 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: James
Date: 2002-10-16 06:41
I was thinking. Like in an orchestra it's generally set that you have one player a part... atleast that's how it is sopposed to be. What about in wind ensembles, i have played in bands that have had as many as six firsts, eight seconds, 10 thirds, and groups where we have had only two on a part. What is the ideal clarinet section in order for everything to sounds the way it is sopposed to. Oh yeah, are alto clarinets, and contra basses necessary to this mix to? Just curious during the middle of the night, thanks
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Author: Melanie
Date: 2002-10-16 07:23
I think the number of clarinets depends on the size of the rest of the ensemble. There needs to be balance, and hopefully the pyramid of sound will occur. Our ensemble only has 4 clarinets and 1 bass. This is not enough, because the rest of our ensemble is pretty large, and we have a hard time ballancing and blending, but if we had 10 on a part, it would be way too many.
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Author: David Spiegelthal
Date: 2002-10-16 14:28
I play (sole bass clarinet) in two wind ensembles currently, and in one group (of about 40 players total) there are about three Bb clarinets to a part, and in the second group (a bit smaller at about 30-35 total) we have two Bb clarinets to a part usually. What's odd (and to me, a bit disappointing) is that in neither group do we have an Eb clarinet player.
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Author: Heidi
Date: 2002-10-16 15:08
Hi!
When I was in highschool, the number of clarinets was based on who didn't quit from middle school. When I graduated we had 27 in the section....of course, my band was about 120 strong. We also had 27 trumpets. I think having so many in a big band increases the ability to hide. I remember thinking that I had to play out enough for my section to be heard because no one played on the field or even in concert band format. On the other hand....having so many strong clarinetists (or any instrument for that matter) can be a detriment to the band, and could be taken care of by placing some on the harmony instruments. It would keep them from getting bored and keep the balance somewhat in kilter. Of course, these problems are caused by other problems I won't get into right now...:)
have a great day!
Heidi
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Author: Amanda Rupp
Date: 2002-10-16 18:00
I know in my university level ensembles we have 2 per part in Wind Ensemble. One of the second's plays Eb so if we need her on that we shift the others up and add an additional player.
In our Symphony Band, we have three firsts, three seconds, and four thirds.
From what I gather, the norm is usually two.
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Author: Eric
Date: 2002-10-16 18:37
I'm in high school and in my band there are 9 clarinet players. 2 on first, 3 on 2nd (1 for Eb), and 4 on 3rd. This is compared to about a 30 piece brass section and 29 piece woodwind section (including clarinets).
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Author: Simon
Date: 2002-10-16 19:34
I'm a high school student; in my wind ensemble we have 10 clarinets. 2 1st, 4 2nds and 4 3rds. It works well for us; but it really is up to the conductor and what they want!
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Author: Wayne Thompson
Date: 2002-10-16 22:26
My community band is really a night class at the local community college. We have had only three clarinets attending regularly this fall and it is the most fun I can imagine. It is not fair to the ensemble; a small band deserves 3 to a part.
(And you know what? If there were more clarinets, I would be tempted to try E flat!!)
Wayne Thompson
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Author: diz
Date: 2002-10-16 23:56
There is one thing certain about a wind ensemble - there is no "ideal or standard" setup. Most vexing, especially if you happen to be an arranger and can't guarantee the number of players. I heard a modern piece written for wind ensemble (military band) and there were 8 different clarinet parts (i.e. the 1st 2nd and 3rd parts often divided into two). It was a lovely affect.
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Author: Morrigan
Date: 2002-10-17 12:00
I find it strange that mostly, the 2nd players play Eb - coz I'm officially the 1st clarinet, but I play the Eb part.
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Author: Sylvain
Date: 2002-10-17 15:43
As diz pointed out there are no standards really.
However I think 6 is a minimum because parts can be divided, and 10 is very common for a 50 piece band: 1 solo, 2 first (including Eb), 3 2nd, 3 3rd, bass and contra if you're lucky...
-S
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Author: Lee
Date: 2002-10-17 20:18
I've never been in a band that met this but I was told that there should be about three clarinets to each trumpet.
Lee
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Author: David Pegel
Date: 2002-10-18 16:17
This is the "ideal" ratio around Middle Tennessee (which we use for honor bands and collective wind ensembles). I personally think it needs improvement:
Say you have 10 trumpets: find 12-21 Bb clarinets (4-7 on each part), 1 Eefer, 2 Altos, 4 Basses, and 3 Contras (2 -alto, 1 -bass)
How often is this ratio acheived? Oh, about 0.1% of the time.
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Author: Ken
Date: 2002-10-19 18:29
The general/accepted rule of thumb is to have twice as many Sop. clarinets as there are trumpets/cornets.
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