Klarinet Archive - Posting 000795.txt from 1998/11

From: "Kevin Bowman" <kbowman@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Fingering Quiz #1
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1998 16:43:14 -0500

> This a passage from the Gnomes in Pictures at the Exhibition by
> Moussorgsky-Ravel. This passage is in ONE and goes very fast. I'd like
> you to comment on suggested fingerings to Klarinet (klarinet@-----.

I've never played this piece, so I don't know the context. But I'd like
to comment on this exercise. Key of Ab is one of the more difficult keys
to play in for clarinet, precisely because of problems like this. Klose,
in his Celebrated Method for Clarinet, presents a lot of exercised in the
difficult keys (Ab, Db, etc.) to help the student realize and overcome
some of these difficulties and to teach "proper" sliding when required.
However, I'm wondering of this is one of those passages that would have
worked better on the A clarinet. I'm assuming, of course that this section
is played on the Bb - if not, switching horns is a moot point (because of
the low E). Far be it from me to criticize Ravel's skill as an
orchestrator, but sometimes these things get overlooked.
So ...
1. Is this part for Bb clarinet?
2. If so, what's the rest of the passage like? Can the whole movement
be played more easily on the A? Is there sufficient time to switch,
etc.?

Being a professional engineer, I'm just trying to think "outside the
box". If the fingering presents a practical problem, perhaps we can
change the problem?

Otherwise, all else being equal, I'd vote for the slide on the first
F-E as already suggested by many individuals.

Kevin Bowman
Clarinet and Saxophone Instructor,
Rochester Conservatory of Music, Rochester, MI
and
Saxophones, Clarinet and Flute,
B-Side Blues Project
(And all this in my "spare" time :)

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