Klarinet Archive - Posting 000696.txt from 1997/08

From: Richard Lahrson <tripspud@-----.net>
Subj: Re: Playing Bass clarinet AND clarinet
Date: Sun, 17 Aug 1997 11:05:48 -0400

SCM9348@-----.com wrote:
>
> This subject got brought up the last time I (under a different email name)
> asked for opinions on clarinets. First of all, I have been playing bass
> clarinet almost exclusively an d taking lessons for 8 years, and have been
> playing in school since the 6th grade. I took up clarinet about a year ago
> first as a hobby and now to march in the NMSU Pride band, and as I look at
> everything now, I think that starting out on the bass WAS harder, but it
> helped me overall. Everyone is saying that the "serious musician" is going
> to start on clarinet first and then add bass to your bag of tricks later on.
> Well, I think that if the student is serious, that they shouldn't just be
> relying on school to give them all the skills they need. They have to take
> an interest in what they play for their own personal satisfaction -- I really
> did. When I'd see the clarinets playing all the 32nd notes while I was just
> keeping the beat, I'd go home and do something like that.. I've played a
> bunch of popular clarinet solos on bass (Mozart, Weber, Hindemith, Poulenc,
> et al) with great comments from everyone, and not until I started reading
> this did I come to find out that it was not the right thing to do. Anyway,
> now that I'm playing clarinet at school, I found out that all that extra work
> I did to keep up paid off, it didn't take long at all for me to make some
> minor adjustments and hold my own in anything thrown at me. I still like to
> be associated primarily with the bass and will play the part anytime they ask
> me! My point before I put eveyrone to sleep is that not all bass
> clarinetists are going to be musically deficient and that if they don't care
> enough personally to better themselves then they probably shouldn't go pro.
>
> --Stephen C. Moore / scm9348@-----.
Backgroud.