 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Jerry
Date: 2003-06-30 04:25
I am interested in playing clarinet in a church setting.
Do any of you play clarinet in church services? If so, what genral song style do you play (traditional hymns, contemporay, praise) and what other instrumentation do you play with (choir, organ, piano, woodwind ensemble?) What denomination do you play for? Are you a member of that church?
Jerry
The Villages, FL
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Author: angelpineapple
Date: 2003-06-30 04:59
I play in the church orchestra at my church (we're Southern Baptist). We play all types of songs- the traditional hyms, comtemporary stuff and praise stuff (all styles of music pretty much). We also try to play a prelude each week. In the orchestra we usually have almost all the common string, woodwind, brass and percussion instruments represented (some more heavily than others at times since it's a volunteer group). I enjoy playing in the services a lot. I've made a lot of friends through it. We also reherse once a week usually unless we have a big program coming up (such as Christmas, Easter, 4th of July) and then we'll have extra rehersals on other days. That's what it is like at my church. Each church does it a little differently though so if you know anyone in the group you're thinking about joining you might want to talk to them also.
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Author: ron b
Date: 2003-06-30 06:16
Hi, Jerry -
Yes, I play in church services occasionally. A long way from Florida though; Sacramento, California. But if you're ever out this way, be sure to bring your horn. Oh, never mind, if you forget... I'll personally loan you one. Always keep a spare around.
Various folks play and/or sing offeratories and such. Instrumentalists play solos, duets and occasionally trios - whatever combination they feel comfortable with and are very well received. I've played a few solos and duets. Improvisation is okay but usually reserved for get-togethers and socials where they may let their hair down a bit more. Any number or combination of instrumentalists may show up each third Sunday evening for a 'blow-the-dust-off-your-axe and play-sing along'. We play standard(traditional) hymns pretty much right outta the book. Percussion has no part in these although three - four years ago, an older gentleman played the spoons. So, while we play it pretty "straight" we're not too straight laced to have fun with music - the way it's 'sposed t' be.
A typical 'orchestra night' usually consists of two to four trumpets, two or three violins and a viola, a couple of flutes, a(amplified) guitarist and pianist and anywhere from two to seven clarinets. If there are more than three clarinets I can then opt to get out the alto or bass clarinet to add substance to the bass line - usually played only by my wife on 'cello. She's, by the way, also in the string quartet which plays at weddings and some other church related functions.
We also brew up a bluegrass outfit for our annual Wild Feast. So far, they haven't included a clarinet... they may be in for a surprise this time around. But Guitars and Banjos and Fiddles come down outta th' hills for that event. Well, hey, free food - whatta y' expect??? ![[rotate]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smiley25.gif)
I'm lobbying to get a clarinet quartet/quintet going and, in anticipation, have already written some arrangements. We'll see if it goes anywhere.
This is a fundamental (theologically, bible believing), non-denominational, independent church. Don't let that scare you - we're not Isolationists. We participate jointly with some 'sister' churches for things such as conferences and summer camp. While I am a member, membership is not required to participate in musical activities because music is not considered a ministry or a 'gift'. None of us are paid performers.
All are welcome and, I promise, no one will ask for your ID.
For such a small weekly turnout by big city standards, I s'pose - the auditorium may be almost to capacity on special holidays (250-300?) - I must say the musical talent and skill level is consistently rather good. However, to the best of my knowledge, not one has hit the big time recording studios - yet.
- r![[cool]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/cool.gif) n b -
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Author: clarinetwife
Date: 2003-06-30 13:40
Hello, Jerry!
I am an ecumenical-type church musician. I am Catholic myself. I played for many years with a contemporary choir with guitar and keyboard. I now play with a more traditional SATB choir. When the choir and congregation are singing, I often play harmony and obligato parts. Some of them are written out and some I have improvised. When it is time for instrumental music I play traditional hymns and classical (my husband and I played one of the Telemann Canonic Sonatas in church yesterday).
I am also in a woodwind quintet that is in residence at a local Presbyterian church. We play classical quintet repertoire and also play along with the hymns. I have been a church musician since high school and have always found it uplifting and fulfilling.
"I play the notes
as they are written...
but it is God
who makes the music." (JS Bach)
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2003-06-30 13:46
I used to play in a small Catholic church choir -- the pianist, me, and a few singers. Many Catholic churches (at least where I live) have small congregations and need all the help they can get. Look for areas of your town where the population has aged somewhat or moved out. They may have more opportunities for getting in and having fun musically. That was definitely the case with the little church I was in and not with the gigantic "Vatican South" church my wife and I now belong to. (*sigh*) Good times....
________________
Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
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Author: clarinetwife
Date: 2003-06-30 15:00
It always makes me sad when I hear of situations where musicians are not made to feel welcome in their church choirs. My parishes have always been looking for people who want to contribute. Several of my high school students over the years have also been welcomed into their church music programs.
That being said, many church music directors may not have experience with clarinets in church and may warm up to the idea if they give it a try. Even if it doesn't work out, what can they do--fire you? I say look around if you don't feel welcome.
