 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Maldran
Date: 2003-11-11 06:05
I am REALLY wanting to get back into a group after being out of the scene for 3 years. I have been wanting to join a community band, but really am not sure if I am good enough or not. Is their something that I can judge myself off of, IE if I can play such and such piece of music, I should be all set? I have been playing a ton of the Klose excersises from the book, and some of the solos that are inside. My biggest problem that I had in auditions when I was in school, was the scales. I would always play the wrong scales and end up with the wrong fingerings in the wrong areas. Can anyone shed some light on this? Also, does anyone have a good online fingering chart, preferably the bhoem, the fingering chart that came with the Klose book is Boehm, but it is extremely difficult to understand. Also, I am looking for a place that will tell me, when their are 3 sharps in a song, these are all the notes that should be played sharp unless otherwise noted.
I know some of this is beginner stuff, but it seems my teachers never really hammered it into me. I am good at site reading, fingering, tonguing, long tones, intonation, and I love to play. I have been practicing at least 45 mins a day for the past few weeks, trying to get back into tip top shape.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2003-11-11 06:18
You sound like a carbon copy of me. I was out for one less year, but the same thing. I think I'm a halfway decent player, but never was taught scales.
Best advice I can give you is just try to join a community band. The good thing about community bands in my opinion are that there are many, and they are of all different skill levels. I've tried three (although one is a college class that they allow players from the community to join). Of those two, I found one to play music not nearly challenging enough, the other had music a little tougher, and the third, which I am now a part of plays music that is very challenging and fun to play. Perfectly around my level.
Some have auditions, some don't. Other's will just listen to you for a little while and place you where you think you belong in the music. Give it a try. Don't be worried as to where you are musically or scalewise.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Dawne
Date: 2003-11-11 09:25
I have been out of it for at least 7 years....I am thinking about joining the community band at Paradise Valley CC next semester. I have no idea how I will measure up until I get there....I have never heard the group play. Maybe I will see you there.......?
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2003-11-11 12:38
Just sit in the middle of the section, in front of percussion, with your eye on the conductor. Most clarinet sections are so shrill, it would be difficult to pick out any one player.
Just mind the fermatti... (no unscheduled solos)
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2003-11-11 13:13
Just jump in and do it. You're more prepared than you realize, and probably more than is necessary to sit in a community band. You'll be pleasantly surprised.
The fingering chart on this Web site is very good, with lots of alternate fingerings for high notes: http://www.wfg.woodwind.org/clarinet/
For your question on flats and sharps, best thing you can do is memorize the order in which flats and sharps are written.
Flats: B E A D G C F
Meaning -- if one flat is written, it's always B flat, two flats written are B flat and E flat, three flats written are B flat, E flat and A flat... and so on.
Sharps are in reverse order: F C G D A E B
Meaning -- if one sharp is written, it's always F sharp, two sharps written are F sharp and C sharp, three sharps written are F sharp, C sharp and G sharp... and so on.
________________
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
Post Edited (2003-11-11 13:21)
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Author: William
Date: 2003-11-11 13:14
The old saying, "over analysis is paralysis" seems to apply to your situation. You are so worried that you are "not ready" that you are doing nothing to get ready. Playing Klose, etc will teach you to play the clarinet, but playing in an ensemble presents its own set of skills that must be learned. And you cannot learn those skills--intonation, balancing, following conducting, etc--unless you join a band and really "get into it". Music education is a life-long cummulative learning experiance that really never ends. And there is no "waiting until you are ready", you just need to start the process by joining a group. After that, then you can not only continue the practice of scales and other materials (Klose, Rose, etc), but also start working on the literature pertinent to your new ensemble performance reuirements. It's like, if you want to learn how to swim, you can read about it, watch all sorts of videos, talk to other swimmers, and actually practice the different stokes while still on dry land--but to really learn swimming skill, you also need to simply JUMP IN THE WATER.
Bottom line: noone is ever really "ready" when they join a band or orchestra for the first time. And most of us spend our entire lives working on the skills it takes to be a better musician. It sounds like you have done the "paper work", now you need the practical experiance--so join!! Don't worry that you are not "good enough"--everyone else in the band is still working on the same skills you will be and will be sympathetic to your inexperiance. The practice never ends...........
After a while, if things really arn't working out, you can always quit--but isn't it much better that, at least, you tried? (go for it and good luck)
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Author: Ray
Date: 2003-11-11 18:04
Maldran,
Thanks for your concern about joining a band. When someone who is terribly deficient (relative to the quality of the band) joins a group they sometimes make errors that hurt performances and annoy other players. It is great that you are sensitive to that and want to do what you can to improve. You have the best attitude possible.
You have gotten a lot of great advice. Try it out. If you feel you are screwing up too much, then tell the section leader that you are going to drop out for a while and practice until your skills return. She will appreciate that and it will smooth your way for the next try. But chances are you will fit in well.
With regard to your question about key signatures: When there are three sharps in a song, every note that has the same name as one of the sharps (F, C, and G in your example) must be sharped. This is a general rule for all sharp and flat key signatures. Be sure you now the names of all the notes you see. Some teachers don't stress note names, and this can make it tough to know when to sharp or flat a note.
Here's some more advice you didn't ask for. Be on the lookout for key signature changes - it seems to me that more clinkers are played right after a key change than anywhere else.
Best wishes,
Ray
Post Edited (2003-11-11 19:48)
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Author: Maldran
Date: 2003-11-11 22:26
Excellent. Thank you everyone for the responses!!!! I am now looking for community bands that have openings, or auditions. Have contacted a couple directors through email, but neither have any openings.
I live in the Phoenix, AZ area, so if anyone knows of any community bands in Phx, Glendale, Peoria, Mesa, Scottsdale that have openings or auditions, please let me know!!
Terrell
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Author: William
Date: 2003-11-11 23:58
Scottsdale has an excellant adult concert band that a good friend of mine plays with. I believe it meets at a community college. Audition may be required, but don't worry--like I said before, Go For It. Good luck.
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2003-11-12 07:47
Look to colleges. Many of them, especially those that suffer with the number of music majors, will have community bands. That way the students can join a band for college credit, and the community players have a place to go and fill in the gaps in instrumentation.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Gary Van Cott
Date: 2003-11-12 22:57
Just do it. I went to my first community band rehearsal after about 5 weeks of practice. I had not been practicing regularly for about 25 years. It was a real thrill (and so was the first concert).
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