 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: leonardA
Date: 2004-03-14 16:06
I just committed to play my first theatrical show--Gypsy. I'll be mostly playing sax but maybe some clarinet if it's not too hard. I'm concerned about my embouchure holding up for the length of a two-hour show. I'll be practicing at least an hour a day as I have been, so probably will be ok, but would appreciate any helpful comments. Also, if anyone has played sax on that show would love any comments on how demanding the music is.
Thanks,
Leonard
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2004-03-14 16:17
Allright! I wish you the best of luck! I see you're putting your practicing to use now and I'm sure everything will go well. Enjoy it and let us know how it went.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2004-03-14 17:58
Its been a while since I played Gypsy, but believe you will find only a few difficult spots and pieces where coordination with stage action is quite demanding, all BDWY show conductors have a tough job!! With age my stamina "aint what it used to be", but I still look forward to the week of 4 hours/nite rehearsal/performance renewal of my playing ability. Best wishes, Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Lisa
Date: 2004-03-15 01:34
I haven't played Gypsy, but I have played in several community theater pits. Here are my suggestions for rookies in the pit.
1. Don't scribble a whole bunch of notes to yourself about the show in the actual pit book. You are responsible for erasing EVERYTHING in the book before it gets turned back in, whether you wrote it or not. (Occasionally--no--quite frequently, there are mistakes in at least a song or 2. When I see a true mistake correction, I leave it there.
2. Practice both sax and clarinet in the same sitting at home. When you get the pit book, start out by previewing the songs in order. (The overture, entre'act and dances will probably need your most attention.) Yes, your embouchure might feel "confused" for a while if you're not used to doubling and immediate horn changes. Work through that and just keep playing til you get tired for the day. Of the reeds you already have, maybe choose the softer ones for doubling ease. Get a doublers stand for whichever sax AND clarinet if you don't already have one.
3. Remember that the show is not 2 1/2 hours of straight playing. There is dialogue, intermission, etc.
4. If the show has a long run over more than just a weekend, you may want to write notes for yourself concerning the timing of songs after dialogue. Note songs the music director wants performed out of order. If the pit book doesn't have cue lines the actor's say just before you play, jot them down. Conductors make occasional mistakes too, and sometimes sit on the podium and enjoy the show instead of raising their baton to get everyone's attention. Speaking of attention, if you're not in a deep pit and are far back enough to see stage action, don't YOU get too involved in the performance that you don't see the downbeat for the song, esp. during first dress rehearsal. (That's also a note to self.)
5. If the show's run is long, it will become boring to listen to after a while, and you'll be able to recite the lines along with the actors!  I like to bring a good book or crossword puzzles to do during long dialogue parts.
6. Get to know the others in the pit to make connections for the future.
7. Don't be afraid to ask questions if you "just don't get" something. Play with confidence! Your part is important and you're on your own with it, except for an occasional soli or octave doubling.
8. Arrive a bit earlier to "set up" your area. If you get there late, everyone else will have their stuff (cases, chairs) spread out, and you may have to squeeze into your spot.
9. Bring a water bottle and extra batteries for your stand light (provided by theater) when it'll inevitably go out early in the first act. The set crew will have every size battery than what you need in their possession.
10. Have fun, and please keep us updated!!!
I'm hoping some pros will add or subtract from my list. They're the experts on this topic.
Post Edited (2004-03-15 01:36)
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-03-15 03:44
Don't write anything in the book.
If you need to mark cues, tacets, cuts, reminders, etc.. always use paper clips, rubber bands, and yellow Post-It™ reminder self-stick paper.
At the end of the run, remove all the Post-Its™, paper clips, rubber bands, etc... and the book will be in the same condition that you found it...GBK
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2004-03-15 04:32
Some excellent suggestions above.
Perhaps you haven't seen a recent Local 802 AFM (NYC) article on the Broadway scene for musicians? Check it out:
http://www.local802afm.org/frames/fs_news.cfm?xPublication=64490880
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
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Author: leonardA
Date: 2004-03-15 12:02
Thank you all for your excellent advice. The show doesn't open until June, but I'll keep you posted on how it's going. Haven't even gotten the music yet. I forgot to mention that I'm an actor so have a lot of experience with shows, script protocol etc., but it is exciting to be performing a new "role" in this one. I have always had tremendous respect (and envy) for the pit musicians.
