 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: contragirl
Date: 2004-09-03 01:37
OK... so I had posted before about "I have a bad cold and an audition, what do I do?" And I still had my cold when I auditioned yesterday on Bb and Bass clarinet. And a couple days ago I could barely talk and today when I finally went to the doctor, I got some prescriptions to get me unsick...
Well, the audition results are in.
I made orchestra! I'm like WHAT?!?!?! They have me down as bass clarinet, which is kinda scary cuz I know the director can be a hard ass on the clarinets.
And I kinda just wanted to be the wind ensemble (which is technically, below orch). Because the director of the wind ensemble is retiring and they may be going on a fun trip overseas... and I wanna go! Not that I only wanna be in the group to go on a cool trip, but I would like to play under him again.
Oh, the woes of being great. lol, yeah right.
--Contragirl... well, Bassgirl now.
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Author: Igloo Bob
Date: 2004-09-03 02:30
Some of the best Bass Clarinetists I've known tremendously underestimated themselves. If this is because we think there's a huge pool of Bass Clarinet talent that doesn't actually exist, underestimate our own abilities, or the majority of the audition judges play bubble gum, bubble gum to decide who makes it in, I have no clue.
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Author: glin
Date: 2004-09-03 03:45
Contagirl.
Congratulations! Proof that things often work out when they seem to be headed in the wrong direction.
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Author: Bani
Date: 2004-09-03 05:44
>Oh, the woes of being great. lol, yeah right
I'll never understand you Americans! First you worry, gripe, dream, etc about being in the orchestra. Now that you're in, you still worry, gripe, dream, etc about being in. (Just kidding, he, he, he!)
CONGRATULATIONS! (Not kidding)
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Author: contragirl
Date: 2004-09-03 06:47
Lol, you're right. I whine about everything. I'm a born whiner. Can't say the same for all Americans... I know politicians like to whine! haha.
Thanks everyone for the grats!
--Contragirl
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Author: Ed
Date: 2004-09-03 14:53
reminds me of a joke I have heard-
How do you get a musician to complain?
Gim him/her a gig!
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Author: William
Date: 2004-09-03 15:02
C-Grl, at the danger of getting into a "when I was your age" thing, I must say that if I had it (my musical life) to do all over again (yikes--I can't believe I am beginning to say words like these), I would go totally orchestral rather than playing in all of those wind ensembles and bands for all of those years, blowing my brains out and ruining my ears (tinitus). I say this because, for the past ten years, I have been playing in a "pretty good" regional professional symphony orchestra and have never been happier as a clarinetist. The level of performance far exceeds that of any "band" I have ever been associated with and being the only voice on my part is far more personally rewarding than being one of many clarinets on a part, or even Principal of a whole section. Bands do tend to take more trips. My old college Concert Band took trips all over our state playing for high school and adult audiences during our annual spring breaks (that's right, no Daytona Beach for the band) We also marched in two Rose Bowl parades and took trips to away football games. In recent years, those "away" games included trips to Hawaii and Tokyo--makes me wish I had opted to be one of those "career students". Ten years ago, our Madison Municipal Band that I am Principal clarinetist with, took a concert trip to Rome, Italy. Their was also a trip to the Netherlands--that I did not go on--and there currently is talk of a similar playing venture to China. But trips aside, the aesthetic rewards of orchestral playing are much more personally rewarding. and, if I had it to do........well, you know. Trips are fun, but playing great music good is more fun.
And my "bottom line" to you must therefore be, CONGRADUALTIONS for now, and please consider "going orchestral" for the rest of your life. Forty five years from now (give or take a few) you may thank me for this little bit of advice (that you really didn't even ask for :>)~~@
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2004-09-03 15:13
William,
No doubt many of us might like to be 'pure orchestral clarinetists', but there are far, far fewer positions available in orchestras (even in volunteer community orchestras) than there are qualified clarinetists to fill them. Furthermore, a GOOD wind band/wind ensemble can be plenty challenging to even a very competent clarinetist. Finally, in orchestras, clarinetists to some degree but bass clarinetists for sure, do a lot of sitting counting rests (or sitting out entire pieces or entire concerts in the case of bass clarinetists). At least in wind bands we're playing all the time. And one could get tinnitus just as easily playing for years in orchestra as playing in bands for an equivalent amount of time. In most orchestras I've played in I'm directly in front of either the trumpets and/or French horns, or the percussion --- not exactly quiet spots.
