Sydney

states Practice-led Research is concerned with the nature of practice and leads to

new knowledge that has operational significance for that practice. The main focus of

the research is to advance knowledge about practice, or to advance knowledge within

practice. (University of Technology Sydney Creativity and Cognition Studios 2007)

The nature of this study relates to current practice and will contribute to an improved

system through the creation of an original series of compositions, intended for use

beyond the research base. Gray maintains that practice-led research is research

initiated in practice and carried out through practice. (Gray 1996)

To avoid the replication of existing resources, I sought to extend knowledge in the

area through the inclusion of a number of features which formed the framework for

the study. Rather than create a set of etudes or exercises to use as a vehicle for the

studys purpose, I decided to compose a series of performance pieces containing

musical ingredients characteristic of each style, as a means of presenting an

educational platform with an emphasis on enjoyment and accessibility, given the age

group likely to be associated with this level of repertoire. To develop, support and

enhance the young students cognitive awareness, the strategy of a performance-

based model was favoured over a theoretical model. In the interests of developing the

(classical) players understanding of style and increasing practical skills, I created a

framework of components to work together with a common aim.

To realise the research and to position my works uniquely within the field of existing

related resources for the classical player, I formulated eleven guiding principles:

1. Create instrument-specific clarinet pieces written at a suitable standard.

Instrument-specific pieces needed to be written at a standard appropriate for beginner

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to intermediate classical clarinet players. I decided to compose the pieces for clarinet

with piano accompaniment, which reflects common practice in classical clarinet

literature. Its purpose was also to achieve a sense of ensemble, which is more

characteristic of jazz and popular music performance than solo performance. In terms

of the technical level and overall standard of each piece, the AMEB system was used

as a guide, the reasons for which will be outlined later.

2. Multi-genre approach

A range of archetypal jazz, popular music and classical styles needed to be selected

to reflect a multi-genre approach.

3. Based on classical technique

Essentially the pieces were intended for classical musicians. They were to be

vehicles for the development of stylistic understanding and to be of educational

value. As a result of these paradigmatic influences, I chose to base the pieces on the

rigours of classical technique, the reasons for which will be discussed shortly.

4. Judicious choices of melodic, harmonic and rhythmic content

Choices of melodic, harmonic and rhythmic content needed to be carefully

considered so as to create a collection of works which is not only educationally

stimulating and rewarding, but aesthetically pleasing, accessible and fun.

Importantly, the pieces had to be stylistically valid.

5. Thoughtful selection of titles and introductory description on the music.

With the younger player in mind, titles needed to be carefully considered and

introductions included at the beginning of each piece to be informative and to

contribute to the players enjoyment level.

6. Semiotics

Substantial and detailed use of signs, symbols, terms and other musical markings on

the sheet music were considered important as a means of advising players in the

areas of phrasing, accent and inflection, dynamics, tempo, rhythmic subdivision and

beat to help convey a sense of the general feel and mood of the music. Frequent and

thorough use of musical signs and symbols such as tenuto, staccato and various

37

accents was considered a key factor in assisting the student achieve an awareness and

understanding of style.

7. Phonetics

The practical application of the presence of musical markings as well as the effect

caused by their absence were influencing factors in consideration of the development

of a speech-related musical language for the clarinet player.

8. Wide dynamic range

The quality of performance of notation or repertoire-based musicians relies in part on

the players control of tone, timbre, intonation, technique, pitch range and dynamic

range. A wide dynamic range allows for a broader range of expressive possibilities

creating more opportunities to make an impact on the listener.

9. A range of instrumental techniques

In addition to the inclusion of the features already mentioned, I decided to introduce

a number of extended (non - traditional) instrumental techniques not normally

associated with music of this level.

10. Guide to style annotation and representation

As a further means of informing the inexperienced player or teacher about style, the

inclusion of a style guide section was considered important. I gave consideration to

how this should be laid out. What form should it take? Should it be positioned

adjacent to the music or be on the sheet music itself? Should it consist only of text?

Would this be best achieved through the use of annotation and representation? How

wordy should this aspect be? Consideration of the implication of semantic

variables for this section was critical. In the interests of clarity, I decided that

directions given needed to be as simple and concise as possible.

11. Practice strategies section to be included

The final feature chosen for inclusion was a section which offered strategies for

practicing specific pieces and features within. I felt this would be very valuable for

both student and teacher. Depending upon the age, maturity level and work ethic of