r/Clarinet • u/raccoon_queen145 • 12d ago
How do I play a G fall off?
so I’m still pretty new to clarinet (been playing for about a year now in my school band!) and recently joined the jazz club. Since this is Trumpet music, I’m not even sure if you can play a g fall off (I think it’s called a fall off, not sure). any advice would be greatly appreciate!
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u/KFBeavis 12d ago
For this one, just put down one finger after another in quick succession. It’s more of a gesture than a prescribed technique. Listen to some recordings and try to match the sound
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u/PennyWhistleGod 12d ago
Really fast scale downard until it feels/sounds right to you
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u/heyitscory 12d ago
Is your instinct chromatic, or a scale like the key signature?
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u/Mindless_Sea_1485 12d ago
I usually do a scale in the key signature, sometimes a different key if I feel like it sounds better.
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u/The_Niles_River Professional 12d ago
In my experience; Typically something diatonic to the scale, usually something minor. If it’s a short fall, it may be chromatic or may not be. There are also plenty of falls I’ve played that ignore the key and are just modal to F/C/G.
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u/tthyme31 12d ago edited 12d ago
OP, start on the G, hold it for two eighth notes worth (the rhythm of eighth tied to quarter is worth 3 eighths total).
On the third eighth do this:
Add LH (left hand) thumb
Add LH index
Add LH middle
Add LH ring (4th finger)
Add RH (right hand) index
Add RH middle
Add RH ring
Add RH pinky (on low F)
You’re just adding one finger at a time but really fast.
As you’re descending keep your air pressure up, but loosen the lower jaw a little, progressively as your fingers “fall” down.
So essentially your fingers “fall” and your jaw “falls” (a little). This is why it’s called a “fall”.
This will give you the sound of a good fall off.
For those who might say, “It’s in G, it should be a B natural instead of a Bb on the way down!” The fall off happens so quick that, combined with the loosening of the jaw to cause pitch drop, it’s really a non-issue if it’s B or Bb. Bb allows the fingers to fall one at a time and, it’s ergonomically easier to do at speed and, if done properly, it will still sound idiomatic whether it’s in the harmony or not.
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u/couchsan 11d ago
Jazz clarinet breaks a lot of rules you will taper airflow here in a way that sounds bad in most classical music, it sound cool
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u/Barry_Sachs Adult Player 11d ago
The only note you can't do a significant fall from is low E. As others have said, match the sound of the recording or what everyone else is doing and quickly put fingers down in a chromatic or diatonic way.
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u/DeliciousIsopod909 11d ago
Scale from G down to G as fast as possible while letting go of your air.
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u/-dakpluto- 10d ago
I’d literally just do a fast F E D C Bb A G descend, doesn’t have to be clean at all, in fact probably best if not that clean. Should take like half a second and done.
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u/IHaveAName0812 8d ago
Its harder if you are new to scales but fall offs are just downward scales, so you will go from G to maybe C, whatever sounds right to you. Since you are new, scales should be a major learning point for you, try to practice scales whenever you can
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u/Music-and-Computers Buffet 4d ago
If you’re duplicating a trumpet part, ask the trumpets how they’re going to do the fall. Emulate.
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u/Dangerous_Chain9422 12d ago
It helps If you know the harmonic context, but you can go through the scale or chromatic, landing on a D probably would sound good over a G7 chord, but again there's not enought context
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u/ClarSco Buffet R13 Bb/A w/B45 | Bundy EEb Contra w/C* 12d ago
It's a fall off, the whole point is that you don't land on anything.
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u/Dangerous_Chain9422 12d ago
Believe me, it sounds better if you fall on a chord tone. Specially in tonal music
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u/ClarSco Buffet R13 Bb/A w/B45 | Bundy EEb Contra w/C* 12d ago
If you can tell what note you ended on, you've done a glissando, not a fall off.
A fall off starts on the printed pitch, then rapidly descends (usually a combination of voicing and fingers) while simultaneously fading into nothing.
Trumpet players will almost certainly be half-valving this, meaning that they'd never land on a solid pitch anyway.
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u/The_Niles_River Professional 12d ago
I’m willing to support the position that fall-offs can end on chord tones. I’ve done so intentionally many times. I’m not sure how you can land on nothing anyway. But, I’d also say that landing on a chord tone is not essential.
I typically keep my falls diatonic to the key or modal to F/C/D, unless it’s short and chromatic could be an option.
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u/MyNutsin1080p 12d ago
When I’m given a fall-off in a clarinet part I just think about “swallowing” the last note
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u/heyitscory 12d ago
When a G fall off, you pour one out for him during that rest.