Klarinet Archive - Posting 000088.txt from 1998/09

From: Roger Garrett <rgarrett@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Starting on Bass Clarinet (was Re: [kl] Children and Clarinet Playing)
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1998 18:48:49 -0400

On Thu, 3 Sep 1998, Edmund William White wrote:

> On Thu, 3 Sep 1998, Gary Van Cott wrote:
>
> > I know it doesn't work that way in our schools, but I believe that someone
> > who is serious about the clarinet (even a serious amateur), should NEVER
> > EVER make the bass clarinet their primary instrument.
> >
> Why not? I can safely say that the bass clarinet is my primary
> instrument and I'm just as serious as anyone else at my university.
>
> Ed White

Perhaps a clarificaton? Someone who is serious about attaining a degree
in music, whether it be performance, education, or bachelor of arts in
music, should never make the bass clarinet their primary instrument.

There are many, many reasons........a primary one being the lack of high
quality literature for the bass clarinet. Beyond that, a music
performance major will never land a job with a professional orchestra
that will pay the bills by having clarinet as a secondary instrument.
Finally, while the ability to play bass clarinet and/or clarinet stems
from the ability to play the other, a great deal less success occurs going
from bass to soprano. There are simply too many issues inherent with the
problems of the bass clarinet to allow such transfer to succeed as well as
going from soprano to bass....especially if the student waits until after
high school to begin seriously on the soprano.

However, if a non-music major wants to have, as his primary instrument,
bass clarinet - I'm all for it! They can have fun in band, play bass
clarinet parts (only) in orchestra, and continue on in community bands and
orchestras the rest of their life. Plenty to do there!

Roger Garrett
IWU

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