Klarinet Archive - Posting 000506.txt from 2004/09

From: "Chuck Currie" <reedguy@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Alto Clarinet Questions
Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2004 09:38:52 -0400

Dear Patricia,

I agree with everything you say, and do not find you brusque at all!

The reason I said that alto is played much the same as soprano clarinet =
is
that I feel your comments apply to many clarinetists as well. The
"unspoken" reason why many alto clarinetists don't sound good (besides =
the
very common poor instruments) is that the worst clarinetists in a school =
or
ensemble are asked to pick it up. The problems they had with their =
sound on
soprano clarinet make them even worse alto clarinetists. Well trained =
good
players that pick it up because they like it are already far ahead of =
the
pack.

I was lucky that I got interested in alto after I was already a bass
clarinetist. My biggest problem was that I tended to go for too big and
"bassy" a sound, and it took a while to moderate things and play with a
little more sinuous and nuanced texture.

As far as the "angle" goes, I think there is plenty of room for =
variation,
just as there is on clarinet and bass, but the alto sax "angle" is only
about 15 degrees lower than horizontal, which is a little extreme, in my
opinion. Some people do indeed have a lower angle than this, but that =
is
from the pervasive problem of leaving the neckstrap too long and =
"bending
down" to the instrument. This is exacerbated by "big band"
syndrome...having the music stand much too low.

It is nice to be on a list where one can find anyone interested in this
instrument...for a while I thought I was the biggest clarinet nerd in =
the
world for taking an interest in it.

Best regards,

Chuck Currie
Sax Noir Studio
www.saxnoir.com
reedguy@-----.net
604 254-9625
604 970-2694
2105 E 3rd Avenue
Vancouver, BC
V5N 1H9
=20

-----Original Message-----
From: Patricia A. Smith [mailto:arlyss1@-----.net]=20
Sent: Tuesday, September 28, 2004 5:35 AM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: Re: [kl] Alto Clarinet Questions

Chuck Currie wrote:

>I'm a saxophonist and clarinetist who specialized in alto clarinet for
several years with the Pacific Symphonic Wind Ensemble. To play an alto
clarinet with the mouthpiece inserted similar to an alto saxophone, one
would have to hold the instrument out about a 45 degree angle. The =
results
would tend to be flabby and unfocussed. The alto clarinet enters the =
mouth
exactly the same as a clarinet, with the same embouchure (except =
larger.)
> =20
>
Hi Chuck.

Though I agree that one shouldn't have the looseness that an alto sax=20
embouchure would suggest, I still believe that playing the alto clarinet =

out front, and loosening up the embouchure some, especially for less=20
experienced players, who tend to pinch, will help improve their tone. I =

also, respectfully, suggest, that many beginners on the alto, tend not=20
to support their sound as they should, and, again, it will be pinched,=20
and airy, and opening up the oral cavity will help open the throat and=20
encourage the player to breathe more deeply.

Obviously you have a great deal more experience than most folks with=20
alto clarinet, and I certainly do not question your expertise at all. I =

was tending to approach the question more as a teacher would. As the=20
original poster did not seem (given the contents of his post) to have a=20
great deal of experience on alto, I believed him to be a beginner on the =

instrument.

For my own playing, were I to take up alto clarinet NOW, I doubt I would =

use as much of an angle as I would with alto sax. However, I did find=20
in the past that I used a greater angle than I did with Bb. I suppose,=20
all told, it is in the individual's preference, past a certain point,=20
and that one does what gives one the best sound and best performance on=20
an instrument. This will vary for individuals - past the beginning and =

intermediate levels of playing.

I apologize if my previous post wasn't very clear. Sometimes, I am a=20
bit brusque, and don't do details as well as I should.

Patricia Smith

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