 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: samsmash
Date: 2013-05-18 21:46
Hi,
I was wondering how hard it is for a clarinettist to pick up a saxophone and what the main differences between the instruments are. I'm grade 8 clarinet and I would like to think that I know the instrument very well!
Any thoughts?
Post Edited (2013-05-18 21:54)
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Author: michael13162
Date: 2013-05-19 00:52
I think you would be surprised at how fast it would take to learn it. You basically already know the fingerings ie. the clarion register. And to play the lower octave, just release the register key. Same with flute.
The same principles apply to embouchure formation roughly. Although it's a lot looser than you would think.
The first couple of days spent with the beast might intimidate you, but keep at it and the progress will be remarkable. Best of luck :D
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Author: gkern
Date: 2013-05-19 01:20
Michael - which sax would be the easiest to learn? I messed around with a soprano a year or so ago and gave it up. Guess I was using a clarinet embouchure...
Gary K
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Author: Isiaah W
Date: 2013-05-19 01:50
If you haven't already chosen something else defiantly chose the Tenor! It is in b-flat as the clarinet is so it will be a whole lot easier to transition music wise. other than that all of the saxophones are the same difficulty to switch to (per my experience)
Stafford Fine Arts
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Author: michael13162
Date: 2013-05-19 03:48
I guess tenor because of what Isiaah said. That's what I did.
Soprano I think has the nicest sonority but is the most difficult saxophone by far.
I learned this the hard way, but don't try to emulate you clarinet embouchure or clarinet tone. For clarinet, you try to play the sharpest pitch to have a pure and sweet tone. For saxophone, you want to play into the middle of the pitch. That's why clarinet embouchure needs more pressure.
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Author: Wes
Date: 2013-05-19 07:49
Be sure the instrument you try has no leaks as they can make things difficult.
Perhaps I've played a very long time on both instruments, so I can hardly tell the difference between the saxophone and clarinet embouchures. I use quite a firm fixed but flexible embouchure on the saxophones, all sizes. The clarinet also needs a very firm but not pinching embouchure. Both instruments will require tongue and internal mouth formations so that the sound will be focused. Say eee, not aww when playing, especially for the high notes. Good luck!
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Author: GeorgeL ★2017
Date: 2013-05-19 22:07
The sax is easier to play than the clarinet (closed holes are easier to cover than open holes). The clarinet is easier to play well than the sax because on the sax, the little finger of each hand has a specific responsibility; the keys are not linked as they are on the clarinet. Sliding a little finger along rollers is not as quick as alternating little finger movements on both hands.
The bit about sax keys not leaking is also important. I find it very difficult to get the lowest notes on a sax to play cleanly. I assume large pads that do not quite seal correctly are the problem.
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Author: clarinetist04
Date: 2013-05-20 01:03
I would take all the anecdotal tidbits (i.e. clarinet is easier to play well, etc.) with a grain of salt. Not only is it irrelevant, it's not the same for everyone, as we all well know.
The bottom line is that it's easy to crossover relative to other instruments because the fingerings are the same. don't be afraid to adjust your embouchure (typically looser on sax) and you'll be fine.
If you need to play the altissimo range notes (anything above written high C), get a fingering chart - the fingerings aren't the same but they're not really any harder to hit than on clarinet. Same goes for anything below C at the bottom of the staff. I find I have to really loosen up my mouth to hit those really low notes down to Bb. And don't forget that you need your knee to hit the low A with a standard sax. 
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2013-05-20 12:55
Just be aware that once you start doubling, you're doomed. Quite a few saxoholics hang around on this bulletin board. I think most of us got that way by wondering, hmmm, how difficult is it to double on sax and clarinet?
The answer is: way too easy and instantly addictive! And saxophones take up way more storage space than clarinets. Unless, of course, you start wondering how easy it is to double on contra-clarinets....
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: sowilson
Date: 2013-05-20 16:16
My daughter did this last summer - very hard on dad's pocket book. She picked up tenor sax so she could play in jazz band this school year. She's very fortunate that her private instructor plays alto sax and bass clarinet professionally. My daughter now plays clarinet, bass clarinet, tenor sax, flute, irish flute, penny whistle, and is learning baritone saxophone. She'll probably start learning contra-bass clarinet next year (school's contra-bass is a senior next year). Of course the fingerings are a little different between sax and clarinet and that messed my daughter up a little bit, but she's fine now. She does notice embrocure differences but she says that isn't too hard to overcome.
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Author: rcnelson
Date: 2013-05-21 14:46
I'm one of the saxoholics that hangs out in this forum. And yes, it is addicting. I love doing pit work just to be able to have at least 2 if not 5 or 6 instruments on stands/pegs in front of me. Unlike many, I started on sax but quickly discovered by junior high school that I had better learn clarinet if I want to play in musicals. And now, I play in a high quality community band that I can't get out of the clarinet section as I must in my humble opinion be too good a clarinetist to be allowed to play in the sax section. So, yes, doubling on sax and clarinet is a very easy thing to do.
Ron
Selmer Mark VI tenor (1957), Selmer Mark VII alto (1975)
Buescher True Tone soprano (1924), Selmer CL210 Bb Clarinet, Gemeinhardt 3SHB Flute, Pearl PFP105 Piccolo
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