 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Dave
Date: 2000-09-29 19:34
what is a decent range for a clarinetist? I'm not talking about radome squeeling, I mean a playable note within range. Thanks all in advance.
Dave
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Author: ted
Date: 2000-09-29 19:46
I rarely see notes above high "A" (an octave above the staff) in the classical music I attept. Weber's Concerto #2 has a high Bb in the first movement. I've heard of people who can play the "E" above that Bb.
My humble opinion is that the "A" is a decent range.
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Author: Ken
Date: 2000-09-29 19:58
The fundamental/practical playing range of the Bb clarinet for most orchestra and band music is altissimo "A" (third register). Rarely, will you encounter partials above that unless you're playing solo compositions or possibly violin transcriptions in concert band written by composers/arrangers that require that specific color, or who simply don't know how to write for the clarinet...hehe. However, some 20th century literature as well as a good deal of swing and dixieland jazz demands a working knowledge/application of the full range of the instrument up to double high C, and even Ds and Ebs once in a blue moon.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-09-29 21:49
For general purpose music, a reasonably good amateur should be able to play to the G that is the 4th ledger line above the staff. The better tutorial methods will take a student to this level by the end of the second year of playing. Basically notes above this are tackled at the very advanced level. The G is usually sufficient for the great majority of community band work and then only the first clarinets will go that high.Ken wrote:
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2000-09-29 21:59
G, on the 4th ledger line above the staff, is the top of the range in "standard" classical music. The top of the conventional range is the C above that, above the 5th ledger line.
The Weber Concerto # 2 calls for a good, controlled high Bb. All 4 of the Spohr concertos call for high C. The Bartok Contrasts has an extended high passage above G, going to B. There's a well known solo in a piece by Ginastera (often called for in auditions) going up to super high D (on the 6th ledger line), and in modern music the sky's the limit. A Set for Clarinet, by Martino, calls for you to pop the super C over and over, jumping from the low register with no preparation and at a furious tempo.
A good 3rd year player should be able to play up to 4th ledger line G with a controlled, sweet tone. After that, A is not difficult (it's actually a more stable note than G).
Bb, B and C are always going to be a bit squealy, but I remember being pretty secure up there by the time I had been playing 4 years.
To do it right, though, you need to learn to work on your reeds. When you clip a reed to make it stiffer, you want a little more wood in the area behind the tip, but the tip itself has to be taken down to be almost as thin as it was before.
At that altitude, you don't have to play loud. The sound is automatically brilliant and penetrating. Trade volume for a nice, round sound.
Have fun. Get ear plugs for your dog.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Nate Zeien
Date: 2000-09-30 05:06
In my opinion, a practical range for th clarinet is from low E' to high C'''' - about three and a half octaves. There are notes up to high A''''' above that, and farther, but you will almost never see music written for this. Most music doesn't even require you to go above G'''', and a very few up to C''''. My recommendation is to go up to G'''', and if you can C''''. There isn't much of a practical use notes above that. If you can, learn a three octave C scale. If you can get this down, you should be prepared for most anything that comes your way. -- Nate Zeien
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