 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2006-12-31 23:21
This evening, as I passed time watching the New Year's Eve programming on Telenovo, one of the Spanish-language networks, I noticed (amidst the flashy dresses and non-stop Latin rhythms) that the backup line for one of the groups lip-syncing their 2006 hit for the camera had not one but two clarinets included in same.
Most Latin music uses some brass and winds, although the typical instrumentation is more likely to include tuba/Sousaphone or even a baritone horn before they would field a clarinet. However, this group not only had two soprano clarinets, they also had one each of them in the keys of Bb and C.
No question at all about the pitch - one was a standard 17/6 Bb horn, and the other had the "squashed" look about it that is the hallmark of the C horn. The giveaway for me is the lack of any "black" between the fingers on the upper joint of the C horn, but the two of them were standing side by side and the obvious length difference was there as well.
No, I don't known the name of the group or the tune that they were playing at the time. But, there may be an argument some time in the distant future as to the presence of the C clarinet in Latin music, so I wanted to get it down here for posterity.
leader of Houston's Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra
info@sotsdo.com
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2007-01-01 11:07
Use of a C clarinet makes sense in a band accompanying vocals for the same reason that some sax players like a C-Melody sax. These bands often have to sight-read from a singer's score or play the changes from a vocal or piano chart. With the C instruments--no transposing. Yeah, everybody "should" be able to transpose, but in the chaos of preparing a holiday show that may include a lot of unfamiliar musicians, using the C horn can avoid a lot of "harmonic creativity...."
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2007-01-01 15:29
One of the oddest things about watching them play was that their parts appeared to be in unison, so that their hands were not in sync. The camera didn't favor them that much (most of time was spent on the cowboy-hatted lead singer cavorting about with one of the hostesses of the show), but when they were on, the "wrong" fingering was very evident.
Of course, since they were syncing the tune in the first place, it wouldn't have mattered what they were fingering.
I'm aware (as a long time C clarinet player) of the "key of C" advantages of taking this route. However, it was striking to see a C horn alongside of a Bb horn in the same setting. All they needed to do was to add an A and a D horn, with all of them playing in unison, to make the effect complete...
Out of the three hour span that I watched, I would say that there were at least five musical groups ("grupo") that included the clarinet in their instrumentation. Most of the music reminded me of traditional German folk stuff (as far as the use of the clarinets were concerned).
leader of Houston's Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra
info@sotsdo.com
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2007-01-01 15:49
Terry -
That's it! The clarinet in popular music will come along the Rio Grande to the Gulf, jump to the Mississippi and up the river to Kansas City and Chicago.
And who said history never repeats itself. ![[grin]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie5.gif)
Ken Shaw
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Author: Steve Epstein
Date: 2007-01-02 05:12
Terry Stibal wrote:
>
> Out of the three hour span that I watched, I would say that
> there were at least five musical groups ("grupo") that included
> the clarinet in their instrumentation. Most of the music
> reminded me of traditional German folk stuff (as far as the use
> of the clarinets were concerned).
>
Like Tex-Mex polkas and waltzes? I love that stuff.
Steve Epstein
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Author: EuGeneSee
Date: 2007-01-02 13:27
- - good old Teutonic Tex-Mex like La Cucaracha, with a tuba (better yet, a contra-bass clarinet) playing an oompah-oompah continuo. Eu
Post Edited (2007-01-02 13:28)
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