 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2018-10-12 16:16
Hi,
I wondered if anybody might know what I should read to learn about A clarinets?
I'm struggling to find books or information about it because google searching for "A clarinet" is getting me nowhere fast.
Thanks!
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2018-10-12 17:33
Is there another place that I could go to find out which music is best played on an A clarinet?
We are going to play Handel's Messiah at some point in our orchestra, and my part is in 4 sharps, and I'm wondering if that is the situation where an A clarinet would make things easier? (I'm thinking of trading my nearly-bass clarinet)
Thanks :-)
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2018-10-12 18:37
A clarinets tend to be very expensive. Unless you absolutely need one I would just learn the part on Bb.
-Jdbassplayer
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2018-10-12 19:19
Thanks, yes I've noticed that. I'll start learning sharps. :-) Good thought.
If I had a ton of money is that the situation where I'd use an A clarinet though? I just wondered as a friend of mine has one and I'm always wondering what the situation is where it would be used. I wondered if 4 sharps is enough or if it needs to be 5.
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2018-10-12 20:37
Generally you should use the instrument called for in the part. You could use an A clarinet for this purpose but most would agree that if the part specifies Bb clarinet the that's what you should use. I've played music with up to 6 sharps before, certainly not easy but doable (I'm not a professional by any stretch of the imagination XD)
-Jdbassplayer
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2018-10-12 20:56
I think it's just written for B flat clarinet because it a community orchestra and nobody has any other clarinets.
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2018-10-12 22:25
So there are no parts for A clarinet at all? We're you planning on finding a part if you got an A clarinet or were you going to transpose? If everyone else plays Bb then you probably should too as that will help you blend in better.
-Jdbassplayer
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2018-10-12 23:34
I was just curious really. My friend has an A clarinet and he said it makes things easier. I find music really hard and I liked the idea of a thing that would make things easier, just in general.
I know it would be too expensive, but I'm planning on being around for about another 30 years, so I wondered if I should put an A clarinet in the plan for somewhere in there. The orchestra that I belong to writes parts for whatever instruments show up, at whatever level the owner can play. Someone turned up the other day with a B flat, and A and a bass clarinet, so it's clearly a thing that people can do. Then I wondered what situation an A would be used in, and I looked online and gathered that it would be situations with lots of sharps.
I'm just curious really. There doesn't seem to be a lot written about it.
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2018-10-12 23:37
btw I think I have got my B flat wooden clarinet working now. I sent it to a technician and he put new pads and longer barrel on it and my conductor says that it is good to go and that he is happy for me to use it in the orchestra, so that's a relief.
Would you like me to send your lovely Normandy Resotone back or should I keep it here as a spare or pass it on to another nice new starter as you did with me? It was a real Godsend to have it here as I was getting on my feet and I so much appreciate you having sent it to me. It was really kind of you.
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Author: Bennett ★2017
Date: 2018-10-13 08:33
Much orchestral and chamber music is written for the A clarinet. It will say on the first page 'clarinet in A, Clarinet in La' or similar. That's when you want to have an A clarinet - you could transpose the part for a Bb clarinet but it was probably written for A to avoid difficult to play key signatures.
Band music is usually, perhaps always, written for Bb clarinet.
For example, take a look at the clarinet part here:
https://imslp.org/wiki/Peer_Gynt_Suite_No.1,_Op.46_(Grieg,_Edvard)
The part was written for A clarinet but someone has been kind enough to add a transposed part for Bb clarinet. (1 sharp for A, 6 for Bb) These transposed parts can often be found for more popular and heavily played orchestral music but you can't count on it.
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2018-10-13 11:30
Thanks, that's really interesting. I would like to learn how to do the transposition from B flat to A clarinet, but I suppose I just need to do figure it all out one note at a time until I get it clear in my head.
My son plays F horn and I play b flat clarinet, and I have got those sorted out in my head now. I suppose figuring out A clarinet is just another extra one of the same sort to add to the mix.
Thanks. :-)
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2018-10-13 18:28
Attachment: c.png (48k)
I just found in sibelius, that I can make a score for F horn, B flat clarinet, and A clarinet, and give them all a C to play. Then I can choose an option for "transposing score" and it automatically changes the notes so that they are at written pitch for the three instruments, to come out at C in played pitch. That's pretty fancy isn't it? They all have different key signatures.
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2018-10-13 18:49
Attachment: bflat and a.png (216k)
I just tried fooling around with the Worthy is the Lamb score for B flat clarinet for our orchestra, and I think I managed to make the A clarinet version so that both clarinets would produce the same pitch at the same time. I have attached the file here. That's pretty jazzy isn't it?
The B flat clarinet has to play four sharps and the A clarinet only has one flat. That must be why my friend said it made things easier. Gosh!
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Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2018-10-13 18:55
That's great that you got your wooden clarinet working! If you could donate the Normandy to someone in need that would be super!
Certainly there is nothing wrong with one day getting an A clarinet one day, What I'm mostly trying to say is that it's a good idea to get use to playing in more complex keys before you move on to an A clarinet. An A clarinet will make things easier when it gets to the point where there are 3+ sharps, but music often changes keys rapidly without any opportunity to switch instruments. From what I understand you've started fairly recently. While playing in difficult keys may seem hard now I'm sure in a few years it'll be no problem for you! Then you can consider the A clarinet not just as an instrument to make things easier, but also one that can expand the repertoire you can perform.
-Jdbassplayer
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Author: SunnyDaze
Date: 2018-10-14 14:10
Hi Jdbass,
Thanks, that sounds sensible then. I might also ask how soon I'm expected to play this Handel's Messiah, as I think it's later this year, so I could at least start looking at the music and trying to get my head around it. I've sung the soprano line before, so I least know how it goes. It's quite a steep learning curve joining an orchestra for the first time. Exciting though.
Thanks for the word on the lovely Normany clarinet. I will find someone nice to offer it to.
Thanks!
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2018-10-15 00:22
Just a note - Handel did not write clarinet parts for Messiah, so you will be working from a later modified edition.
I think that Mozart, Prout and maybe some others made versions of the score to include clarinets.
I do however second the advice to
1) practice in the more extreme keys
2) learn to transpose A parts onto the Bb (preferably not just note by note).
It's often far more convenient to do this than make a quick switch onto the A clarinet only to have to switch back again a few bars later.
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