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2003-06-30 15:41
clarinetwife,
I should clarify that I could probably join my current church choir if I wished. Like all ministries, every year they send out a call for new members. It's just that the church is so big and the choirs so established that I doubt it would be as enjoyable as the small ensemble I was in before. That's my choice, not the church telling me to take a hike..
________________
Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
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Author: clarinetwife
Date: 2003-06-30 18:20
Ahh--thanks for the clarification. Do you know others in the church that might like to start a small ensemble to play occassionally? The quintet I am in at the Presbyterian church plays a service about once every two or three months. The church provides the rehearsal space, but we keep our own schedule and do not rehearse with the choir. My husband would love to get together a Celtic style praise group some day, and that would probably be a similar situation--attached to a particular congregation but on their own as well.
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2003-06-30 18:54
There's a flute player in the choir I wouldn't mind playing with (I remember when I first heard the flute with the choir -- the player was excellent, and of course I was expecting it to be a woman, but when I looked up at the loft I saw it was a big, muscular guy who looked like Cuba Gooding Jr.). He plays some really full, beautiful melodies that I'd love to harmonize with and embellish (like how Branford Marsalis did on the soprano sax with Sting). But I'm fortunate now to not have any shortage of ensembles to play in -- summer municipal band, chamber orchestra, wind symphony, and a patriotic band. If I took on one more group, my wife would not be pleased.
________________
Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
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Author: robbieg
Date: 2003-06-30 18:58
I play in my church (Baptist) orchestra, we have 55 people thus far. Most are members of the church, not all however. We play once a month in the service, and we do an orchestra concert in the fall as well as play with the choir for Christmas and Easter. We play stuff from secular classical/orchestral peices to sacred orchestral peices to choir peices as well. We also have a Flute Choir, Brass Ensemble, and I think they just started a Woodwind Quintet (I'm not a part of it though).
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Author: Liesel
Date: 2003-06-30 19:35
I play guitar in the church that I attend while at school but sometimes I play clarinet in church at home. I have played a solo of Be Thou My Vision accompanied by piano which was pretty. I even played my clarinet in a special polka mass at a Catholic (predominantly Polish) church. Now that was a different experiance for me (I'm German and Baptist). Also, if you play sax, some improv blends nicely with praise teams.
Post Edited (2003-06-30 19:37)
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Author: T.C.
Date: 2003-06-30 20:17
I am a senior citizen and took up clarinet last February; do not have a teacher; trying to learn. RE playing with other instruments. My clarinet is a Bb and I understand it is tuned 1/2 step below the written note. How can I play with other instruments? Must I use music specifically written for the Bb clarinet? I wish to play with a church group.
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Author: Henry
Date: 2003-06-30 20:50
Having a Bb instrument means that, when you play a C, it sounds like a concert Bb, say on a piano or violin. For you to produce a concert C, you have to therefore play your D, i.e., one whole step higher. It would be much easier for you to play music that has been written specifically for clarinet, so that the music has already been transposed. Alternatively, you can transpose a piece that has been written in a given concert key by playing a whole step higher and adding two sharps (or subtracting two flats) to (from) that key. So, a piece in concert F major (one flat) will be in G major (one sharp) for you. A piece in D major (two sharps) will be in E Major (4 sharps) for you, etc.
Good luck!
Henry
Post Edited (2003-06-30 21:08)
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2003-06-30 22:04
Well said, Henry, for T C's transposition question, I might add that some church music directors have transpositional software whereby parts can be printed out for Bb clarinet. I've even had some viola parts trans'd. for Eb alto clarinet in the church orchs I've played in, mainly Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist. T C, most of their music is generally fairly easy, unless they wish to perform Oratorios, Requiems, operatics etc. I played yesterday, about 5 "re-orchestrated" hymns and a choir-orch number as offeretory music. I played 2nd clar, which had some harmony passages with the 1st, and often joined in on the "malady" as needed on the hymns. At times, if the orchs have no cello or string bass, I'll play bass cl so as to "cover" those parts. Our usual complement [mostly from our local symp. orch.] is 2 violins, maybe a viola, a cello and st. bass, a flute, maybe an oboe, 2 cls, 1-2 tpts, maybe a French horn, a tmb., with organ/piano, to cover "all-bases". Works well, and members of the congregation ALWAYS express gratitude for our contribution to the service. Do it, its rewarding, a challenge to do it WELL. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2003-06-30 22:44
Jerry- Sorry, I forgot that you asked about types of music, yes, most that I play is quite "conventional", BUT my Presby church "home" often has contemp-praise-soft-jazz! music, always "tastefully done", adding much to the services. I've played some alto sax with the guitars and drums, without written charts etc, so, IMHO, most any group can contribute to worship services, even like a Baptist orch where we played that Dixieland Funeral piece and I lip-slurred [schmerandos to me!] all I could!! Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Pam H.
