Klarinet Archive - Posting 000887.txt from 1998/01

From: "Gene Nibbelin" <gnibbelin@-----.com>
Subj: Re: Concert Band - Favorite Clarinet Parts
Date: Wed, 21 Jan 1998 17:46:39 -0500

Gary - How often have you had to play "Lassus Trombone"?

Your clarinet section is certainly justified in complaining about trying to
play violin parts on a clarinet. I saw the futility of trying to "be" a
violin when a member of the University of Illinois Concert Band back in
1946-47-48. There is no way that even the best clarinetists can play as
fast and accurately as a good violinist. It simply is not physically
possible. The clarinet is not meant to be a violin.

And since I'm on a bit of a soap box, I'm sure that most orchestra
professionals out there who had a lot of band experience, will agree that
band playing can teach you a lot of bad playing habits that are very
detrimental to orchestra playing with its largely solo role. "Cutting and
Covering", hoping to get as many notes as possible in very fast passages
and hoping another player will get the ones that you missed, is but one of
the band-learned practices that has no place in orchestra.

If I had been doing serious practicing during those hundreds of hours spent
in Marching Band and Concert Band rehearsals at old U of I, I might have
felt that I was accomplishing something towards a playing career and have
stayed with it.

So it is my OPINION that all you aspiring high school and college students
out there who are working towards a symphony or solo career, trade your
band rehearsal time for practice time and orchestra and ensemble playing.
Time thus spent will pay great dividends later. If no orchestra or
ensemble playing is available, PRACTICE!!! PRACTICE!!! PRACTICE!!!

Gene Nibbelin
----------
> From: Gary_VanCott@-----.com
> To: klarinet@-----.us
> Subject: Concert Band - Favorite Clarinet Parts
> Date: Wednesday, January 21, 1998 2:23 PM
>
>
> Last night in the Community College Band (mostly community, hardly any
> college) the clarinetists were complaining about playing yet another
piece
> with transcribed violin parts.
>
> The conductor, a trombone player, admitted that he tends to pick out
things
> he likes, mostly with great brass parts. So he said, "What do you want to
> play?"
>
> So what do you think. What pieces for concert band have especially
> enjoyable clarinet parts?
>
> One of my own favorites is Suite of Old American Dances, but we played
that
> last year.
>
> Gary Van Cott
> Las Vegas, NV
>