 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: SecondTry
Date: 2026-10-01 23:44
First, for those needing a primer, or at least so that even if I'm wrong, that we're talking about the same thing, musical "accidentals" are things like sharp and flat symbols that alter the pitch of a note; at least that's how I'll define there here.
And of course they need to exist and my acceptance of them are givens over 50 years of play.
What bugs me though, and sure, those piano players out there who read two bars of music concurrently, and multiple notes/rhythms, most commonly in with two different (treble and bass) clefs, (and foot pedal) are probably rolling their eyes justifiable at my so called plight, are when two or more differences from some base note played on clarinet have to be delt with concurrently, or (and I'll explain both of these) the musical notation could have been written in ways easier to digest.
Let me provide some examples. Why notate (at least in clarinet music) an E sharp. Just write it as an F. (Now I know, musical purists are going to make the case about staying in key signature.) And sometimes on top of this, do away with "8va" notation unless the notes are so stratospheric the such compact notation is warranted.
Now, in an instant in my mind I have to translate that an E sharp is an F, and to play it one octave up, as part of some complex sight reading rhythm no less played at reasonable speed.
And G double sharp....just write "A." Yes, I know, to singers and violin players and other non-fret musical instruments an E sharp and F, for example, can be subtly different notes.
I seems to me the composer shouldn't have to alter the pitch or rhythm of their composition. But present it in musical notation with the fewest modifications to the base note possible.
The other night at a rehearsal I was presented with a relatively easy 8th note rhythm to site read otherwise full of double sharps and "weird sharps" (e.g. B, E) on top of "8va notation."
"Ok, in this measure that I'm in the G's double sharp and the E is sharp, and I'm coming off an F sharp to an E sharp, all written below the staff, played one octave up, care of 8va notation, so I need to take the F sharp with the chromatic side fingering....."
That is too much to translate on the fly and remember!
Off soap box.
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Author: brycon
Date: 2026-10-02 01:35
Quote:
Let me provide some examples. Why notate (at least in clarinet music) an E sharp. Just write it as an F.
Because E# and F are different notes (tonal music allows for enharmonic spellings only in certain instances). E# and F exist in different contexts, resolve to different notes, are played with slightly different intonations, etc.
If I saw an F in an F# major scale, I'd probably throw the music in the trash can because it was no doubt written by someone who doesn't have a clue about music (and it would be much harder to read because the F# scale is a learned pattern that has an E# in it, not an F).
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Author: farabout
Date: 2026-10-02 04:21
On this I fully agree with 2ndTry. That's why it's good to keep the Wite-Out & pen handy.
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Author: Tom H
Date: 2026-10-02 06:10
My take is that you get E#s and double sharps/double flats because if you have, say an F natural followed by F# (or vice versa adding a natural sign) they are on the same line, which perhaps is more confusing than E#, F#. The latter also tells you the phrase is going up. My exercise "Double Sharps & Double Flats" in the book is one where I TRY to be as confusing as possible. But we don't need that in stuff we're performing. As a clarinetist, I don't think it has to do with E# being different from F -- they're the same note.
The Most Advanced Clarinet Book -- Songburd Music (paper and digital)
Search title. Amazon.com (search Tom Heimer).
Boreal Ballad solo -- Songburd Music item -- search title.
Post Edited (2026-10-02 08:32)
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Author: SecondTry
Date: 2026-10-02 08:36
For the record, my gripe expressly does not apply to the aforementioned and excellent etude book Tom H wrote, I own, and wholeheartedly recommend.
Tom’s etudes in this book throw the “kitchen sink” at players so that it becomes near impossible to use patterns to memorize their notes or rhythms, forcing the player to give 110% of their attention to them and practice with the metaphorical equivalent of “ankle weights” so that when faced with composed music, some of the stuff I gripe about becomes easier to handle.
Tom obfuscates to train the player; it is part of its purpose. Everyone should own his excellent book, quintessentially exempt from my very gripes as they help address them.
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Author: donald
Date: 2026-10-02 09:12
I agree, it should just be hash tags and bees, not double hash tags or double bees, they're dumb. Oh, AND all music should be printed with the note names written above.
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