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Author: William
Date: 2004-09-03 15:35
David, your points are (as usual) well made and are appreciated. I am one of those fortunate clarinetists to have an orchestral position (that pays) and do make liberal use of my ear plugs for those "heroic" trumpet parts. Strictly for compartive purposes, during my travels, I have "sat-in" with a couple of great community bands--the Fairfax Community Band of Virginia (your band, ??) as well as the Greater Miami Wind Ensemble--and can say that, as principal clarinet and bass clarinet of two very similar bands here in Madison, WI, I personally enjoy the orchestral scene much more. Just my NSHO...............
(And now that I am older, I really don't mind all those rests that much either :>)~~@
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2004-09-03 15:49
William,
Wish I'd had a chance to meet you when you were in the DC area! I've subbed occasionally in the Fairfax (VA) City Band, and they are not the highest-caliber group in town by any means, so comparing them to an orchestra is not really fair. I personally enjoy orchestral playing much more myself, but the opportunities around here are very limited, with one likely reason being the huge number of military musicians based here in the Washington, DC area --- they have time on their hands, a ready musical resume, and are competent enough to fill most of the paid and many of the volunteer orchestra slots, leaving little for us civilians.
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Author: contragirl
Date: 2004-09-03 16:00
I played once before with an orchestra for a gig last year. A local Seventh Day Adventist college was doing some recordings, and I was called up to do it! It was great; the first time I ever played with an orchestra and a full pipe organ. And it paid well. Then I was called by the same group a couple more times to do services on Saturdays around the holidays, but then they stopped needing me. :(
I also played with our school's "Rep Orchestra" for one concert... That was a nightmare. Half the ppl didn't know how to play, and the players were few. But it wasn't too bad cuz I had lotsa solos.
Sad thing about UMD, is that we never ever take trips. Outside of the marching band, which I quit 2 yrs ago, the concert bands/ orchestras don't do anything fun. This will be the first (and probably last) big trip the wind ensemble will take! So far, the possibilities are Tokyo, China, or Europe. I've never been out of the country... let alone off the East coast... so I would looove to go. hehe.
Today is the first rehearsal for orchestra. Wish me luck as I play the Rach's Symphonic Dances and some Kirchner piece. Scaaarrrryy....
--CG
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2004-09-03 16:28
CG,
Mr. Sergei Rach had this really bad habit of writing his bass clarinet parts for the mythical and nearly-nonexistent bass clarinet in "A", and mostly in bass clef --- so you might want to get a head start on that piece (beautiful music, though --- well worth the effort).
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Author: marcia
Date: 2004-09-03 17:51
>Furthermore, a GOOD wind band/wind ensemble can be plenty challenging >to even a very competent clarinetist.
I would heartily agree with you David. I have the pleasure of playing with the Pacific Symphonic Wind Ensemble which is probably the foremost wind group in the Greater Vancouve are, some would say the whole province. Some of the repertiore is far more challenging than most of the orchestral music I have played. There is a whole "other world" of wind music besides the trashy band music that most of us will have experienced.
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2004-09-03 18:39
I remember Gigliotti telling me that in Northern Virginia there are some truly amazing Community Bands.
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Author: contragirl
Date: 2004-09-03 22:02
NOW you tell me. :P
Picked up the music today... Bass clef for Rach!?! WHAT?!?! I can read bass clef, but I've never really done it on bass clarinet. And I read it really slowwww...
Then I get to rehearsal and have to try to count and keep up with the conductor. Then comes a fast-ish bass solo... and it doesn't sound right. Enter the non-existant (and unmarked) switch into bass cl in A! The conductor was like "bass clarinet, solo... bass..." but he explained when we stopped "Oh, bass you have to go into A." Sure enough, a tiny pencil mark in the music says "in A." And luckily within the music pages, someone had rewritten that section in treble and Bb.
Let's say my first day was a disaster. I hardly played, but slowly got the hang of it later in the other mvts. heh... practice practice.
Thanks for the tips guys. hehe
--CG
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