Leonard
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Author: clarinetmama
Date: 2004-03-16 23:58
Of the nearly 50 show I have played this is my favorite. I consider myself a clarinetist first, but this is one show where playing the sax is FUN. The older shows like Gypsy do indeed have a lot of dialogue so you are not constantly playing. I am amazed at some of the newer shows that are almost operas as there is almost no dialogue at all.
It ticks me off the number of books that have not been erased. I also use the post it notes to mark changes, etc. As my neighbors are erasing away I simply tear them out and I am ready to turn in my book.
I have discovered a number of errors in these books over the years, so be ready for anything. And depending on how strong your singers and dancers are there may be a number of cuts.
Towards the end of the show as Gypsy is becoming more and more famous you will find some of the best parts ever written for clarinetists. And since it is all orchestra you really get to wail.
Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. I have played several shows more than once, but this is one I will always say yes to.
Jean
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Author: leonardA
Date: 2004-05-03 04:03
Some of you asked to be kept posted about this, so here goes. I finally got the music-about three weeks later than we should have, and it was much more demanding that I had expected. A lot of key and time changes, and it's that handwritten music that's hard to read at times. I'm playing mostly tenor sax because I'm better at that than clarinet (only been studying clarinet about a year and a half). I will do some slow clarinet parts, including a few solo introductions to songs. After working on the music a week, I have made a lot of progress, and I'm confident that I'll be ready by opening June 4. I guess I really need to be ready when the orchestra comes in to rehearse, which should be about a week before show opening. I'm having a blast and really excited to picture myself playing during the show. The tenor sax has some great parts also. It's only a small orchestra--keyboard, drum, sax/clarinet (me), and trumpet, so it's pretty exposed. I'll keep you posted, and thanks to those of you who responded.
Leonard
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Author: Katrina
Date: 2004-05-03 05:14
Yeah those show books can be difficult to read at times. They're (in my meager experience) always some sort of photostat copy of handwritten stuff. The more accustomed you become to this type of notation, the easier it becomes.
Are newer shows being printed with Finale or some such processing program??
Katrina
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Author: Dawne
Date: 2004-05-03 05:49
Always take the music home with you. Don't leave it on the stand.
When leaving home for the show, before you load your instruments into your car, make sure you also have your reeds, your neckstrap, and yes, of course, the music....
Dawne Morgan
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Author: chipper
Date: 2004-05-03 13:05
Inspiring! Leonard, I'm catching your enthusiasm, its infectious. Good luck with your show. I'm looking foreward to the day I can play a show. Keep us posted.
Chipper
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Author: William
Date: 2004-05-03 14:49
Lisa wrote, "extra batteries for your stand light (provided by theater) when it'll inevitably go out early in the first act".
The musical pits that I have played in have always had electric stand lights that always stay on...........EXCEPT:
1) if the darned bulb burns out--in this case you just have to rely on management for a new one.....or;
2) if, as in the last musical I played, the entire theator goes black--no light anywhere and Really DARK. In our situation, we were behind the set in a small, cramped space difficult enough to enter and exit even with lights on. Luckly, no one in the audience nor anyone backstage paniced and conductor/pianist had a small LED light that provided some "peace of mind". Eventually, a member of the stage crew came to rescue us with a larger battery light source, but for the rest of the musicals run, I brought my own flashlight and considered it just as important as my bass clarinet. And that flashlight has become part of the necessary "stuff" that I now take to every gig--just in case (so to speak). It is amazing how bright (and reassuring) even the smallest light can be in total darkness.
(FYI--a regional power substation blew a transformer and left a quarter of our city without electric power for over forty minutes. After a twenty minute wait, our performance was cancelled, but, thanks to our musicans contract, we all got paid.
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Author: msloss
Date: 2004-05-03 16:13
William, was that a C or a D flashlight? Which combination of battery and bulb do you prefer? What is your preferred break-in method?
I currently use a sopranino AAA flashlight, but am thinking about doubling on the contralto Radio Shack D to get more work. I hear Wiseman is coming out with a really cool case for them that also holds two penlights, a set of batteries, and an outside pocket for a voltmeter.
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Author: William
Date: 2004-05-04 01:30
msloss, my only concern is the quality of output--I prefer bright, not dark.
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Author: Todd W.
Date: 2004-05-04 16:59
msloss -- LOL!
William -- And to your response, too.
Todd W.
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Author: diz
Date: 2004-05-05 06:24
I remember a smart-arsed musician once put an X-rated centerfold picture in my score ... and it didn't "pop up" until I was well into the Act Three.
