 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: rick77
Date: 2017-10-11 01:52
A band I perform with had to play the Carpenters beautiful song "We've Only Just Begun" for a museum fund raiser gig. The intro of the song sounded like a flute to me when I heard it over the band PA at rehearsal so I grabbed my flute and played the intro and outro on flute.
When I got home I looked the song up on youtube and in the video a guy is holding a clarinet and it shows him playing the outro or actually pan miming that particular part.
A fellow clarinetist told me "that is not a clarinet in that song but rather a synthesizer". I'm actually a saxophonist who also plays flute and clarinet and the other guy is a dedicated clarinetist so now I question whether or not the recording of the song actually has a clarinet playing that part or maybe it's some old keyboard playing the part.
Take a listen to this and see if you think it's a clarinet or an organ or ancient analog synthesizer. Was it a clarinet on the recording or is the guy in the video just miming for show?
Here's the youtube link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__VQX2Xn7tI
[ link fixed - GBK ]
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Author: GBK
Date: 2017-10-11 02:20
It's a clarinet, played on the original recording by the late Doug Strawn.
Original recording is in the key of Bb.
First clarinet note is an open G.
...GBK
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2017-10-11 03:05
In the YouTube "We've Only Just Begun" at 2:20, you can see the clarinetist holding (but not playing) the clarinet. I heard the Carpenters live at the Loyola University Field House on Freret St in New Orleans in the 1970s. I can recall the clarinetist (I'm not sure if Strawn was on that tour or if it was somebody else) playing at the beginning but it didn't sound much like a clarinet--more like a synthesizer as it emerged over the speaker system.
Doug Strawn would occasionally step up and play a regularly miked clarinet in a vocal feature he did with Karen Carpenter called "Cinderella Rockefella." He also did a special feature on flute called "Mr. Gruder."
He performs "Cinderella Rockefella" with the group in concerts from Japan and Australia here on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Cinderella+Rockefella+Carpenters+Japan
Post Edited (2017-10-11 06:47)
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Author: LC007
Date: 2017-10-11 05:36
Sounds like a clarinet to me, complete with a slight intonation issue.
Listening to it brought a good "remember when" feeling . Can't believe that was 47 years ago! Thanks for posting the link.
Luc
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Author: rick77
Date: 2017-10-11 09:09
Thanks guys for the info and link to the other song. I think it's so cool that the Carpenters used a clarinet in many of their pop tunes. Even if the clarinet didn't sound that much like a clarinet with that old transducer mic affixed to the barrel it's still a nice touch on those songs.
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Author: Bob Bernardo
Date: 2017-10-11 14:10
They had amazing harmony. Yes a clarinet was used, but not often. Such a sad story about Karen. The group packed halls, outdoor concerts. indoors of course for years, millions of people saw them perform. The all American family from a small 3 bedroom town near Los Angeles. So many songs and albums went gold, number one hits on the charts for weeks. It was what America needed during war time. Her pure voice and Richards harmonies as well as piano playing. He was great, but Karen was who people wanted to see. She played the drums sometimes. It was a family love secret that she was sick. Richard came up with 8 part harmonies which you would think someone like a Curtis Grad would write.
Designer of - Vintage 1940 Cicero Mouthpieces and the La Vecchia mouthpieces
Yamaha Artist 2015
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