Klarinet Archive - Posting 000312.txt from 2004/01

From: "Joseph Wakeling" <joseph.wakeling@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Stupid bass clef bass clarinet question!
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 2004 09:20:34 -0500

<< I must be weird. All my bass clarinet parts from our senior concert band
are in Treble clef.. >>

No, you're not weird. That's standard practise. It's just that
historically there have been two different systems of notation used for bass
clarinet.

The "German notation" used to use bass clef (as it's a bass instrument) with
the notes written sounding a major second below what was written.

The "French notation", which dates from a little later, uses the treble
clef, with the notes sounding a major ninth below what's written (i.e. an
octave below the normal clarinet).

Personally I think the French (treble clef) notation is arguably superior as
it means the notation corresponds to the fingering rather than the
sound---thus making things easier for the player. This is something every
composer should be aware of---difficulties should be *musical*, not
notational. ;-) Bass clef notation, IMHO, defeats the point of having a
transposing instrument.

On the other hand the bass clef (German) notation can be useful for extended
passages in the very low register, especially when you have an instrument
going down to low C, when it can get tiring to read all the ledger-lines.
It's also used sometimes for basset horn or basset clarinet notation, e.g.
in the Barenreiter basset clarinet edition of the Mozart concerto.

-- Joe

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Klarinet is a service of Woodwind.Org, Inc. http://www.woodwind.org