What Lead Claude To Pedals?

[MF Fan]

The usefulness of pedal tones is a common subject debated across many of the TrumpetHerald forums. Obviously they're a central element of the Claude Gordon method. In an anti-pedal forum recently someone recounted a story where Herbert Clarke commented about the negative effects pedals was having on a fellow player. It was implied that Clark was anti-pedal tone. Knowing that Claude was studied with Clarke for a number of years, I'm curious as to what lead him(Claude) to pedals, considering his mentor was supposedly against them.

I have no axe to grind either way, I'm just curious.

[John Mohan]

Herbert L. Clarke was not "Anti-Pedalnote". He did in fact (like Claude) believe that playing the Pedals incorrectly would cause harm to a player. And he also felt (as did Claude) that too much practice in the extreme registers (both low and high) could cause more harm than good.

In an exercise on Page 53 of his book, "Elementary Studies", Herbert L. Clarke gives the range of a cornet or trumpet to be from Double Pedal C to Double High C. In the text above the Exercise he states, "These examples show the extended range of the Cornet, made possible through training the lips to be flexible and generating the power of the chest and diaphragm."

Note that back then, the diaphragm was erroneously thought to contribute to the air-power of wind instrumentalists and singers. It is now known that the diaphragm is an involuntary muscle and that it is actually the muscles of the chest, back and abdomen that are developed by wind instrumentalists and singers.

In addition to his many years studying with Herbert L. Clarke, after Clarke’s death Claude went on to study with Louis Maggio for several years. The Part 1 and Part 2 Exercises from Claude’s “Systematic Approach” book that go down into the Pedals and up into the upper register are modified and improved versions of Maggio’s developmental exercises, and Claude’s text description of how to properly play the Pedals is basically the same as Maggio’s description as described by Carlton MacBeth in his book on the Maggio Exercises.

Sincerely,

John Mohan
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Trumpet Player, Clinician & Teacher
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Ex LA Studio Musician
16 Year Claude Gordon Student

[_bugleboy]

John,

"In an exercise on Page 53 of his book, "Elementary Studies", Herbert L. Clarke gives the range of a cornet or trumpet to be from Double Pedal C to Double High C. In the text above the Exercise he states, "These examples show the extended range of the Cornet, made possible through training the lips to be flexible and generating the power of the chest and diaphragm."

Do you happen to know if HLC had any pedal exercises that he practiced and/or assigned to his students. Ideally something that was actually published. Is it possible that he assigned pedal tone drills to CG when CG was studying with him. It's no secret that on another forum, there are innuendos that HLC was opposed to the concept of pedal tones. But if that were so, how could he state that the range of the cornet could be extended into the pedal register, even to double pedal C?

Sincerely,

Charles Raymond

[ This Message was edited by: bugleboy on 2002-10-20 12:28 ]

[mcstock]

The most complete statement I've seen directly from Clarke on pedals tones appeared in a magazine called, "Jacobs Band Monthly" (Volume 21, September 1936, page 26). Clarke, and a number of other prominent musicians, regularly answered questions from readers.

"Q. I should like your opinion about the possibility of extending the range of the cornet above high C.

A. With a firm foundation and control of the embouchure and wind-power, the altissimo or higher register of the cornet can be played and octave higher than "top C," and several wonderful players have extended the the scale a fifth above double-octave C to altissimo G, two octaves above G on the top space; also in the lower register, to pedal C, below C on the ledger line below the staff; and still another octave below pedal C. Still other skilled cornetists can go a fourth below double pedal C, to the G below this, making the compass or range 6 full octaves, or seven Gs. I have heard several wonderful players do this stunt, with a full musical tone in this register and have also proved that it is possible myself."

In the February 1990 ITG Journal, James Madeja has compiled these brief writings of Clarke together with interviews of former students (including Claude Gordon & Jimmy Maxwell) into an outstanding article titled, "The Herbert L. Clarke Method of Cornet Playing". The article doesn't add anything to the quotation above regarding pedals, but is a valuable resource on Clarke's approach to the instrument.

All this, unfortunatly, leaves unanswered the questions, "Did Clarke teach pedal tone to his students?" and if he did "At what point in their development and for what purposes?" I'll hazzard a guess, based on Clarke's well know statement that, "A drop of medicine will cure, but a tablespoon will kill" that he probably showed this technique to some students, but not others. But that's only a guess.

Does anyone know of any Clarke students who are still living and might be willing to shed some light on this discussion?

Best wishes,
Matt Stock

[trumpetteacher1]

All,

My guess is that Clarke did not teach pedals. He certainly did not write exercises for them (and he wrote as lot).

John, your use of the word "improved" when describing Claude's version of the Maggio exercises, is debatable. "Extended" or "expanded" might be better choices.

According to Rafael Mendez, Maggio learned all his pedal stuff from hanging around Mendez. Mendez learned it from his father.

Jeff
http://www.trumpetteacher.net

[Matt Graves]

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