I went off at the brass section (wrongly assuming it was one of them) I knew they were telling the truth because they all looked vexed that one of them hadn't thought about it, and it was not until the end of the run of the show that a meek and mild second violinist admitted to the faux-pas ... I was flabbergasted.
Didn't stop me from hiring her again (in fact she's now my best friend and Mark Pinner knows her from those good old days, though Pinner didn't play in the pit for me for that one) ... I can look back now, with loads of more conducting under my belt and laugh about it.
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2004-05-05 10:57
I mark notes in the part. If it is done with a 3B pencil, it is is easy and quick to erase. If there are cuts, I photocopy so it becomes continuous. This is particularly considerate if somebody has to fill in for you in an emergency, which has never happened for me.
Watch out for wide temperature chages in the pit, which play havoc with tuning.
If you have plug-in lights, make sure there are spare bulbs SOMEWHERE in the pit.
Excellent advise from Lisa. It matches mine, from playing 150+ productions.
After the hectic reheasal week prior to opening night you'll find it a breeze once the show is on the road. A lot less playing on the night than at rehearsals.
Keep practicing the album form beginning to end, leaving out parts as theyh become really well known. Hence get to know the continuity of the music, and the instrument changes. Get to know where you can relax, so you can save your deep concentration for where it is needed most.
Opening night rides on some adrenalin, but beware of the third performance, when the adrenalin kicks out and complacency can bring in the mistakes.
Join in with associated social functions. The cast are sometimes slack about informing the musicians when they are.
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2004-05-05 16:15
I've been playing shows at both the pro and amateur levels (the music is the same, after all) for almost 35 years now, and I find it more enjoyable and rewarding (in the money sense) than any of the classical stuff that I've ever done.
One thing that helped me out early on was the fact that I was a bass clarinet doubler from the start, and also picked up sax and other horns over the years as I went along. This is essential if you want to do professional work, as they don't want to pay for two bodies when they can just pay for the (much less expensive) doubling spifs instead.
Many of the college and high school amateur productions that I've played have a pit full of clarinet player and flute players and sax players, and then one or two of us who combine it all. I use these opportunities to get them started down the right track.
I've always encouraged promising young folks who "only play (insert instrument here)" to start picking up the doubling skills right then and there. It's quite possible to go from flute player to flute/alto player in a month or so, and it gives them another set of goals to attain. You may not want them to play the dress rehearsals and show with their limited sax skills, but by the next show they've usually got what it takes to deliver a workmanlike Book 3 performance.
I'm currently playing a horrid old show (No, No Nannette!) for one of my trombone players, who is the entire music department at a large Lutheran high school. With limited numbers of students to fill the parts out, he leans on us (my lead alto, second trumpet and second trombone are also participating) to flesh things out to where it sounds "real", and we get a little money in the bargain for our troubles. Amateur though the cast may be (and this bunch is pretty bad), the music is still identical to what they play on the Great White Way.
Anyway, the book that I've got is scored for baritone sax (lots of 1920's quickstep music), bass clarinet (almost always a staple of the Broadway show) and bassoon. While I don't claim to be a Bradford Buckley, I'm able to hold my own on the bassoon with a little boning up on the fingerings. And, it's fun to get your "lip" back after a break of ten or fifteen years.
What I can't do is make the horn changes required in the part. There are places where the baritone to bassoon change only allows one or two bars of up-tempo cut time to make the switch. It generally takes a four bar pause to make anything else to baritone/vice versa switch, and messing with a bassoon reed, getting the bucket around the end of the boot joint and then playing in "musical fashion" compounds the problem.
I imagine that the Local 802 folks use a baritone stand on rollers, but I'm not about to have the bottom half of _my_ horn warped from one of those clamped on monstrosities. So, they lose a little of one side or the other of the music. Such is life in the fine arts.
My additional recommendations, based upon hundreds of performances of dozens of different productions of a page-long listing of various musicals (starting with Threepenny Opera (five productions to date) and currently involving Hello, Dolly! (four different productions to date) and the above mentioned No No Nanette!):
o A clever way to make some extra money while gaining experience is to get together a group of players who will work for schools not having an adequate music program but still wanting to field a musical. You get the fun and experience, plus a nice little sum; they get a "professional level" production rather than one with the choir teacher banging away at an out of tune piano.
In the 1960's in Saint Louis, I worked with a guy named Doug Major (He was a cutting edge kind of guy in that he had personalized checks (first that I had ever seen) with stock clip art of a staff and notes; the fact that it was in two sharps and he listed his name as D. Major was a nice little touch.)
