 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: beejay
Date: 2014-02-24 12:51
I wonder if anyone has experience of playing jazz on an A clarinet and can pass on some tips.
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2014-02-24 23:52
Surely most other jazz instruments - trumpet/sax/trombone/tuba etc are flats based transposing instruments and most jazz keys reflect this.
Of course a clarinet virtuoso could probably busk happily in C# or F# but for most people it would seem a rather sadistic pastime.
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Author: donald
Date: 2014-02-25 00:01
Great if you're playing with a guitarist/singer who like the key of E and A
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-03-02 10:34
donald wrote:
> Great if you're playing with a guitarist/singer who like the
> key of E and A
Tell them to use a capo!
Actually, some years ago I was listening to Boots Randolph's tenor sax solo on Elvis' recording of "Reconsider Baby", one of my personal favorites. That song is just an old 1 4 1 4 1 5 4 1 blues, repeated several times. Simple can be sooooooo good. Listen if you've never heard or you've forgotten it- it's worth it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmNXXUmP8W0
But anyway, I noted that Boots was playing in the key of F#/Gb for Bb tenor, through the whole song. And I wondered if he might have had an A tenor for just such an occasion (to quote Foghorn Leghorn, who kept his feathers numbered). After all, if Elvis wants to sing in the key of E, he's probably accustomed to not getting an argument from anybody in the band.
Or, if you want to play with the big boys, what key they're in is not supposed to affect you at all. Or so it would seem.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
Post Edited (2014-03-02 10:59)
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Author: donald
Date: 2014-03-02 14:53
Yes, as evidenced by the old story about Charlie Parker learning Cherokee so he could play/improv equally well in all keys. The post asks specifically about playing Jazz on the A clarinet, and I responded. That's all.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2014-03-03 03:31
It's the same as playing on a Bb clarinet, but you need to spread your fingers just sligthly wider.
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Author: garybuss
Date: 2014-03-03 14:42
I played A on a gig once by accident - left my Bb at home. Tried to put a capo around the barrel. That didn't work so I drank more scotch which did work. Good practice for playing in different keys, though.
Gary Buss
Woodwinds-University of Colorado-Denver
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Author: fskelley
Date: 2014-03-03 14:55
garybuss wrote:
> I played A on a gig once by accident - left my Bb at home.
Now there's an interesting thought. Suppose that happened to Pete, or somebody of his clout. You know he would just tell the band, "Sorry guys, you'll have to switch." Golden rule and all that- he who has the gold makes the rules. How do you suppose that would work with no rehearsal? Then again, my understanding is that session musicians have to do this all the time, so maybe Pete's backup players wouldn't even have broken a sweat.
Stan in Orlando
EWI 4000S with modifications
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Author: ThatPerfectReed
Date: 2014-03-03 16:39
a capo around the barrel...very funny Gary! ....made me LOL.
How does that look exactly---do you repurpose one of those single band/single screw ligatures around the barrel or use an actual capo.
Regardless, what "fret" of the barrel do you stick it on?
Oh--silly me--it depends upon the key! ![[wink]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie3.gif)
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