 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: clarinetplayer21
Date: 2015-07-22 09:39
I am currently in high school and plan to play professionally after. Will i need one? i understand they are they are mainly for orchestra use but they don't seem to be that common as they used to be or am i wrong about that?
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Author: Ed Lowry
Date: 2015-07-22 09:49
You're correct, they're used in orchestras, especially in sharp keys and in music written before the latter half of the 20th Century. I wouldn't recommend buying one until you need one -- they're never (almost never?) required in band music, and if you're in a good youth orchestra there may be one you can borrow.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-07-22 14:38
In an orchestral setting you find yourself using an "A" clarinet about one third of the time. They come in handy even for situations where it is more comfortable to play the written Bb music up a half step (of course the converse is also true).
But as stated above, band music does not require one.
It is also very helpful to know your utility clarinets (Eb and bass) when pursuing an orchestral career. Many fine players get there first gigs as bass or assistant principal/Eb players first.
So, get ready to buy more clarinets, reeds and mouthpieces.
..............Paul Aviles
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2015-07-22 20:36
You'll need one if you want to enjoy the wonderful world of chamber music. Many of the cornerstones of this genre for the clarinet require the instrument in A , starting with masterpieces by Brahms and Mozart. The good news is that A clarinets that have been little used can often be had second hand, or borrowed initially.
On the flip side, they are also nice for jamming with guitar players, since so many of them are only comfortable in sharp keys.
Anders
Post Edited (2015-07-22 20:38)
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Author: azuka
Date: 2015-07-23 02:25
At some Universities, you must own a Bb and A set in order to be in the program. And you'll be heavily pressured to make sure it is a Buffet R13 set.
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2015-07-23 04:02
azuka wrote:
> At some Universities, you must own a Bb and A set in order to
> be in the program. And you'll be heavily pressured to make
> sure it is a Buffet R13 set.
That would depend on the teacher. The Buffet Mafia is powerful, but not everywhere.
That said, it's a good idea to check into what the teachers at the schools you are considering are into.
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Author: pewd
Date: 2015-07-23 07:53
> don't seem to be that common
eh, what? Band use, unnecessary. Symphonys, required.
Professionals, yes you need one.
Music education majors: unlikely. Performance majors: Probable.
It is a rare symphony concert when I don't need my A...
Wait until you get to college, then consult with your college lesson teacher.
I'd wait until I actually earned a chair in a college symphony. In some cases, the school will provide you an A clarinet.
Some music schools require them for performance majors.
Start saving and budget accordingly, but wait until you get to college.
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
Post Edited (2015-07-23 07:53)
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2015-07-25 00:21
Not just in orchestra. Mozart Concerto and Quintet, Brahms Quintet and Trio, Neisen Concerto and Wind Quintet to mention a few of the famous chamber music. There are many others as well. A good A clarinet is essential for a professional "classicial" music clarinetist.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2015-07-25 18:53
Hi,
Here is a totally different thought that I have never heard expressed before.
I played in two very good concert bands in the last couple of years. In both, we did several Mark Hindsley transcriptions (Academic Festival, Romeo & Juliet, and Rienzi); each had several sections with multiple sharps. I was playing 2nd clarinet part and many of these were right across the break requiring lots of changing alternate fingers in some. If I had a A clarinet, certain very technical passages would have been a whole lot easier.The 1sts were an octave higher and had fewer problems.
The US Marine Band recording on Academic Festival is a step lower as I recall which threw me at first until I went back to the U of I recording in the original key. So there are two distinct arrangement. My point is "why not have an alternate A clarinet part in some sections of certain band compositions." Copland transcriptions like Rodeo as well some compositions by Shostakovitch come to mind.
