Photo of the day - 28: Countdown to my clarinet exam

I'll have this tune in my head right up to exam day!

I am still getting my act together to take my first clarinet exam in just under a month's time. It shouldn't be too hard, as this is just Grade 1. I am not a complete beginner, but I have never taken exams - just been self-taught, playing various tunes and working through my Klosé method book. But earlier this year I decided to formalise my skills as a clarinet player, and work through the grades. The above is one of the tunes I plan to play. Minuets are always quite fun. When playing, I picture couples in a room dressed in Baroque costumes, dancing a waltz and giving each other the eye like in the Dangerous Liaisons film. They probably won't want to dance to my playing, but I like to let my imagination wander! The reality is there won't be anyone dancing, but just an ever observant examiner to make sure I'm tonguing, slurring and fingering in the right place! And then I'll get on with some clarinet playing!

The other tunes on my list are Mama Paquita, and Cantilena.  My biggest challenge, aside from not getting too nervous when playing, is to have the CD player ready at the right place. In the absence of a live pianist to play along with me, the London College of Music board allow us to use backing tapes for songs. Hopefully everything will come together on the day. So I will sign off here and get back to my practicing - both in playing the songs and in pressing the play button!

   

Photo of the day - 21: At Cherry Pie Music for my first clarinet lesson

Cherry Pie Music School for clarinet lessons and various other instruments 

This quaint looking place near South Wimbledon is a music school. That's where I went for my first clarinet lesson. I figured that if I have an exam in a month's time it would be good to get in a few lessons and to have an expert assess my playing. I have self-taught myself over the years, using a mixture of You Tube, and years before that ever existed, the great Klosé Method Manual with its gazillions of drills. Recently, I thought it would be a good idea to formalize my level by doing the grades, so in the first instant I am starting at the very beginning, a very good place to start! My Grade 1 exam syllabus seems fairly straightforward with short basic tunes and easy scales; the whole exam only lasts 15 minutes, so I am feeling pretty relaxed about it. I wasn't best prepared when I arrived at the place. I was a little hot and bothered from having done the one-mile brisk walk from where I'd parked at the shopping centre. Then I had to put on my mask on my arrival, which made me quite hot. So I spent a few minutes stripping off my layers of clothing before I could take out and assemble my clarinet. Given that this was only a half-hour lesson I didn't want to waste any more time so I got straight into playing without properly dampening the reed. I was also a bit nervous, and hadn't practiced for a few days. I'm sure I didn't sound that good. However, to my surprise the teacher said that I had played well enough to pass the exam. I would need to do more breathing exercises to support the higher notes better and give fullness - but for Grade 1 that's more like the cherry on the cake. That's very reassuring. I look forward to having more lessons; as it is classed as a school it may well remain open even if London moves into Tier 3 lockdown. The place is set up with social distancing taken into account. You wear a mask until you enter the tuition room. The tuition room is divided into two, with a perspex glass to separate the pupil from the teacher. The teacher has a mask and a personal protection perspex face covering, though she removed it once behind the perspex. So it all seemed pretty safe.  Here's hoping my clarinet playing doesn't get too disrupted.

Photo of the day - 2: Playing the clarinet (at least trying)!

I first played the clarinet about 30 years ago, as something to do when I first moved to Paris. Although I got to a decent level, I didn't take any of the exams. As this seems to be the year when people are taking up/revisiting hobbies during lockdown I have decided to get back into clarinet playing and do the grades.  The deadline for applying for the exam is next week, so I just need to decide whether to go with the Royal Society of Music or London College of Music. As the exams are identical, it will come down to the one with the nearest exam centre to where I live. I practice around 45 minutes per day. Hopefully my neighbours don't mind the noise, and I do try at least to make that noise tuneful! I must say, clarinet playing is more physically taxing than I realised. As a youngster I'd play for hours without thinking about it. Nowadays, I have to balance that carefully with the sport I do! Oooh, I'm getting old!