Klarinet Archive - Posting 000264.txt from 1998/04

From: Dodgshun family <dodgshun@-----.nz>
Subj: Re: THE USE OF the A and Bb CLARINETS (1)
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1998 23:00:17 -0400

At 04:34 PM 6/04/98 -0600, you wrote:
> Copland wrote the clarinet part out for both Bb and A instruments
>so the player has a choice as to which line to follow. It made the part
>in itself difficult to read, and, except where the range down to low e was
>specified for A clarinet, the player could choose either line. I did
>switch back and forth between the two, depending on ease of playing and
>also intonation. In at least one instance, I chose to play the part doing
>the more difficult fingerings because the fast switch that was necessary
>to go to the other clarinet did not give me sufficient time to warm it up
>to A@-----.
>
I did this with "Peter and the Wolf". Pretty similar idea, except that I
had two copies, one in A, one in Bb. I went through it in sections, and
worked out which was the better clarinet to play it on, always leaving
myself enough time to warm the instrument up (it worked out really nicely -
there were lots of convenient rests!) then photocopied both parts and did a
cut-and-paste job. This is probably illegal, in light of the recent
discussion, but it made it a hell of a lot easier. Except that solo where
the cat climbs the tree. That's hard on either instrument! I played it on
Bb because the glissandi were slightly easier to finger. The only problem
with the way I set it up was that I had a lot of changes - I think it was
nine - but it prevented me having to play in keys with more than 4 sharps or
flats. Obviously there were some bits I had to play on A clarinet, because
it went to low E, but they were usually bits I would have played on A anyway.

Anna