 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Dawne
Date: 2003-05-24 10:42
How important is it to have an A clarinet? How often, and where are they used primarily? Is it important to have a matched A and Bb set...same manufacturer?
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2003-05-24 10:59
It seems to come down to the player's demand...
If you don't play any charts written for the A clarinet, no need for one.
If you can transpose everything (by sight) down 1/2 step, you can get by.
Most of the famous clarinet set pieces by Brahms, Weber and Mozart were written for a clarinet in A.
I don't play mine nearly as often as the Bb, but I do practice my scales and articulation exercises on that horn.
You need not spend a fortune to get a quality clarinet of either tuning, particularly if you are willing to buy one secondhand - A clarinets tend to be lightly used.
I don't think matching them by make is necessary, matching them by ear
(no substitute for play testing) is a must.
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Author: clarinetwife
Date: 2003-05-24 13:05
It really does come down to whether you see a lot of charts that are written for it. When I was in school I always had access to a school A so I played on one. Now I am a transposer. The keys can get awkward, but it's doable. That being said, I'm not sure what I would have done if I had not been able to borrow an A from a friend to play the cat in Peter and the Wolf!
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Author: Stéphane
Date: 2003-05-24 15:42
Mozart's concerto and quintett, Brahms's trio and quintett, Schumann Fantasiestucke and so on... were written for a clarinet in A. Of course that can be played on a Bb clarinet, but some people will tell you that the A clarinet has a darker sound than Bb and the composer's choice should be respected for that matter.
Stéphane.
After you've heard a work by Mozart, the silence that follows, this is still by Mozart.
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Author: cyso_clarinetist
Date: 2003-05-24 16:17
So I slightly disagree with everyone who has replied so far:
If you are a serious clarinet player doing serious orchestral rep that requires A, then you need an A.
"you can just transpose". Certain composers picked A clarinet for excerpts and such because of the lightly darker tone quality. When I hear people playing the mozart concerto on Bb I can barely stand to haer it. Infact it is quite humorous.
as far as a matched set goes. I think it's the most important thing when it comes to picking an A clarinet. It is much easier to deal with the same criteria of each instrument. For example I used an R-13 and a Concerto A the same reeds didn't work on both of the horns. The scales were different. Tone was different. Used horns... ehhh depends on how used. I am a big believer in clarinet blow out.
goodluck
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Author: CPW
Date: 2003-05-24 16:39
Tchichowsky (sp off today) and Rimsky use it and Peter n da Wolfie by Prokoffief
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-05-24 18:33
"...What about Rimsky's partner Korsakov..."
He's living in the same house with Villa's partner Lobos, Saint's partner Saëns and Vaughan's partner Williams...GBK
Post Edited (2003-05-24 18:34)
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2003-05-24 22:25
Synonymous Botch wrote: "Most of the famous clarinet set pieces by Brahms, Weber and Mozart were written for a clarinet in A."
Which Weber piece were you thinking of??
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2003-05-25 02:38
Lots of collaboration I hadn't heard of, GBK, but I thot Rimsky PLAYED on the Korsakov, in Zb, perhaps! I never played my Kohlert A much, none now, dern it! Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: clarinetwife
Date: 2003-05-25 04:00
How about Stravinsky, who must be feeling like a seventh wheel in the company of Misters Rismky, Villa, Saint, and companions. The first two of the Three Pieces are marked "preferably clarinet in A". My teacher when I first learned them let me get away with playing them on my Bb, although I'm not sure why thinking back.
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Author: Stéphane
Date: 2003-05-25 09:45
very few people know about Mendelssohn's partner bartholdy...
After you've heard a work by Mozart, the silence that follows, this is still by Mozart.
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2003-05-25 14:26
My simple answer is:
Do you need a left hand? (just kidding)
An A clarinet is used by most professionals, and advanced students, almost every day they are called upon to play.
As a symphonic, commercial & recording player on the NYC scene, I would be lost without my A clarinet.
The sooner a young players gets an A clarinet, the better that player will be equipped to handle the challenges of the professional world.
BTW: They really sound nice!
Good luck in your search, a good one is hard to find,
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
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Author: David
Date: 2003-05-25 23:20
If you play in bands, you spend your whole life with a Bflat.
If you play in orchestras, you'll need an A, particularly if you are in as much awe as I am of anyone who can transpose at sight. (= I'm rubbish at it...)
Matching is purely down to your own preference, but same-make is probably sensible. The keywork will feel similar. At least stay in the same technological ballpark. I'd have real problems swapping from one of those French peashootery thingies to, say a 1010.
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Author: BARRY
Date: 2003-05-26 12:42
A fascinating remark indeed! I would not like to attempt the Eflat concerto nor the Quintet or the Grand Duo Concertante with my A horn. Nor would it sound at all the same if I were capable of the fingering!!!
barry
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Author: clarinetwife
Date: 2003-05-26 15:27
Well, for me it partially comes down to $$ I would love to have my own A clarinet, but I am in a community orchestra. Although it has been running in the black for the past few years, I don't see the money for an A clarinet coming from gigging anytime soon, and we are a one income two kid family! So, I transpose. Affordable instruments seem pretty rare, or maybe I haven't looked in the right places.
