Klarinet Archive - Posting 000679.txt from 2002/07
From: CBA <clarinet10001@-----.com> Subj: Re: [kl] Conservative Clarinet Ensemble Ranges? Date: Tue, 23 Jul 2002 05:21:45 -0400
And I must say, that E above the staff on alto clarinet is
usually one of the sickest sounds to come from an instrument,
even for an above average player on a good instrument that is in
good repair. Altissimo notes in general on the alto clarinet
give me an idea of what it would sound like to put live cats in
a blender.
On the other hand, I do LIKE the altissimo sound on a bass
clarinet, and also on the soprano and sopranino clarinets.
Go figure...
I guess this was originally for Bear W. so here are my thoughts
for the ranges for the different members of the clarinet family.
Bear, if you don't want to make the piece limited in it's
playability to ONLY the highest level musicians, I would suggest
keeping the alto clarinet at a written second ledger line C
NATURAL or below, the bass clarinets to a written third ledger
line E and below, the Bb soprano clarinets can go up to a
written fourth ledger line G, and the Eb soprano to the F
NATURAL above the third ledger line. The Eb soprano can go
higher, but after the F, the notes are in a different harmonic
range, and are APPRECIABLY harder to control for someone who is
not using Eb all the time.
By the way, the sopranino clarinet is in Ab above the Eb soprano
you were mentioning, and not many people write for that
instrument. The saxophone family also has a sopranino
instrument, and the sopranino saxophone IS in the key of Eb.
I might be considered conservative about the high notes, *BUT*
for a new composer getting established, having pieces that could
be accomplished by most college upper level players, as opposed
to ONLY EXCEPTIONAL professional players, could make the
difference in getting commissions in the near future, and
probably you will not have access to as many of the truly
exceptional players at first to make demos of the pieces you
write. This will allow the music to come through without it
sounding like a struggle.
If you want to just make it high and loud, write all the parts
up to a written 6th ledger line D (EEK!)
For all you "high, fast, and loud" people who think I am too
conservative, I am wearing my flame retardant suit...the one I
wear when I watch The Christopher Lowell Show on cable.
<evilgrin>
Kelly Abraham
Woodwinds - New York City
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
--- Gary Van Cott <gary@-----.com> wrote:
> Nearly all of the alto and bass clarinets made in the last 50
> years can go
> down to written Eb. If you need this note you should use it.
>
> The highest note I can recall seeing in any of the alto
> clarinet parts in
> my quartet library is an E above the staff.
>
> Gary
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better
http://health.yahoo.com
---------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|