HRL
Post Edited (2015-07-25 21:37)
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Author: Wisco99
Date: 2015-07-25 20:14
You said you intend to play professionally after high school. I have to ask the obvious question which nobody has addressed. Where exactly do you intend to play professionally? I assume by "professionally" you mean you intend to earn your living playing the clarinet. This may be your dream, but reality and dreams are quite different. I can't think of any classical situation where you could even have a chance of getting a gig out of high school, hence the A clarinet is a moot point. You are living in a small town in Michigan, so you do not have a realistic exposure to the professional world of the business of music. Even if you are fantastic on the instrument, and went to the best colleges and were always the top player, the odds of landing a major symphony job are slim to none. A minor symphony does not pay enough to make a decent living playing music. There are some military bands, but there are very few of those left, and again you are facing huge odds because of so few openings, and the high level of talent. Cross the "A" clarinet bridge when you come to it, and you actually see a monetary payoff from buying one. I do not wish to shatter any dreams because for all I know may be the best clarinet player in the world, but having been in the business for 40 years, only a handful of clarinet players earn a living playing professionally. You may want to rethink this career path, because the situation out there keeps getting worse not better. The good old days are long gone. Good luck to you.
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2015-07-25 20:46
First, Academic Festival is originally mostly in C minor/Eb major. It does get as far as G major, but Bb clarinet or trumpet in 3 sharps is still perfectly manageable. I wonder why - unless there's some issue about range at the bottom of some instrument's part - it would end up in some other key for band. What key was the arrangement in?
One problem in band is that the clarinets tend to have much less down time than they do in orchestra, where the strings are the ones who are almost always playing. You need - Mahler and a few others notwithstanding - a few bars' rest each time there's a change of instruments.
I suppose another is that most (realistically all) band is composed to be played by student (grade 4 through university) or community ensembles. Most of those players won't have a reason to go to the expense of owning an A clarinet, so publishers have little motivation to publish the parts as alternates.
I have made my own transpositions for some pit clarinet parts. Singers seem to prefer sharp keys.
Karl
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2015-07-25 21:35
Karl,
Granted, three sharps in manageable but there are several very sweeping runs in the clarinet parts that are troublesome. Understood about the manufacturing aspect of offer another part.
The arrangement that the US Marine Band and several other groups played was a whole step lower, not the 1/2 step I indicated earlier. I've corrected my earlier post.
HRL
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Author: Wisco99
Date: 2015-07-26 05:37
A high school kid in a small town comes here and asks if he should buy an A clarinet because he wants to play professionally after he gets out of high school, and you are arguing over one band song, 3 sharps or flats, a sweeping run in that song, and an arrangement of that song in a different key that the Marine band plays. You are only talking about ONE SONG for band. So the kid should buy another clarinet for one song? You have to be kidding me.
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2015-07-26 07:14
Wisco99 wrote:
> A high school kid in a small town comes here and asks if he
> should buy an A clarinet because he wants to play
> professionally after he gets out of high school, and you are
> arguing over one band song,
Well, it's our "argument" (it really isn't in any way an argument, just a side conversation) so leave us to it. Anyway, I think we're done.
> 3 sharps or flats, a sweeping run
> in that song, and an arrangement of that song in a different
> key that the Marine band plays.
We were actually talking about why publishers of band music might consider including a part with an alternate version for A clarinet when very sharp keys are involved. I was only curious about the Brahms - it didn't seem worth opening a new thread. Hank mentioned some other candidates - certainly not an exhaustive list, just illustrations of the type of "songs" he had in mind.
To Dominic: Unless you're now playing regularly in a community orchestra or a high school orchestra that plays original versions of orchestral literature (not arrangements), I would second the advice to wait until you get into a college orchestra environment. You can study the chamber pieces that involve A clarinet using your Bb clarinet. You won't be able to perform them, but you can learn to play the clarinet parts.
Karl
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2015-07-28 16:54
Wisco, I wrote this in my answer. "A good A clarinet is essential for a professional "classicial" music clarinetist." And I gave examples of some classicial music that requires an A clarinet besides the wealth of orchestra music already mentioned.
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
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