Klarinet Archive - Posting 000109.txt from 1996/09

From: Jacqueline Eastwood <eastwooj@-----.EDU>
Subj: Re: Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique
Date: Thu, 12 Sep 1996 19:21:47 -0400

On Thu, 12 Sep 1996, Laurence Liberson wrote:

> David Niethamer said:
>
> > Of course this doesn't solve your Eb clarinet problem, because, while
> > *you* are warmed up, your Eefer is not!
> >
>
> Exactly!

But that's OK, because I've done "the switch" before and know I can
handle it!

>
> Depending on the number of clarinetists in the section, you have a
> few options:
>
> 1) Although I've done this a couple of times, I wouldn't choose to
> play the 1st part as written (playing both big and little clarinets,
> that is!). Frankly, I don't know too many 1st players who would!
>
> 2) As per David's experience, you could play second and switch for
> the last movement, being sure to keep the E-flat warm.
>
> 3) Since we have four in our section, we don't have that problem,
> and with a university orchestra you probably don't either: The 1st
> player plays 1st, the 2nd player plays 2nd and the E-flat player sits
> on the stage waiting to play the last movement (while the 1st player
> catches up on his/her reading!). That's what we do most of the time.
> I just make it my point (as the E-flat player, naturally!) to play
> along occasionally in the louder tutti spots, especially in the
> "March to the Scaffold," in which I play practically the entire
> movement on my E-flat.

So are you reading off the second player's part at this point? That
would be a good solution in a professional situation -- just to play a
little to warm up. However, we're talking student orchestra here. I'd
probably drown out the entire second row of winds if I tried that too
much. Not to mention how affronted people can get when you start playing
along with "their" parts It's a touchy one.

It's a tough job, being an Eb player. Sure, if you sound great, you're
the god/goddess of the clarinet world, but all it takes is one squawk to
knock you off the top of the heap. You get to sit for entire movements,
long enough to get really nervous, then come in on an exposed solo,
screw it up, then sit for another entire movement and stew about how
awful that last solo was!

I must be nuts.

.> > After all, since the 1st player gets
hanged at the end of that > movement, somebody has to take up the slack!
>
> Good luck!
>
> Larry Liberson
> Detroit Symphony Orchestra
> hardreed@-----.com
>
Thanks for the input, Larry!

Jacqueline