 The Clarinet BBoard
|
Author: Van
Date: 2005-10-01 13:06
I recently picked up the music for Mozart's Don Giovanni. Playing the treble clef parts is no problem but how do I figure out how to play the bass clef parts, e.g. DG's parts, on my clarinet? Any advice welcome. Forgive my ignorance here, as a clarinet player I have not run across much bass clef music!
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2005-10-01 13:30
Probably not a wise idea but the Bb clarinet's C4 will be on the middle line, as in alto clef.
Think alto clef - that's if you can read alto clef (C4 is the middle line).
Not an easy feat reading concert pitch bass clef on Bb clarinet, and worse with an A clarinet.
Tenor clef is easy - the notes are in relatively the same place as Bb basso (tenor sax and bass clarinet) pitched instruments reading Bb treble clef. C4 is the 2nd line down - the same as D in treble clef.
Now I've really gone and done it!
Sorry.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: LarryBocaner ★2017
Date: 2005-10-01 19:00
I've played Don G several times and, honestly, don't remember ever seeing any bass clef in any of the parts! There is bass clef in the basset horn parts in Clemenza and in Magic Flute. They are not written in concert pitch, but in the key (F) of the basset horn, and for some reason are notated an octave lower than the corresponding treble clef notes (the classical period composers did this in some French horn parts, too--horn players become skilled at knowing what octave to actually play in.)
Post Edited (2005-10-02 01:48)
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Van
Date: 2005-10-01 19:15
Thanks for the responses. I do not have the clarinet parts for DG but a condensed version of the score with all arias etc. I'd like to play for my own enjoyment the arais of DG and L, for example, but not sure how to get it right, since these are in bass clef on the score and I'm a total novice in transcribing from bass clef to treble clef.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: David Peacham
Date: 2005-10-01 21:49
Chris P
You have me baffled. (Or else you have baffled yourself.)
I'm looking at a bass clef, concert pitch part. I see a note on the middle line. It's a D, concert pitch. So I must play an E on my Bb clarinet.
If I imagined alto clef, I would play a C.
Seems to me that, if you want to use clef transposition, then you must imagine alto clef in order to read treble, not to read bass. In order to read bass clef, you would have to imagine the (utterly obsolete) mezzo-soprano clef, with C on the second line from the bottom.
-----------
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.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2005-10-01 22:10
Oh b*******! I knew something wasn't right there - I was trying to work it out in my head and got it all t**s up.
The other way is to transpose down a fifth and read as treble clef (so the middle line bass clef D becomes bottom line treble clef E for a Bb clarinet) - but transposing down isn't easy as we're pretty much accustomed to transposing up (on Bb and A clarinets) when reading concert pitch music.
I tried playing an alto sax part on cor anglais once - even though it meant reading everything a whole tone lower, it was hard work as I'm used to transposing up.
I'm trying to remember how I transposed bassoon parts on bass clarinet - it was alright when it went up into tenor clef (as the notes are in the same place as Bb basso) but I ended up rewriting everything in bass clef.
There is a simple formula, but I can't think of it.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Tom A
Date: 2005-10-01 22:24
Well, Van, if you're just playing by yourself then you're probably not worrying about transposing or playing in the correct register. In that case, reading bass clef is a matter of pretending each note is 2 steps higher than written.
In other words, pretend a line note is on the line above, and a space note is on the space above.
In other other words, the note on the 1st line (it looks like throat E to you) is G in bass clef . Pretend it's on the 2nd line, and it becomes the open G you're familiar with in treble. The note on the 3rd space is E in bass clef. Pretend it's on the 4th space, and it becomes your E in treble.
Make sense?
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: David Peacham
Date: 2005-10-01 22:34
There is a simple formula - but it isn't very simple.
What you do (well, what I do) is this...
Suppose we have bass clef, middle line. Concert D.
We imagine treble clef. That looks like B.
Read it as an octave higher - clarion B - finger that, but "forget" to press the register key.
So you're playing an E. Sounds concert D. Hey presto.
I make this slightly easier by imagining I'm playing a soprano/descant recorder. That avoids imagining the octave leap. If you think saxophone/oboe/flute, you'd get the same effect, but I don't play those.
The real problem with this is that it only works for a very limited range of notes. Also, it will give you a bad headache.
---
Van - to answer your original question, you presumably want to play these arias on your own, and don't care about the key? You can simply ignore the bass clef, and add either three sharps or four flats to the key signature.
For example, music is in C major, imagine treble clef and play it in either A major or Ab major, sounding G major or Gb major respectively. If music is in A major, play it in either F# major (yuck) or F major. And so on.
Unless you've got perfect pitch, who cares? If you have got perfect pitch, remember that pitch was different in Mozart's day anyway.
Alternatively, if you have got perfect pitch, imagine treble clef, add three sharps, and play it on an Eb or alto clarinet. You'll be in the right key. Poor Mozart won't love you any the more for it.
-----------
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.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2005-10-01 22:52
That's why I like playing trombone or bassoon parts on bari sax - the transposition is a doddle!
I do read bass clef as well as I used to play bassoon, double bass and I play harp, so bass clef as it stands isn't a problem for me, but I can't transpose concert pitch bass clef parts on bass clarinet at sight - that involves too much thought!
I bought the basset clarinet version of Mozart's concerto back in 1988 when I had a basset (Selmer), and the low notes do go into bass clef which is much easier than counting loads of ledger lines - shame the basset horn parts in the serenade for 13 winds didn't do the same. That's the beauty of oboe and sax, the lowest note is Bb below the stave. I do have trouble with ledger lines when there's more than two below and four above the stave.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2005-10-02 03:16
There are a lot of transposition tips included in a book on clarinets and clarinet playing by Stubbins. He has a whole chapter with all of the tricks of the trade, including tricks for other instruments.
While I don't have a problem with the ledger lines below the staff, and I can manage the ones above our staff (the treble one), what always gets me confused are those in the lead trombone parts, which have to represent notes well up in the treble staff. When they're done in manuscript parts, I have a lot of trouble making out just what's supposed to be going on. One wonders why the trombone is exempt from the clef shift such as one sees in bassoon, 'cello, and in German style bass clarinet notation.
leader of Houston's Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra
info@sotsdo.com
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Chris P
Date: 2005-10-02 10:05
Terry, I once had a look at the lead trombone part for 'Getting Sentimental Over You' and it was like looking at a load of telegraph poles!
All written out in bass clef, it goes right up into the treble clef but in ledger lines, and looks worse than flute music what with all the ledger lines.
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
Author: Van
Date: 2005-10-02 11:54
Thanks William Conquerer and David for your advice, although your solutions are somewhat different. My pitch is far from perfect but I'll try both strategies and see what sounds more like Mozart (I hope he's forviging).
|
|
Reply To Message
|
|
The Clarinet Pages
|
 |
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
