 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: CJ
Date: 2001-08-07 21:21
Hello,
I'm planning to audition for my college orchestra this fall. I don't currently own an A clarinet, so I'm borowing one from the school for the audition. Unfortunately, I can't check the instrument out over the summer, so I don't get to try the particular horn until a few days before the audition. This may be a silly question, but in general, are the pitch tendencies on A clarinets any different than on a Bb clarinet?
Thanks,
CJ
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: David Pegel
Date: 2001-08-07 21:41
Not that I know of. I guess it depends more on the brand of clarinet. But I'm not an expert.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Don Berger
Date: 2001-08-07 22:09
I have quite limited A cl experience, but believe the getting-acquainted character with a different cl is more challenging than pitch diffs. The less-bright tonality and the 1/2 tone lower were my main "feelings". Don
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Roger
Date: 2001-08-07 22:24
Don is right.
Because of the 1/2 tone difference you will think you are flat all the time and that your reed is dead (darker tone). I will take a little more wind to play it also.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mario
Date: 2001-08-07 22:30
This is an interesting question. A clarinets are naturally similar to their Bb cousin, but they can also differ in major ways.
For a start, auditioning on a clarinet you do not know (even if it would be a Bb) is not that great an idea in the first place. All clarinets are different. In the stress of an audition, worrying in real-time about instrument idiosynchrasis not yet fully mastered is bound to take away from the performance.
In addition, A often have response characteristics that surprise at first. I know there are exceptions to what is about to follow. But, this is a summary of the personal observations I made on the dozen or so A clarinets that I played with in the last few years.
On the A that I tried:
Fingers are slightly more spread-out. Not a big deal if the music is manageable, but a pain if you try to negotiate complex passages without proper practice on the A (say, months of practice on the Bb, then a few days on the A with fingers feeling all strange and falling just off they spot with disastrous results).
A tend to offer more resistence, especially in the long-tube notes.Middle B can be a pain. Wide leaps to long tube notes, staccato, soft breadth attacks can be more difficult on the A. If your audition pieces have such passages, beware!
A tend to have less head-room volume-wise than their Bb cousins (i.e.: they do not produce as much volume). We often compensate by taking advantage of the fact that the A seems to be very comfortable a ppp levels, thus creating a wide dynamic range but from a softer base. If one switches to the A without preparation, pushing to hard to compensate at the top end can result in a distorted sound, especially in the upper clarion. Playing the A is playing in a more intimate fashion than playing the Bb. Music for the A (I would like to know what is the audition pieces) tend to exploit this natural tendency of the instrument.
Upper clarion and altissimo soft attack are easier to play than on the Bb. For instance, the adagio of K622 sounds much better on the A, not only because it is lower and sweeter, but because the A makes it easier to attack those pastorals notes in the upper clarion that makes this concerto such a difficult piece to play to its full potential.
Interestingly, the instrinsic dark tone of the A makes it easier to obtain a proper clarinet tone. After a bit of practice, it is surprising how many people fall in love with their A because it sounds better. A few years later, as tone production has matured and the Bb tone develops color and darkeness, then these same folks might revert back to loving their Bb better. But for a little while, playing the A is the way to get a real clarinet sound. This could come handy during an audition by providing an instant boost in self-esteem (assuming fingers, tongue and breadth control get accustomed quickly enough).
My advises if you cannot access this A soon:
Try to spend at least a bit of time on it right now, get a feel for it, and start planning according to what you found. Write notes and observations so that you remember.
You might want to try softer reeds on this A. But not too much - say, use the softest one in your set. On the A, you need reeds with a little pop to get these long-tube notes going. A fairly new slightly softer reed is a good part of the set-up.
Old reeds with good color but not response (the family heirloom as Dr. Klug once wrote it) would be a disaster should your piece have challenging long-tube notes passages.
A few days before the audition: long tones, scales, and finger exercizes to get everything in place. Make sure you work long-tube attack and intervals.
Good luck!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Mario
Date: 2001-08-07 22:38
Oh yes, with respect to intonation: A clarinet are in tune, in fact more so than Bb since they are bigger (and it is easier to build instruments in tune, all things being equal, as they grow bigger). Most normal notes should be OK. Notes using special fingerings (throat tones with resonance, alternate altissimo fingering) might need study. In particular, the use of venting keys (or closed holes) here and there to fix tuning could be totally different. If you have learned your pieces with many of these tricks, playing as is on the A could be disappointing.
Hopefully, your A would be of the same make as you current Bb. If not, you would be adding an additional layer of issues by switching with little preparation from one clarinet to another, pitched differently, and build by a different manufacturer.
You must absolutely ensure that the A bore configuration allows you to use your existing mouthpiece. If not (say you play with a buffet-style narrow bore and your A is an older large bore), than you mouthpiece will generate substantial intonation problems.
As I said: not a great idea to switch before the audition. If only you could get this instrument now...
Would you let us know: which pieces are involved? what is your current set-up (instrument and mouthpiece) and what A clarinet you would use?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Erica
Date: 2001-08-08 04:35
This is kinda fun: Inbetween serious practice sessions, take the A clarinet and play something you know really well on the Bb and play it (on the A). It's a really odd feeling, but is way cool. I bought my Buffet R13's as a set and when I tried out the A all I had to play was familar Bb music, so my very first time playing an A was a weird experiance. Fingering a C and not hearing the pitch I've grown accustomed to hearing was just...well you'll see, or hear rather. <|:o)
-Erica
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: CJ
Date: 2001-08-09 01:25
Hi!
To answer your questions...
<<Would you let us know: which pieces are involved? what is your current set-up (instrument and mouthpiece) and what A clarinet you would use?>>
I'm currently playing a Buffet R-13, a Ridenour mouthpiece, with a V12 #3.5 reed. I don't know what the make of the A clarinet is. I'd venture to guess it could be a mid to upper grade Buffet. i looked at my calendar, and I'll have about 5 days with the clarinet before my audition. The pieces for A clarinet on the audition are excerpts from-
Berlioz-Symphonie Fantastique-II Ein Ball
Brahms-Symphony #4, 2nd movement
Ravel-Daphnis et Chloe 2nd Suite (eeeeeew.)
Rinsky-Korsakov-Scheherazade
I really wish I could have had the A clarinet over the summer, but since I'm not on campus this summer, and i'm not taking summer courses, I'm not allowed to. I know I'll end up purchasing one eventually, but if i don't make orchestra this year, I might as well put off buying one, since i can't afford it! 
Thank you guys so much for the help! It's more help than my professor gave i really appreciate your help
CJ
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Don Berger
Date: 2001-08-09 18:15
Thanx to you C J, for "threading" the question, and Mario etc for fine discussion of it. Many of us only occasionally play on the A, for me its like with a duck [a new world every morning} experience. Don
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