Date: 2003-07-01 01:46
I play in the church orchestra for a large non-denominational church. We have a pretty well filled out group most of the time with most of the traditional instruments covered. We in the clarinets are sometimes versatile with our lead player often covering oboe parts and sometimes covering viola parts if there is not a clarinet part for the song.
We play every week in services and concerts at Easter and Christmas. A typical Sunday we might play 2 hymns, a variety of praise chorus' but often these will be rhythm section only and usually one song that features the choir with us playing accompaniment. Most of the time they are not too difficult to play. Sometimes for the big concerts we'll raise the bar a little and play things that are harder.
We also have a flute choir which I take part in and a brass choir and jazz band that is quite popular. These smaller ensembles often do prelude music which is often classical pieces - though sometimes simplified. (The jazz group doesn't do classical of course.) Some of our orchestra members are associated with other local groups in the community as well.
The church orchestra rehearsals are open to anyone who would like to come check us out. You don't need to be a member of the church to play with us but many are. We play quite well for a volunteer group. The church occasionally pays for extra string players for the concerts.
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Author: deepriver27
Date: 2003-07-01 11:36
I play occasionally in an Episcopal church in rural NY. It's an older church and the accoustics there are phenomenal. I am also a member there. The music director there is pretty accepting of just about whatever I want to do and it's nice - I also play with the hymns and liturgical music. I played "Ashokan Farewell" there from the old Civil War series on PBS last Veteran's Day for example. This was the first place I played at when I took up the clarinet again at age 44 (about a year ago) after about 12 years of not playing. It was a great entry point into playing again - as I recall I stopped playing because I got too nervous to perform. This has been a great experience for me.
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Author: williamainsworth
Date: 2003-07-01 15:09
I occasionally play with a small group in church. We play the prelude and postlude. I use music notation software called Mozart. You just enter the notes in the same key as in the hymnbook [concert key] and with a simple keypress the software will transpose it for you and you can print it out. Mozart is available at www.mozart.co.uk and you can download a trial version. But there is other music notation software available. You might like to find and print out a transposing table too.
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Author: William
Date: 2003-07-01 15:23
Local Lutheran church combo "Jazz Sunday" services playing dixieland prelude, accompaniments and postlude music. We all just use the normal hymnal lead sheets and improvise the accompaniment "by ear." We play the tune through once, and then the congregation joins in. Fun for all making the "joyful noise" unto the Lord. And usually good attendance and "fat" offeratorial plates as well.
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Author: Clay
Date: 2003-07-01 20:34
I frequently play clarinet in church, mostly solo with piano , or in a wind ensemble. I play at a Christian Church, and we play traditional hymns, contemporary and praise music. The wind ensembe includes clarinet, flute, trumpet, alto sax. I am a member of this church. I also perform at the yearly Singsperation, and am usually the only instrumental solo. Playing in a church setting is awesome. If given the oppurtunity, take it!
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Author: T.C.
Date: 2003-07-01 21:45
Awsome! Where do you get your clarinet versions of the music you play?
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Author: Jerry
Date: 2003-07-02 02:02
Clarinetwife said:
***My husband would love to get together a Celtic style praise group some day***
What kind of music would this be? Do you have some examples of songs and instrumentation? I think the clarinet has a wonderful sound for Celtic songs - with the Irish grace notes, both comin' down an goin' ooupe.
Jerry
The Villages, FL
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Author: clarinetwife
Date: 2003-07-02 04:48
Actually, Jerry, my husband plays whistle as well. However, I agree that the clarinet is well suited for playing Celtic songs if you are not a strict traditionalist about what instruments "should" play traditional music. The embouchure flexibility and the fact that the clarinet is an open hole instrument allow a clarinetist to add the appropriate ornamentation and expression, although it will sound a little different because the clarinet is also a keyed instrument.
As far as songs go, it is more a matter of the style and feel of the song. Some songs just say to us "this needs an Irish whistle on top" or "this could use a bodrhan underneath", and that is the approach we would take if we were to find a fiddler, a piper, a concertina player, whatever. We have a song "Give thanks to our God" that works well played like a traditional air, and we have a Gloria and an Alleluia that are in a quick 6/8 time that work with an Irish flair as well.
Note to T. C. As far as finding music to play with your church group, quite a few hymnals have an instrumental supplement available which has parts in different keys. I play quite a few trumpet parts, but I adapt the style and articulation to suit my instrument. Notation software is great for transposing flute and oboe parts. I must admit that I did not play my clarinet as much in church before I had a computer and before I learned to transpose by sight.
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Author: Lee
Date: 2003-07-02 23:02
I can almost say ditto to what angelpineapple had to say above. We have about 35 every Sunday morning and accompany nearly everything although sometimes only the rhythem section of the group. We could use additional string players. Tomorrow night the orchestra is playing for a city wide forth celebration. We have a jazz band which is very active playing for wedding receptions, etc. Fortunately we have had strong instrumental program leadership for over 20 years. Visitors are always welcome if you're in the neighborhood Wednesdays for rehersal.
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