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2003-05-26 16:58
Be sure to check eBay. I got mine from there last summer for $650 -- a nice Leblanc LL. Perhaps I lucked out, but I check there every so often for grins and similar good deals still show up. Get a return guarantee, though.
________________
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: Don C
Date: 2003-05-27 06:13
Yet another advantage of the A clarinet - convenient transpositions.
I play in concert bands, orchestras, chamber esembles, jazz groups; the hardest group to play with is a string band (mandolin, fiddle, guitar...) that is comfortable in keys like A and E. Ever try to jam in 5 or 6 sharps on a Bb clarinet? The A clarinet simplifies the problem.
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Author: clarinetwife
Date: 2003-05-27 17:59
Thanks, Ken! Very interesting material.
I love hearing and playing the Stravinsky pieces on the suggested clarinets. The brightness of the third movement is quite dramatic that way, and the first is much more lovely.
By the way, i would be curious to know if many people without perfect pitch would notice the difference in the transition between the second and the third movements, depending on what clarinet they are played on?
Post Edited (2003-05-27 18:12)
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Author: diz
Date: 2003-05-28 00:09
If you're going to be playing in an orchestra for any period of time I highly recommend you purchase one ... as to matching it with a similar Bb - I don't think this is so important because it makes the assumption you'll find an A that totally matches your Bb in tone ... good luck.
My two clarinetists (in a recent show I conducted used mis-matched pairs) I didn't even notice - they played in tune and blended with the rest of the wind section - much more important to me.
And, as an M.D. - I don't give a tincker's cuss what instrument they play on so long as it's a professional model.
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2003-05-28 02:25
Don C asks: "Ever try to jam in 5 or 6 sharps on a Bb clarinet?"
Not since Valentine's Day. Guitarist (who truly wanted to play alone) insisted on E. I lived through it just fine, but I'm going to start carrying a Capo.
Re "matched" Clarinets, A and Bb: it's not really mandatory unless you play both at the same time.
Regards,
John
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Author: cyso_clarinetist
Date: 2003-05-28 04:43
JMcAulay wrote:
> Re "matched" Clarinets, A and Bb: it's not really mandatory
> unless you play both at the same time.
If you want to be able to make switches easily it is. Having two instruments with the same tendencies is a lot easier than say having a Buffet R13 Bb and an A concerto. Trust me, I would know.
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2003-05-28 04:58
cyso clarinetist wrote: "I would know."
I believe you mean that you know how things feel to you. I truly do not believe you know how they feel to me.
Regards,
John
who owns an Amati 602 -- need I say more?
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Author: David
Date: 2003-05-28 22:24
I'm with cyso on the same make thing. In orchestras, you are always swapping back and forth. It's nice to have some familiarity. It'll take you long enough to get used to the A feeling a foot longer and sporting an extra inch in between each fingerhole. But when you do get used to both, make sure you have different reed caps.
I'd certainly never look for matching in terms of tone. Bflats can be bright or dark, but a bright A is just somehow...wrong. Maybe that Claude Lakey mp wasn't such a wizard wheeze after all.
David
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2003-05-29 03:21
Ah, to each his own. I do not play Clarinet for orchestral music, thus I do not swap Bb and A Clarinets. However, I have gone directly from Bb to Eb, Boehm to German (rarely), Clarinet to flute or saxophone (mostly alto, occasionally baritone), and I'm still alive (barely). I suppose I should leave those wee nuances of Bb/A swaps to the orchestral players, eh? So be it.
Just a mention of a David Pino comment in his book: he once found a mouthpiece *and* barrel combination that worked superbly with both his Bb and A Clarinets. That sort of thing must be very rare, but if it happens, what a deal.
Regards,
Joh
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Author: cyso_clarinetist
Date: 2003-05-29 05:25
I would like to know how many professional clarinetists in top notch professional orchestra's used un matched makes.
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Author: Craig C
Date: 2003-05-29 10:43
I totally agree with cyso. For orchestral playing an A clarinet is an one-time investment worth making, and it's pays to have a make and/or model that matches your Bb. Personally, I would say you want to match the feel of the instruments when you play more than the tone. There will always be the subtle difference in tone, but it's good to match the resistance of the clarinet so the reed/mouthpiece setup will transfer well between the two.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2003-05-29 19:30
I wouldn't be too concerned about 'matching' the Bb and A clarinets for orchestral work --- if they feel or play a bit differently, then you'll get used to it in time and make the requisite adjustments automatically. Much of my orchestral playing has included switches between soprano and bass clarinets, and even bass clarinet and alto or tenor sax ---- how "well-matched" do you suppose those instruments were? The important things with an A clarinet are just the basics --- does it play well and in tune?
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