Clarinet characteristics in music therapy practice
An attraction to the particular sound of the clarinet
It was generally felt that many clients were attracted to the sound of the instrument and would either specifically request it, or show pleasure when it was played. One clarinettist wondered whether the clarinet sound was a maternal sound, or whether it caused special types of vibrations. For some clients it was particularly important that the clarinet was a ‘proper’ instrument rather than an educational school percussion instrument.
Eliciting vocalisations
All of the clarinettists felt that the tone quality of the clarinet is similar to the voice. The clarinet was successfully used to encourage clients to vocalise and then to have non-verbal dialogue with the client using both the clarinet and the voice. The instrument was also used to mirror intonation and match the speaking voice. In addition it was mentioned that the expressive qualities of the clarinet could help clients with monotone voices to introduce more variation in their spoken voices.
Mobility
All four clarinettists mentioned the fact that playing the clarinet in music therapy sessions allowed them to be mobile, either to walk around the room with the client, or to be by their bedside or on the floor. This is also mentioned in the existing literature (Salkeld 2008, p.151 and Oldfield 2006a, p.34).
The therapist’s own instrument
All the clarinettists felt it was important to play their own instrument and that some clients particularly valued the fact that the clarinet was the therapist’s personal instrument.
Playfulness
Three clarinettists mentioned using the clarinet to be playful with their clients, running around the room, playing ‘peek-a-boo’, or accompanying movements in a humorous way. One clarinettist mentioned engaging a group of children by getting them to guess what was in the clarinet case and how many pieces it was divided up into.
A physical link between the therapist and the client
It was mentioned several times that the clarinet can be played directly opposite the client, which can be an advantage when attempting to interact or communicate. Clients would sometimes touch the bell of the clarinet to feel the vibrations, and the instrument could provide a physical link between the client and the therapist.
Combining the clarinet with other wind instruments such as reed horns
Clarinet playing can provide an incentive for clients to master the technique of blowing, and then create an opportunity for turn-taking and exchange. It helps that wind players have to stop playing at times to take a breath, and these pauses can then be used to dramatic effect. This is clear from the case material in this chapter, as well as from the previous literature by Oldfield (2006a).
Associating the clarinet with specific events
The clarinet was often specifically chosen by clients and in some cases associated with clear events, such as an activity involving walking around the room. Clients and relatives took pride in this definite choice. In one case the clarinettist was able to link into the child’s past interest in becoming a soldier by marching around the room playing the clarinet. In another case the client had a particular preference for a famous piece of clarinet music, which the therapist was able to explore in the session.
Accompanying breathing or breathy sounds
This was mentioned as a special feature of the clarinet, enabling the clarinettist to follow the client’s breathing and use a combination of breathy clarinet tones and vocalisations to play with clients with very limited abilities.
Eliciting responses through special effects
Playing with the mouthpiece on its own, glissandi, bending notes and squeaks were all mentioned as ways to surprise, engage or be humorous.
Characteristic tone colour of the clarinet
The fact that the clarinet has a very distinct sound allows music therapists to accompany chaotic synthesiser music or weave a melodic line under a sung melody. One music therapist wondered whether the distinct clarinet sound made it easier for children with a weak sense of self to distinguish between themselves and the therapist. The specific clarinet sound was also used as a contrast to the violin sound in a music therapy group to encourage children to listen, and follow either one or the other.
References
Oldfield, A. (2006a) Interactive Music Therapy, A Positive Approach to Melody. London, UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Oldfield, A. (2006b) Interactive Music Therapy in Child and Family Psychiatry – Clinical Practice, Research and Teaching. London, UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Rogers, C. (1957) ‘The Necessary and Sufficient Conditions of Therapeutic Personality Change.’ Journal of Consulting Psychology 21, 2, 95–103.
Salkeld, C. (2008) ‘Music Therapy after Adoption: The Role of Family Therapy in Developing Secure Attachments in Adopted Children.’ In A. Oldfield and C. Flower (eds) Music Therapy with Children and Their Families. London, UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Stern, D. (1985) The Interpersonal World of the Infant. New York, NY: Basic Books.
CHAPTER 2
The Piano Accordion
Contributors: Susan Greenhalgh, Dawn Loombe
(introduction and case vignettes – these case vignettes
also include case material by Harriet Powell,
Bert Santilly and Michael Ward-Bergeman)
Introduction
Accordions and their close relatives, the harmonica, melodeon, concertina and bandoneon are all descendants of the Chinese sheng – an ancient mouth-blown free-reed instrument consisting essentially of vertical pipes and dating from around 2700 BC.
Early accordions first appeared in Europe in the 1820s and in the USA slightly later in the 19th century, though there are conflicting accounts as to exactly where, when and by whom the original accordions were built. The first accordions to arrive in Britain were actually melodeons (button accordions, each button producing two different notes on the push and pull of the bellows) and were used by music hall performers, Scottish folk musicians and later by English Morris dance musicians.
Accordions with piano keyboards were developed in 1852 by Parisian Jacques Bouton and by the beginning of the 20th century the accordion’s bass keyboard had been developed sufficiently to provide accompaniments in all keys. These relatively new piano accordions gained popularity in the UK from the late 1920s, when they began to be imported from Italy and introduced into dance bands to produce more authentic-sounding tangos. Pianist George Scott-Wood imported a piano accordion from Italy in 1927 and became Britain’s first professional accordion player. The 1920s and ’30s also saw the rapid expansion of cinema, with accompanying organ entertainment – usually on a Wurlitzer or Compton organ – and ‘the arrival of the piano accordion in Britain’s music stores in large quantities from 1927 onwards…allowed the possibility of owning and playing what was virtually a small-scale theatre organ capable of playing all the popular songs and tunes of the time’ (Howard 2005, p.16).
However, from the mid-1950s the accordion’s popularity began to slump and it quickly became a very unfashionable instrument. Rock and roll music had introduced the guitar to popular culture, and the guitar was ‘cool’, relatively inexpensive (especially compared to the accordion), accessible and easy to play; learning to strum a few simple chords allowed the playing of many pop songs of the day. Young people were keen to emulate admired guitar heroes and a different kind of pop music emerged. At the same time, there was a general decline in the popularity of variety shows, and the accordion became very passé, generally an object of ridicule in the world of music.
In recent years, though, the accordion has seen a rebirth of interest,