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Re: As and Cs

Author: karlbonner82
Date: 2010-05-21 16:13

Not quite that trice035. Obsessive futuristic fantasy syndrome is probably a better explanation. It's not just with clarinet that I can come down with OFFS - everything from astronomy/telescopes, education, homeownership, gardening, just about any hobby or vocation that I'm really interested in, I can get ahead of myself and fantasize about the distant future.

One thing I've found that helps with my OFFS is to find ways to mentally connect today's tasks to tomorrow's destination. The journey is supposed to be as enjoyable as the destination if not more so.

The fact is that I never intend to do anything musical for a living. The kind of drudgery needed for that would ruin the fun as far as I'm concerned. At the same time, playing in a community concert band that does a lot of conventional repertoire (Sousa marches, stand-alone "overtures," etc.) would make me feel VERY bored. Especially if we play nothing but holiday-themed music for six or seven weeks straight at the end of each calendar year...that's by far the worst. The repertoire MUST be well above the stuff that a small-town high school band would typically do, both in terms of difficulty and in terms of artistry/eclecticness.

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Anyway, back to the topic at hand. I'm not going to argue with anyone saying that I'm getting way ahead of myself with these posts about multiple clarinet sizes. The short-term concern is in fact boning up on my skills with the Bb, then finding ways to put my skills to avocational use. If I ever do get an A it would be waaaayyyy down the road. I could see the C coming into utility some time sooner than an A ever would. But even then I'd have to already be committed to plenty of informal gigs, otherwise it wouldn't be worth the cost.

Now I definitely DO want to eventually get an Eb and/or a bass for the same reason most recorder players own instruments of several sizes. Being able to cover all the voices from top to bottom is important to me though it might not be as important to you. I think the reason, oddly enough, is that I don't plan to limit myself to band repertoire or anything else where the clarinet's role is quite sharply defined. In smaller ensembles or non-classical settings you need to be more versatile, and adding an extra size either up or down is an excellent way to do so.

The only thing that might not be so clear has to do with the Bb upgrade. If my first Bb was already quite good in the absolute sense, it would be easier to justify going to the Eb next. But in this case I suspect the upgrade will probably take priority over the Eb.

That's my story.

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BTW, my biggest trepidation with the eefer is the fact that it has three flats "built in" to the instrument. I've always been puzzled as to why Eb clarinets and saxes are common but Fs are very rare. I can forgive the two flats of the Bb but three just seems somehow silly.

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As and Cs new

karlbonner82

2010-05-16 09:18