 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Leigh
Date: 2000-03-22 00:37
I am a junior in high school and have been asked to play the alto clarinet in a WW choir, CL choir, and a couple of mixed quartets at our school's upcoming contest. I normally play Bb and am quite aware (by some of the protesting noises I am getting out of the alto) that I need to change some things about my ombeture and such to get the tone I want on the alto. Could an experienced alto player out there give me some help in this area?
Thanks,
Danielle
Also, this may sound stupid but no one at my school can tell me exactly how I'm supposed to hold the thing. Is is straight up and down? Angled in? Like a saxaphone? I feel silly, but I'm that clueless!
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Author: RichC2
Date: 2000-03-22 00:56
A few quickies
1. The Alto Calrinet embochure is slioghtly looser than a B flat, but it also requires more air
2. It's a good idea to start out on a soft reed. IF youp lay a #3 reed on regular clarinet, trying to play on a #3 on an Alto Clarinet will not be easy. All you'll get is winded real quick. Allow yourself time to build up your air capacity.
3. The Alto Clarinet is held straight up and down, not tilted like the "saxaphone lean". If you're not using one, I STRONGLY advise using a neckstrap. It frees up your arms a bit, allowing you to have increased finger dexterity.
4. Practice! There's no better way to know an instrument than to work with it!
If, after awhile, you're still getting some squeaking, be sure to have it checked for air leaks. To date, I have NEVER seen an Alto Clarinet in decent condition. Mine was held together with a string...literally.
Hope this helps!
A former Regional Band Alto Clarinetist
-Rich
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2000-03-22 01:19
D - Rich's advice is very good, neck-strap, yes, I find I need to move my right leg back to not interfere with my right hand. Practice getting a good tone with a med-soft reed below open G, then work on up in the clarion register. Its a bit like a bass cl but fingers better, but not as fast as playing a Bb. Make believe its a basset horn, and try for that beautiful tone character!! Don
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Author: SeAn
Date: 2000-03-22 01:55
just to add on,
one factor that may lead to squeaking (assuming the instrument is in decent condition) is the pin-hole in the left-hand index finger for altissimo notes. be sure to cover it properly for chalumeau and clarion register or it may lead to a nasty squeak. if you think you are not gonna need the altissimo range for a while, you can temporarily "disable" it by covering with a small piece of sticky-tape.
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Author: Gary Van Cott
Date: 2000-03-22 17:33
Another thing to consider is the mouthpiece. Many student instruments can be improved by using a decent mouthpiece. I use a Vandoren B44 and found it did pretty well with a Bundy I used for awhile. I also tried a Woodwind 5 that came with an instrument I used and it was nearly as good and would be cheaper to buy.
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Author: Lelia
Date: 2000-03-22 17:43
Rubank publishes a book of exercises especially for alto and bass clarinet. I think the title is "Introducing the Alto and Bass Clarinet." I recommend it! This isn't a beginner book -- it assumes that you already play Bb clarinet at least on the intermediate level and that you're switching to alto or starting to double on it. The fingering chart in that book helped me a lot, because some of the best fingerings for Bb soprano clarinet are not the best for Eb alto. The exercises are designed to encourage getting used to those fingerings.
In case you're female -- I also found that trying to play alto clarinet in a skirt is a really bad idea! In my junior high, in the late 1950s, girls weren't allowed to wear trousers. We had to wear skirts. Not good. A flowing, below-the-knee skirt of the type we wore then can get caught in the keys, as I found out the hard way. Today's long, narrow "trouser skirt," if it's too tight to tuck in between the knees, will force you to hold the clarinet out too far from the body and at a very bad angle for the mouthpiece -- instant back ache, among other things. I guess I don't need to spell out the problem with a short skirt of any shape, given the position you have to sit in! Sax-style side-saddle playing didn't work too well for me, although I sometimes played alto clarinet that way, since my parents weren't just about to go buy me new clothes just to fit the clarinet. Today's typical dress code, allowing girls and women to wear pants, makes a lot more sense for alto clarinet players.
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Author: C.Hogue
Date: 2000-03-22 18:16
Remember that the embouchure for the alto is a different style than a Bb. My conductor describes it as a "circle" that is more akin to the oboe, sax, and bassoon embouchures. I also endorse the suggestion above that you try a softer reed, especially if you're playing mainly in the low register.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2000-03-22 18:55
Well said Gary, Lelia and C H, I found an old hard rubber "Olympia" MP I liked better than my fairly-good B44, so look around, a teacher in Tulsa wants my oldie!! I avoided comments on clothing, but I prefer vertical playing orientation of the alto [and bass] which does present problems! Yes, these harmony cl's are quite different from our Bb in embouchure, reeds and air support. Don
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