Here are some of the aspects of playing that you can work on. This can be used as a reference material but by no means as a standard. There are many many aspects that are not covered inside this article. Feel free to email me at williamlim.spd@gmail.com if you feel that there are important aspects that i did not cover.
Possible Aspects:
- Breathing
- Taking in full air each time you play
- Using the correct way of breathing (diaphragmatic breathing)
- Ensuring that the body is relaxed when you are breathing
- Make sure the shoulders do not "rise up" when you breathe
- The speed of breathing in (according to tempo and subsequently the subdivisions)
- Body should move foward slightly when breathing
- From the mouth, through the windpipe, into the stomache
- Blowing
- Air speed should be fast
- Body should be relaxed
- The entire waist should push outwards
- Able to maintain a constant output of air
- Increasing the time you can hold a note
- Increasing dynamic range
- Stamina
- Tongueing
- Clarity
- Placement of tongue
- before starting a note (on the reed)
- after starting a note (holding the tongue at the minimum distance which does not affect the sound)
- Speed
- Stamina - the ability to tongue a note at a consistent tempo
- The syllable used (e.g. Ti, Ta, Da, La)
- Co-ordination with fingers
- Staccato / Legato / Marcato / etc...
- Fingerworks
- Precision
- Co-ordination with fingers
- Speed
- Distance from keys (should be minimal)
- Position
- Training the weaker fingers (the pinky)
- Posture
- No slouching
- Elbows should be relaxed at the side
- Shoulders should be dropped and relaxed
- Both legs should be on the ground
- Look straight
- Score-reading
- Sight-reading
- Rhythm
- Accidentals
- Dynamic markings
- Analysis
- Theory
- Scales / Arpeggios
- Major / Minor / Diminished /etc...
- Exercises / Studies
- Eveness and Ease
- Chromatic
- Embouchure
- No leaking of air at the sides
- Firm grip of the mouthpiece but no biting
- Grip using more of the side muscles and not so much of the lower lip
- Syllable used (e.g. oo, yu, ee)
- Stamina
