The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Amy Tindall
Date: 2004-03-28 23:29
I'm interested in knowing more about the Ab piccolo clarinet. I knew nothing about it or it's existance till today! If someone plays it or knows of any composer that have written for it, let me know. I'm curious to know the sound of it!
Amy E. Tindall
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Author: diz
Date: 2004-03-29 00:53
Amy ... try the search function on this BB ... it's wonderful.
http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=117678&t=117641
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Author: contragirl
Date: 2004-03-29 05:30
Weiner rents an Ab!
I like this page: http://hem.passagen.se/eriahl/clarinet.htm
Has some info on it.
--Contragirl
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Author: William
Date: 2004-03-29 15:01
As I have previously posted, I played an Ab "picc" clarinet while in college as a novelty solo act for band tours. My "thing" was the "Clarinet Polka" and I had a "ball" playing it for thousands of high school students all over our state. I have medium size fingers, so its small keyboard was less of a challenge. The big problem for me was getting used to the tambre of its playing register--high and shrill. While it is not practical to spend thousands of dollars to buy one (most band and orchestral musical arrangements don't call for its use), I have always wished I owned one to play for novel occassions. Like being able to pull it quickly out of my coat pocket if someone should ever yell, "Is there a clarinetist in the house?".
Ab clarinet--not practical to purchase, but a "fun" instrument to have around for that "special" novel occassion or even more rare performance need. FWIW--I think that LeBlanc still makes them, but only on request. Don't expect to have five to choose from.
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Author: larryb
Date: 2004-03-29 17:09
here's a photo of one (it's also for sale)....
http://www.nickrailmusic.com/usedinstrumentspgs1103/06leblancclarinet.html
Post Edited (2004-03-29 17:10)
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Author: Synonymous Botch
Date: 2004-03-30 00:08
Just make certain your rental agreement allows for playing one of these indoors before you Spring the Long Green...
Buddy of mine just got one for his collection... it took nearly three months to find reeds! All the major mail order houses said they could get reeds,
but there may be some delay (12th of Never, more likely).
I don't know how anyone with full-size hands can play one, anyhow!
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Author: elmo lewis
Date: 2004-03-31 01:40
There is a photo of a piccolo clarinet in G in the New Grove Dictionary paperback edition, vol. 19, p. 735 in the entry on Vienna. Check it out.
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Author: diz
Date: 2004-03-31 04:01
elmo - is that the hideous blue coloured edition with ghastly yellow writting? (the one I own).
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Author: bnanno
Date: 2004-03-31 12:08
Hello,
I just saw the picture and it looks remarkably like what my duaghter owns called a "requinto" in Spanish. Most students in her conservatory start off on this when they take up the clarinet (ages 7-8), becuase the normal clarinet was simply too big and heavy for her. She has a grenadilla model made by LeBlanc, cost 900 euros, (it was about 200 euros more than a decent student model of a normal clarinet at the time) and sometime later a new mouthpiece (vandoren) for another 70 euros or so. She switched to a "normal" clarinet this year, but hasn't sold the other one as she loves it.
Her teacher transposes all pieces to the requinto for these students, and my daughter manges to get a very nice, mellow sound out of it.
When they play in the band, the requinto(s) sit in the first clarinet chair, and their part does not coincide 100% with their clarinet counterparts...
I never had any problems getting reeds for it (Vandorens from 1 1/2 to about 3 when she left using it regularly)...they were called MiBs I think.
Her etacher does say that there is sometimes a call for a requinto part in European orchestras, aprt from the clarinet.
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Author: OboeAtHeart
Date: 2004-03-31 23:33
The requinto sounds something like our friend the Eb piccolo clarinet. Another neat little instrument to have around; I enjoy playing it because it's got a much smaller keyboard than the usual clarinet; hence, less pain for my smaller hands.
I've always been fascinated by the upper harmony clarinets, though there seems to be no use for them in most music, and if there is, it's cued to the 1st clarinet part! (How terrible.)
-Jen.
*~"The clarinet, though appropriate to the expression of the most poetic ideas and sentiments, is really an epic instrument- the voice of heroic love."~*
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Author: David Peacham
Date: 2004-04-01 08:40
A requinto is not just "something like" an Eb clarinet. It is an Eb clarinet. The term requinto can also refer to a small guitar.
The reeds were called Mib because Mib is the romance-language name for Eb.
Ab clarinet reeds would, I presume, be labelled Lab, and a Leblanc Ab costs a lot more than 900 euros.
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If there are so many people on this board unwilling or unable to have a civil and balanced discussion about important issues, then I shan't bother to post here any more.
To the great relief of many of you, no doubt.
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Author: bnanno
Date: 2004-04-01 09:57
Dear David,
Its me again! Thanks for confirming that the requinto and Eb clarinet are one and the same thing...I thought so but was not sure enought o confirm it. The same goes for the MiB, I knew it refers to the notes, but was not sure of the ABC equivalents for UK/USA...
iI do know for sure that their part in the wind ensemble does not follow that of the clarinet; when the director has not had had time to specify, I noticed that the part given to the Eb clarinet was that of the Alto saxophone.
Well, the model that the teacher prefers is about 900 euros with discount (LeBlanc Noblet),; I beleive the catalogue price is listed as 1080 euros or thereabouts. I beleive Yamaha has a wooden model and also a cheaper plastic model, but I don't know about them at all.
You can easily sell them to newer small-sized students here, but as I said, my daughter decided to keep it as the instrument has turned out be very nice, and she is fond of it, and also to be occasionally do the requinto part in the ensemble!
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Author: paulwl
Date: 2004-04-01 17:30
I understand these are used mainly in Italy. Does anybody know why?
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Author: DougR
Date: 2004-04-01 19:46
Here's a link to Marty Krystall's web page; he played Ab piccolo clarinet on the score for Disney's "101 Dalmatians." He's got a short account of how he acquired the horn, and how he ended up playing it.
I don't know...playing the clarinet up in dog-hearing range never appealed to me. Guess that's why I play bass.
The link:
http://www.k2b2.com/martyinstr.html
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