 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Elkwoman46
Date: 2007-02-07 17:28
I would like to ask...
If I played a note with the Clarinet, am I indeed a semi-tone off?
What I mean is if I took the beginner's book and played the first note, for example, let's say the first note to learn in the book is C, would I actually in actuality be playing a B# if I were to check this with a digital tuner?
Of course this stuff drives me crazy, because I believe it hinders us from hearing well...mass confusion, basically.
By the way, do they make Clarinets readily in the Key of C?
Thanks a bunch.
God bless you all in Jesus.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2007-02-07 18:00
You are one full step lower than the written pitch. Or put another way, if you are trying to play a note with a piano, to hear a "C" on the piano, you need to play a "D," one full step up.
There are now a good array of "C" clarinets but they sound a bit brighter and should be looked at merely as specialty horns for very specific circumstances. A classical clarinet player usually walks around carrying a Bb (like yours) and an "A" clarinet - required for many orchestral parts.
...............Paul Aviles
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Author: SVClarinet09
Date: 2007-02-07 20:19
If you have a beginner clarinet book, a Bb written on the page is your Bb, but it is a Ab on piano. A C on clarinet is a Bb on Piano. A good C clarinet by reviews I've seen is the Forte Clarinet and then Lyons.
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Author: Elkwoman46
Date: 2007-02-07 21:03
Thank you all so much! Wow, that has helped me understand this so much more! Thanks so very kindly!
God bless you all!
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Author: John Stackpole
Date: 2007-02-08 00:07
One thing NOT to worry about, anyway, is if you are (or will be) using a music book scored for a Bb clarinet with piano accompaniment, say, all that different key business is taken care of for you. You and the piano will sound OK together, both playing your appropriate set of notes as written on the paper.
JDS
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2007-02-08 16:13
To make your transposing instrument work, you also have to play in a different key --to account for those half steps on the piano keyboard where there is no black key separating two adjacent white keys.
To match the piano, you have to play one whole tone higher. If the piano plays a Bb, you have to play a C-Natural: you come one half step to the B-natural and another half step to the C-Natural (there's no black key between the B and C.
Another example: If the piano plays Eb, you have to play an F-Natural --one half step up to E-natural and another half step up to the F-Natural.
The other steps are simpler, you just skip past the black key to the next note --or skip over the white key between two black keys.
It works out that you need to play with two Fewer flats in your key signature on the Bb clarinet or with two MORE sharps (SIGH).
Bob Phillips
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The Clarinet Pages
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