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Re: Pedagogy Of The Eb Clarinet

Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2020-01-23 22:59

It isn't surprising that a clarinet professor would dismiss an Eb clarinet as a student's main instrument - to most clarinetists it's an auxiliary instrument that needs to be covered when needed. There is almost always an Eb part in band compositions and arrangements, where it often doubles the 1st part if it isn't doing something high, but not so often in orchestral literature, where it's generally used for its specific qualities or not used at all. You don't say if you were a music major or if your college was a music school. If either was the case, Eb clarinet would likely have been seen as a part of the general clarinet program, not a separate study.

The issue of "ruining" your embouchure is only likely if you're playing the Eb with brute force (the same thing happens if a Bb clarinet is played that way). If you make Eb a specialty and only play it to the exclusion of the other members of the family, I don't suppose it makes much difference if it makes playing Bb clarinet harder for you. But the approach still needs to be an effective one that allows flexibility and control.

Most of us who are serious clarinetists are happy to play Eb. It isn't my first choice of part, but it isn't an onerous chore if the part is rewarding. Of course you need a good instrument that is as in tune with itself as possible.

I agree with Ken: "It doesn't sound as if you were rejected only because of the Eb. If you played it beautifully, no-one would want to reject you." If the community band members (or their conductor) thought you played too loudly (and perhaps, as a result, out of tune), someone - either the section leader or the conductor - would likely have said something to you before eventually asking you to leave. Practice with a goal of making the instrument sound expressive and controlled. It will sound above the rest of a section by virtue of its tone quality and its higher range. If it's forced, it can go out of tune (sometimes in unexpected ways) and sound inelegant in musical spots where refinement is needed. You need to be able to do the same things musically that a good Bb clarinetist does.

Karl

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