Doug recruited me as one of his three "normal" reed men, and he made a tidy second income booking us for the pit orchestra at local Catholic high schools. We would work up the parts independently, do a tech and dress rehearsal, and then the performances. Two years of this and I had a lot of Broadway music under my belt along with about $100 a show (and that was when Ben Franklin could actually buy you something).
o I always make a ring binder copy of the book, reducing and copying the pages onto 8 1/2 x 11 heavy gauge paper (32 pound). Then I make my markings in the copy, turn in the clean original (except for my tiny little TS initials and the month and year, carefully written in the spine area of the last page), and go on from there.
o For the "inevitable horn change while turning page with weird cut because someone can't dance" situation, I do a fold out page (three or four pages across in my three ring binder). Much easier and cheaper than dropping a horn during a change.
o If you play the "odd" horns, you are far more employable than most. For example, the current touring production of The Producers appears to have a reed part (in one book) for Eb contra-alto (one of three shows that I know of that uses that monstrosity), baritone, bass clarinet and bassoon. There'll be no shortage of folks that can master clarinet, flute, alto/tenor/soprano, but few can cover "sewer pipe/bari/fag/the ultimate instrument" by themselves. Be one of those and the work will come.
o Don't just get a doubling stand (essential if you want to keep everything working); make one that is capable of keeping your horns upright when things are bumped in the tight confines of an orchestra setup. I've seen a Hamilton folding stand with a Mark VI tenor pitched over when a famous talent brushed by with her posse; her response was "Oh! Sorry...) as she continued to walk on by...the horn made an excellent wall hanging after that incident.
After having a bass clarinet get pitched forward one night (but intercepted, thank God), my late father and I came up with a doubling stand that is pretty much impervious to accident. It's built on a H-shaped framework of 2 x 4 morticed together (with two 8" stubs extending from the crossbar of the H), and over the crossbar intersections are mounted bolt up mounts for a strap iron baritone stand, bassoon stand or a commercially produced cast aluminum alto/tenor sax stand. The base occupies a rectangle of about 2' by 1 1/2', and it takes a thirty pound pull to overturn when loaded. (My father's initial calculations were based upon the force exerted by a certain S. St James...)
In the middle of the crossbar is a bolt mount for a bass clarinet stand that I found five of many years ago (it shares common parts with the alto/tenor stand), and on the stubs are sockets for pegs for the clarinet, flute and (God forbid) English horn and oboe. Add a screwed on accessories box on one unused leg end, and a cup holder for a beverage or bassoon reed pot on another, and you're cookin' with Crisco.
It's a bit heavier than anything you can buy, but it's not going anywhere and it will last forever. And, if you play bari or bass clarinet, you already have a cart to haul stuff anyway.
When you're in the same place (as you will be in a show), you can probably leave it there. (However, I once had one stolen from the Loretto-Hilton Theater of the Saint Louis Repertory Theater; fifteen years later, I found out that my wife's son-in-law's brother was the one who lifted it...Small World, Isn't It indeed.)
o If you're going to practice anything to make you more ready for the world of the theater orchestra, spend time working on scales and arpeggi for the extreme keys. Five sharps is the rule rather than the exception, since much of theater music starts out in a good key but then gets rewritten to suit the limitations of the talent that ends up singing it.
On clarinet, you'll be throwing a lot of broken arpeggi as part of standard vocal numbers, and most will be in bad keys. I'm to the point that I'm more flexible in A major than I am in C major, simply because of practicing until the "hard keys" are second nature. (That articulated G# key helps here as well, on sax, clarinet and bass clarinet.)
Everything's Coming Up Roses, from the above discussed Gypsy, is an excellent example of this. The Mer may have been a great performer, but that tune (set in seven flats for the Bb clarinet) is an ordeal if you're not up on your intervals....a whole page of sweeping eight note passages that is played all "on the keys" (rather than "on the holes"). So, you're paying the price of Merman's vocal range, and you have to make the latest Mer-substitute sound good in a bitch of a key as a result.
(By the way, while those who play the lead parts for Gypsy may like the show, I found it to be a bore the three times that I played it. Of course, none of the three productions had the full orchestration, and the nifty jazz bass clarinet work in Ya Gotta Hava Gimmick was replaced (for me) with a dull interior harmony clarinet part. Having to tote a bass sax around during one of the productions didn't help.)
o Maintain your musical friendships, for you never know when you'll need to borrow a bass saxophone (quite a few parts for those, including Funny Girl, The Music Man, Gypsy, and West Side Story), a contra clarinet (I've only had this problem once, with On The Twentieth Century, but I note that The Producers uses the horn as well), an Eb clarinet (two shows, Company and Camelot, called for this for color purposes only), bassoon, English horn or other oddity.
