Klarinet Archive - Posting 000584.txt from 1998/12

From: "Craig Earl Countryman" <cegc@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Should I ask for easier part?
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1998 15:55:39 -0500

>My concern is, the person that is writing the music for my
>part is writing very high notes in the upper register (up to high A, but
>mostly up to high Fsharp!). Not only is the fingering challenging, I blow
>flat or sharp due to my embouchure not being all that good as of yet.

I'm not that much of a veteran, but I do play some in church, and I think
that you should have a talk with this person. Perhaps he isn't a clarinet
player and doesn't realize what kind of position he is putting you in. I
play in church, and much of the music I get is trumpet music which is
written too low to really project. Normally I use my own discretion on when
to take stuff up an octave and when to leave it as it is in order get the
best effect.

Challenging is one thing, but I think when you write that high for a
clarinetist in a small ensemble it is a mistake. In a band or orchestra it
is not that bad, but when you are on the spot you really have to be sharp to
make that part of the instrument sound good. Why go to all that trouble
when you can ad lib down an octave and get a superior tone while making it
easier to play? If there is a reason you are up that high that is one
thing, but if it won't hurt to take it down I would indicate this to the
arranger.

It is good to keep practicing those high notes, but I think much of that can
be done through scale practice and other exercises rather than in a
performance atmosphere, at this point.

Good luck!

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Craig Earl Countryman
cegc@-----.net
http://www.sneezy.org/clarinet/YPP/Craig.html
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