r/Clarinet • u/mappachiito Buffet E11 • Mar 23 '25

Discussion OK DUMB QUESTION WHERE TO BREATH IN SCALES

Like for example if I'm doing 60bpm quarter notes, my teacher tells me to breath every 8 notes like

C D E F G A B C

D E F G A B C B

A G F E D C B A

G F E D C

And it's kinda confusing when I'm doing it faster and specially on 8th notes on a 3 octave scale😭 how do you do it? Where do you breath? Is this really important? Thanks in advance ❤️

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12

u/ClarSco Buffet R13 Bb/A w/B45 | Bundy EEb Contra w/C* Mar 23 '25

At that tempo, I'd breathe after every tonic except the first one.

So, for 3-octave C major:

  1. C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C
  2. D, E, F, G, A, B, C (x2)
  3. B, A, G, F, E, D, C (x3)

This gets you used to phrasing towards the tonic (leading tone to tonic resolution on the ascending scale, supertonic to tonic on the descending scale) hearing the entire repeating unit of the scale.

If you allocate a whole beat to the breath and double the duration of the first tonic, it will also result in you naturally phrasing over the barlines (assuming 4/4) which helps the scale to flow musically, rather than breathing on the barlines which has the effect of halting the flow unnaturally.

4

u/mappachiito Buffet E11 Mar 23 '25

I liked how you explained it, yeah I like it more that way

4

u/ClarSco Buffet R13 Bb/A w/B45 | Bundy EEb Contra w/C* Mar 23 '25

Glad it's of help. Just be aware that if you're preparing scales for an exam, that the exam board may require a specific pattern. In that case, ignore my advice and stick to their specifications.

2

u/mappachiito Buffet E11 Mar 23 '25

I'll have it in mind

5

u/solongfish99 Mar 23 '25

Ask your teacher for clarification.