 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: DTD
Date: 2016-04-23 07:37
I am searching for tips to be heard over the rest of my high school's marching band. Instrumentation is special to say the least. At this moment it is looking to be four clarinets (not the counting that lonely bass clarinet), two of whom are first year players, versus four trumpets, an arbitrary mellophone, at least four alto saxophones, and a healthy amount of low brass and percussion, for a total of about thirty people. Before anyone says something about changing instruments, no, none of the saxophones are likely to change over before the season starts next year, and even if they wanted to I don't think the school owns any extra clarinets that aren't broken or in need of an overhaul anyways; the clarinet section is also kind of a requirement to boot. So, I am in search of advice on how to be at least heard with a decent tone, since our upcoming show has a number of woodwind features.
Also, I'm looking for a good, mostly indestructible instrument for marching season at the start of next year, along with a decent mouthpiece that projects exceedingly well. This previous year I used a 27+ year old Buffet B12 with a run-of-the-mill Yamaha 4C mouthpiece, however, after marching season the mouthpiece (which wasn't new when I got it) desperately needs a refacing and the clarinet needs an overhaul. Since both were school owned, I am searching for my own so I don't need to rely on my band director getting those fixed before next year begins. I am in north Louisiana, so the closest music shop is literally an hour and a half away (and that one is terrible), and the nearest decent one is over two, so it should probably be on amazon or something where I can have it shipped in.
Any and all advice (and pointers at nice, price conscious instrument options) are exceedingly welcome.
From somewhere in nowhere, Louisiana, DTD
*EDIT* As a side note, the band program at my school gets no money from the school, and as a direct result, we do more or less whatever we want. As such, my band is corps style and is NOT a show band. In fact, the general school population has told us repeatedly that we aren't loud or obnoxious enough. Of course, all we did is keep right on doing what we're doing.
Proud participant in the 2016 Percy Grainger Wind Band Festival in Chicago with the MHS Fighting Tiger Band of Louisiana.
Post Edited (2016-04-23 07:43)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2016-04-23 12:18
I can't believe that anyone kept a B12 for any amount of time.....HORRIBLE horn.
My advice on a budget clarinet also fits the bill for marching. Find a used Bundy or Vito (I don't know when they last produced good horns but the "older ones" were very good). Usually re-conditioned to good playing order they sell for around $400 dollars. And unlike the B12, they play in tune (within themselves as well which is the important part).
As for mouthpieces, I would strongly recommend something else. I play Yamaha clarinets but NEVER liked (or was able to get a decent sound out of one) their mouthpieces. The Vandoren M13 is a good all around mouthpiece, so I'd start there.
As for sound pressure levels, I would recommend taking the "musician's" rout on this one........... match your ensemble (and section), don't try to over blow it.
But producing a robust sound is all in having the right amount of overtones in the sound (you need to have a bit of that buzziness from your perspective). If you go for a round, "dark" sound as you play in your living room, no one will hear you in the context of a group........ever.
..................Paul Aviles
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2016-04-23 18:56
Marching will be very hard on both the bass clarinet and the player. If you have a tenor sax available, use that instead.
Bundy clarinets are nearly indestructible and go for as low as $35 on eBay and the Goodwill site. If you can, avoid ones that have a needle spring for the throat A key, because this often snaps. A flat spring is much better.
Most bands have a bell lyre hanging around. This is pretty easy to learn and can add a lot.
If you have a spare sousaphone, even a clarinetist can learn to play marching band parts quickly. The more bass on the field the better. When I was in high school, a couple of the "etc." wind players learned to play tenor drums quickly and loved it.
Ken Shaw
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Author: DTD
Date: 2016-04-24 05:57
I don't think my band even owns a tenor saxophone, unfortunately. The full saxophone range is a couple of altos and an arbitrary baritone (which is played part time by one of the altos). We only three sousaphones, two of which are taken and the last broken (not to mention fiberglass, I think). When I say the band has no money from the school, I mean the only instruments we have are either broken or taken, often both. I can think of one poor seventh grade clarinet whose instrument is missing the thumb rest.
Thanks for all the advice, and I will edit the above post when I have a result for my search.
From somewhere in nowhere, Louisiana, DTD
Proud participant in the 2016 Percy Grainger Wind Band Festival in Chicago with the MHS Fighting Tiger Band of Louisiana.
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Author: Curinfinwe
Date: 2016-04-24 06:52
I've spent a few summers as clarinet section leader in a Canadian military marching band. I definitely appreciate the difficulties in being heard with a small clarinet section, against a loud band.
Apart from equipment, my advice is along the lines of playing style and sound. Some of it's hard to explain without demonstrating, but I developed a feel for it eventually.
To be heard outside, work on the releases of your notes. Don't clip them unless absolutely necessary in the music or specifically asked for by your band director. Think of letting the sound ring, and try to feel it whooshing through your instrument and into all the air around you and further. Related to this is staccato. My staccato for marching is very different than my staccato for classical playing- my teacher says it sounds like a machine gun. You want truly explosive sound here, especially in the high register, where so many melodies lie. I recommend the Filas etude book for developing your altissimo and ability to cleanly articulate up there.
In the ancient world, before amplification, one technique that generals and other speakers, such as Caesar, used to make themselves heard over a large area was by pitching their voice much higher. High overtones carry, and although we often try to create a dark sound on the clarinet, you need to cultivate an almost nasal, bright sound. I'm a fan of the B45 for that, with a metal ligature.
Use as soft a reed as possible. You might think that it's more difficult to be heard on a soft reed, but it will give you more endurance, and when you get used to it, more control of those high overtones you want to create.
As people have noted above, marching is very hard on the player. Parade chops is definitely a thing, and I take a page from brass players' and do a warm down as well as a warm up. This usually consists of long tone exercises targeted to create and maintain flexibilty, something like this: http://williamhollifield.com/wp-content/uploads/ClarinetToneExercises-Clarinet-in-Bb-p22.jpg.
There's also a book by Larry Guy about embouchure building that has lots of awesome ideas, with text, so that you really understand what's going on and can adapt it to your own needs.
I hope that helps! Let me know if anything is unclear or if you have any more questions.
Anna
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