Just showing up with a bass sax gets you some "bulge" over the others with their puny little Traypac sax/flute/clarinet setups; actually playing it well sets the capstone. (Finding a place to set it down is a whole tale in itself.) Besides, you might be able to refer a friend, and friends tend to refer you back in the bargain.
o Show up on time, come prepared to play (bottled water is a help here these days; less need to take a water break that way), and bring something to keep you occupied during the down spells (particularly during the technical rehearsals with cast). Save your talk with others for the break, so that when things start to go south the director will not be yelling at _you_ to be quiet.
o Finally, have fun. Sure, there's a lot of boring fill music in shows, but there's also a lot of hot dance lines, florid clarinet work, and "working with the soloist" vocal accompaniment parts that make it all worthwhile.
And the stories that you will accumulate (like the poorly placed flute cut in half by the hydraulic orchestra pit elevator platform, or stepping in at the last minute to cover for a missing player on a part that you have to sight read, or getting engaged in dialog with Zero Mostel during a performance, in front of a full house and all of it ad lib) will last you a lifetime.
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Author: leonardA
Date: 2004-05-05 17:28
Wow, thanks for all the great replies. They have made me even more excited about the upcoming show.
Terry, I can see that the more instruments you can play the more valuable you are. How hard is it to add flute to sax. Is the fingering the same? Right now I'm pretty dependable on sax and coming along but still struggling with consistency on clarinet. I wouldn't want to spread myself too thin in the learning curve, but down the road I could see wanting to add flute.
I've been an actor for many years and have performed as such in many musicals. It's really going to be fun to be on this side of the lights. Show opens June 4.
Leonard
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Author: GBK
Date: 2004-05-05 18:51
Terry Stibal said:
> I always make a ring binder copy of the book,
> reducing and copying the pages onto 8 1/2 x 11
> heavy gauge paper (32 pound). Then I make my
> markings in the copy, turn in the clean original
[ Of course you destroy your copies after the show ... right? - GBK ]
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2004-05-05 19:15
[ Of course you destroy your copies after the show ... right? - GBK ]
Yeah, sure, you bet....
My main gripe about the music (mostly that from Tamms Witmark) is that the books refuse to lay flat on the stand. It's hard enough to turn the pages in a hurry as it is, but when the spine of the book persists in wanting to turn a few more than you desire, it's a real bother. No problem with three ring in that regard.
I've never had problems with marking and erasing (of my marks, that is; those of the others who use hard pencils are a different problem altogether). I use mechanical pencils with extremely soft lead (one or two in every horn case, plus a spare or two in the little box on the H stand) and vinyl erasers in those pen-like holders. The vinyl eraser cleans the soft lead off in one easy pass; great for those repeated cuts and changes in dance numbers where they just can't seem to get it right.
To get the soft lead, go to an art or graphic arts supply store and ask for the softest lead you can get for the size of pencil that you use. They will not stock pencils with the soft lead already installed; you have to buy it separately and then change it out.
[How hard is it to add flute to sax. Is the fingering the same?]
Sax to flute is relatively easy from the fingering point of view. (So, for that matter, are most woodwinds with the possible exception of bassoon, which involves one's thumbs to a much greater degree.) It's just a matter of learning the different systems rather than adapting, say, sax fingering to "something else only this is different".
What chaps my ass about the flute is the embouchure, which I have never quite gotten down to a reflexive thing. That it can be done is more than obvious from all of the zillions of little girls who play flute and play it well. Perhaps too many years of big sax and clarinet mouthpieces have spoilt my mouth. Since I don't normally have to play flute, I've never had the motivation to get down to brass tacks and "learn it right". Same-same for tenor clef, for that matter.
I can fill in a middle flute part well enough (while turning blue in the attempt), but I'd never want to try the Reed One book with a florid flute part.
leader of Houston's Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra
info@sotsdo.com
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Author: Gordon (NZ)
Date: 2004-05-06 00:35
My perception is that flute players readily double well on reeds, often self-taught, but it is only rarely that a reed player adapts to good flute doubling.
Compared with sax, which almost never goes above the third F in pit music), the flute music spends a great deal of time in the third octave where fingering is strange and takes a lot of practice. But fingering is not the main challenge.
