Help w/harmonics

[B6L]

I have been following the "getting started "routines for about 23 weeks now and I feel very at home with doing Caruso every day.
My question is this, in week 4 we add the harmonic exercise (up to high C),week 6 add the D3,week 8 keep increasing to the next higher harmonic,one a week as I was doing. Well I got up to the G (in 8th. notes as you explained up and back down ) and progress just stopped, that was MANY weeks ago.

Every day when I get to the harmonic part of the routine I really push myself and it feels as if there is a wall. I was thinking of starting back on the orginal harmonic ex. (up to high C ) and getting a running start.............by the way on the tonguing ex. I am up to middle c to g and I have yet to make it all the way through the exercise.
What do we do when progress seems to stop? I'm not so much worried about the interval ex. because some days are better then others, but the harmonics always stop at the same note.......G

Nate
_________________
Freedom lies not in conforming to the world's expectations or even realizing what we take to be our deepest wishes; it lies in following the call in our lives.

[_bugleboy]

Nate,

Remember that progress should not be measured by how far you can make it on the intervals or with the Harmonics. Be sure that you're following the Four Rules and just do them. You could add the A4 to the Harmonics, even though you may only get air when you go for that note, or stay with the G4 for now. Twenty-three weeks is good for getting a schedule established, as you seem to have done. Good job! Now you just keep doing it.

Have you started the Clarke in the Caruso manner? That would be good for you to get started on. Also, the Bugs Bower Rhythms Complete book would be another one to get on.

I spent two years on the tonguing exercise C - G. Not that that time frame should apply to you. I'm just recounting my own experience. Also, I recently did some dabbling with my embouchure and found that the tonguing from G3 - C3 wasn't working well, so I moved it back to C2 - G3 for the last couple of months. I may move it back up soon or I may keep it here for a while longer. The calisthenics are like chin-ups, push-ups, squats, sit-ups, etc. You just do them. A favorite analogy Carmine used to cite are the tires that football players jump through in practice. He would then ask if the tires were on the field during the game. Of course they aren't. So, the point was that the tires were used as a drill to PREPARE the player to play the game. That's what calisthenics are supposed to do; prepare you to play music. Don't make musical judgements about them, like how far you get. That's a musical judgement, i.e., RANGE. Or how they sound. That's a musical judgement: TONE. Just do them. And then practice your music.

You said, "I'm not so much worried about the interval ex. because some days are better then others." You should think of every day as being just as good as the day before, as long as you are following the Four Rules. You're doing them! There are no A, B, C, grades for the Caruso exercises. It's either pass or nothing. If you do them correctly you get an A (pass). If you don't do them you get no grade. The kid that gets to an E2 on the first blow gets the same grade as the advanced student who gets to a C4.

Measure your progress by how much your music playing improves.

[B6L]

Thanks for the help!!
I'll keep going for the A on the harmonic exercise and just not think about it, same with the tonguing. I have learned that my range and sound while doing Caruso does not represent my actual range and sound, but both (in my normal playing) are improving slowly.
I have started Clark ala Caruso,I am now on week 4. I 've been doing Baermann the way PH explained,that book has REALLY helped connect my low and middle register to the upper register.

Thanks again..............Nate

[ This Message was edited by: B6L on 2002-09-05 12:54 ]