Klarinet Archive - Posting 000648.txt from 1998/11

From: "Carl Schexnayder" <carlsche@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] "weak" bass clarinets
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1998 21:47:05 -0500

Hi'

There are many possibilities as to what may be causing the problem you
mention, (any of which may or may not be true in your situation):
1. The director/s in the program may not know how to teach the instruments
in question.
2. The director/s may not consider those instruments to be important.
3. There may not be enough talented students to go around.
4. There may not be enough interested students to go around.
5. The quality of the instruments/equipment in those sections may be poor.
6. The students may not have had enough time or training on those
instruments for any number of reasons.
7. The director/s may feel that all of the intelligent and/or talented
students should be placed on other instruments.
8. One would have to know more about your specific high school and feeder
system to be able to pin-point the answer to your question.
9. Those sections ARE NOT always so weak in school bands!

Just a few ideas,

Carl Schexnayder

In our high school band, we have an alto- and a bass clarinettist who are
both under par compared to the rest of the clarinet section (or, at least,
the 1sts and 2nds). However, we play very exposed pieces (I specifically
remember trouble with "A Movement for Rosa" and Williams' 1996 Olympic
theme), so it's not as if the low clarinets can hide behind the brass
(another problem is our VERY limited brass sections - although 2 tubas are
helping this year). Lastly, however, we have a contralto clarinettist who
is absolutely dreadful. I would bet that she could hold her own on Bb
compared to the rest of the section, but she came in to school on the first
day just trying out contralto.
I'm not saying that the upper woodwinds are "all that," but a flautist was
one of three people accepted to the national orchestra from our school last
year; and the rest of the woodwinds can at least play their parts if not
play music.
My question in writing all of this is: why are some sections always so weak.
Obviously in high school, the average bass clarinettist has not been playing
bc as long as the others have been playing soprano. However, this does not
explain our low brass, our dreadful horns, or our sagging trumpet section
(every few years, my school does have a fairly virtuosic trumpet player, so
the program can't be that bad). Any thoughts as to the causes of these vast
differences in ability (or maybe desire) between sections?
-J
PS - thanks for the Kaspar refacing tips

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