The big challenge is to get control of pitch and volume while maintaining a good tone. This needs real dedication, and probably some quality guidance. On-going compensations need to be made on flute because pitch rises dramatically with volume, especially in the third octave, unless the embouchure controls it. [Most reed players know the problems created by flutes playing sharp!] Unless the player is pretty accomplished, his embouchure is not versatile enough to make these corrections.
Pit playing is especially demanding because the player is often expected to play softer in the top octave than a solo, orchestral or band player normally does. Playing quietly, in tune, pleasantly, in the top octave on a flute is more difficult than most things a sax player will ever do. And a flute player has to do it often.
Another issue is acquiring an embouchure that is economical in its use of air. Without this, far too many breaths are needed and acceptable phrasing is impossible.
It is very common for a doubler on a second flute part to wreck a beautiful flute 'moment' being created by an accomplished flute player on the first flute part. It is not just a matter of fingering and blowing. The sound must be in tune and beautiful; otherwise the second flute part does not add but detracts from the total effect, often used in the most emotionally sensitive times during a show.
Be prepared to put in a LOT of work, as if the flute were your primary instrument. There are no short cuts. Of all the common doubling changes, from clarinet to flute (and especially piccolo) seems to be the most challenging.
Good luck!
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Author: leonardA
Date: 2004-06-05 20:01
I want to let everyone know that Gypsy opened last night and it's a great production and I'm having a ball playing tenor sax and a little clarinet in it. I'm just not proficient enough yet on the clarinet to carry that, but I'm fine on tenor.
I did very well. I put in a lot of work learning the music at home because I'm not a quick reader and there are a lot of irregular rythms, notes above and below the staff and other challenges. I am also playing some of the easier clarinet parts on the tenor.
The biggest surprise was that after I learned all the music and showed up to rehearse with the band they cut a lot of the tenor part because it's a small band (keyboard, drum and me), and the tenor part sort of intrudes in that setting, whereas it would be fine in a full orchestra. Still, I'm playing quite a few things and it's lower stress and more enjoyable for me. I"m playing a solo clarinet part that is very prerty and under dialogue, so that's a nice moment. Also get to wail a little on Let Me Entertain You.\ Next time, though, I think I would get with the musical director ahead of time and see what to learn or not. I''m also wondering if the trumpet book would have had more melodeous parts that I could have learned and played on the tenor since they didn't have a trumpet.
The two other musicians have been playing all their lives, so I feel cool to be with them.
I do appreciate all the supportive comments and advice. They have spurred me on and I have taken them to heart. 13 more shows to go. Wow.
Leonard
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2004-06-05 23:13
Whatever you do, don't give up on the clarinet playing. Virtually every show worth the time to play uses both clarinet and either alto or tenor. Doing this double right is essential for a pit performer on reeds.
As time goes on, you'll learn where you fit in the scheme of typical show orchestrations. When musical time rolls around, you can know which book to look for before the decisions are made.
Once you get tenor sax (which you seem to have in hand) and clarinet down, then you can open yourself up to bass clarinet (a little hard to manage at first, but it will come) and the other "main saxes" (alto and baritone). These five horns will cover most of the Reed Book II through Book V parts that there are out there. It's just that simple.
Have fun with the Everything's Comin' Up Roses parts on clarinet...
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Author: leonardA
Date: 2004-08-01 04:04
I'm excited that I'll be playing another show in September, The Goodbye Girl. The movie was not a musical, but the play is. Marvin Hamlish wrote the music. I just got the music, and I'll be playing alto sax, tenor sax and clarinet, a lot more clarinet than when I played Gypsy. It looks very doable though. Show is in September, so I have plenty of time. Gypsy was really fun, and so I'm really looking forward to this one. All of your comments were really helpful to me.
Leonard
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2004-08-01 14:02
Congrats, Leonard, it " sounds" like you have become a skilled member of our show- playing group. YES, it can be fun to work hard for a couple of weeks at a time, but see the great accomplishments "develope". I look back on about 40 years of some 2-3 shows per year, R&H's and other goodies. Yes, cl [sop and bass] always, alto/tenor/bari [only one at a time, hopefully], oboe and some E H !, and maybe passing the book to a flutist. Made a few errors here and there, by in large OK, some very enjoyables, ASax in Annie, bass in Camelot, cl in M M, oboe in Brigadoon, etc. Have more fun, Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: super20dan
Date: 2023-08-03 05:15
an indespencible piece of pit gear for those really long running shows is a flask
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The Clarinet Pages
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