Author: Philip Caron
Date: 2014-07-19 18:23
I've been fairly diligent with practice, work schedule permitting, for seven years now, since I picked the clarinet up again after a short 33 year break. This year I re-joined the local community band, and it's been fun and challenging to play with others. Though the music is mostly easy, it's been a good learning experience to play it well, and in tune, and fitting properly into the ensemble.
The section is small - from 1 to 6 clarinets so far this season. I sit first chair, meaning, any bloopers are blatantly conspicuous. That always bothers me, but I don't lose sleep over it like I did when I was younger. At my age, one has already looked as foolish as possible countless times over the years and survived, so new instances are more like objective feedback.
People have occasionally been complimentary. My prior life hasn't prepared me to deal with that. I just smile and say thanks, unsure if more is appropriate. (Like, well, you wanna go to bed?!)
One solo I've been doing that has gotten some (to my mind underserved) praise is the piccolo solo to Sousa's Stars & Stripes, which the conductor was willing to farm out to other instruments, because we didn't have any flute players willing to play it. He passed out computer-generated parts for it on different instruments, but there were not many takers. The clarinet part was in the clarion register, which seemed to me to compound the inappropriateness of not doing it on piccolo, so I play it in altissimo, trying to sound bird-like. We play the march every concert; the solo is slightly harder than I can play at good tempo, and so far I haven't nailed it clean, and its inherent musicality mostly remains home in the practice room. Yet people applaud, probably seeing it as a stunt. Which, maybe it is.
Just before I went on vacation for a week, the conductor passed out some new music, all solo pieces. He want's to do one concert with a number of solo pieces. He asked me if I wanted to do one, and I said, I guess so (hah, OF COURSE I want be famous, and have everyone admire me and love me - that part was tacit.) He said he'd have the music when I returned from vacation.
So I got back this week, and he passed out Flight of the Bumblebee, arranged by Albert O. Davis. I've never seen or heard this for clarinet solo. I have just over a week to prepare. After my initial doubt, I find the arrangement might work; Rimsky's delightful music can be presented - and must, if this isn't to be just a hash of chromatic runs. A little speed, but not too much . . . hmm. Memorization looks attainable. Hope my nerves hold up.
This is where I wanted to go, right??
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The Clarinet BBoard
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