 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Jeanne
Date: 2001-10-12 23:10
Why is it that high schools don't include clarinets in their jazz bands? I absolutely love playing jazz and think that clarinet is a wonderful jazz instrument, but I don't have any opportunity to play. I feel I've gotten pretty good but I can't get better until I get to play with a band. What should I do about this? Are there any high schools with clarinets in jazz band?
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2001-10-12 23:16
If you want to double on sax then there's a good chance you will be able to play clarinet occasionally - especially if the rest of the jazz band knows something about pianissimo!
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Author: Danielle
Date: 2001-10-13 02:50
In middle school, the teacher had two clarinets in her jazz band-me, and some other kid. However, we played the tenor sax parts (we doubled with the tenor sax players). I'm also a jazz obsessive player, and i wish that my high school jazz band would let me play clarinet in it-I asked my teacher why there wasn't any clarinet parts, and he just said because the clarinet is rarely used for jazz anymore, and he wouldn't be able to find any parts for it.
But I AM playing the bari sax in the jazz band!
Danielle
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Author: Jim (E)
Date: 2001-10-13 04:37
The sad truth is that as beautiful as the clarinet is on jazz, if you really want to play jazz you'll need to pick up sax, there really is no other way around it.
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Author: Robert Small
Date: 2001-10-13 05:03
The standard reed section for jazz big bands is two alto saxes, two tenor saxes, and one baritone sax. Most big band charts call for this line-up. But quite a few charts call for doubling on clarinet by one or even all the sax players. If you want to play clarinet in a big band you have to play sax, unless your band is playing alot of Benny Goodman or Artie Shaw charts.
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Author: Micaela
Date: 2001-10-13 14:14
I play just clarinet in my high school's jazz band. There's only one tenor sax player so I play 2nd tenor parts down an octave when there aren't clarinet parts (the tenor player wants me to start tenor but I already play 3 instruments). My band director is really open to anything, we've had flutes and steel drums and all sorts of unusual instruments play. It makes things much more fun that just the saxes, brass and rhythm sections. Unfortunately, most band directors don't think this way.
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Author: sarah
Date: 2001-10-13 15:37
in high school (im now a college freshman) i played clarinet in a combo for four years. i played bass clarinet half the time and Bb the other time. we had some unusual instrumentations at times, like euphonium and electric viola, so we did a lot of our own arrangements. the music we chose didn't have to have the right instrumentation, we did standard ballads, be bop, latin, and klezmer tunes. i thought the experience was great and would love to keep going with it. i think there is more to jazz than a traditional band or combo and i think directors should encourage students to experiment.
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Author: Jessica
Date: 2001-10-13 15:46
My high school has a Dixieland group which I'm hoping to play in... it's auditioned though, and they only want one clarinet... wish me luck
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Author: Lawrence
Date: 2001-10-13 23:59
An often overlooked jazz duo is clarinet and guitar. Find a CD by Guy Van Duser and Bill Novick and you'll see what I mean. If you can find a jazz guitar student who can simply play chords (jazz chords, that is), it's easy to start with a fake book and just play standards. These are beautiful old tunes but they offer much opportunity for expression and improvosation. Of course you'll need a Bb edition for yourself and a C edition for the guitar. Begin by simply playing the melody and as you gain experience you can add improvosation for both you and the guitarist. The Jamey Abersol instruction methods are highly recommended for jazz theory and practice. Good luck.
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Author: sarah
Date: 2001-10-14 02:16
my senior year the combo played "jordu" and had clarinet and guitar on melody. the sound was very different, but very good!!
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Author: allencole
Date: 2001-10-14 20:26
High School Clarinetists: See the wisdom in the posts by Mark, Jim and Robert. High school 'jazz' bands are in reality stage bands, and the instrumentation is standardized. If you have no experience playing sax, volunteer to play the baritone sax. Most schools have one in stock for student use.
While some students are relating stories of more creative or diverse approaches to jazz instrumentation, these are the exceptions rather than the rule. They also fail to prepare you if you want to continue playing in big bands after you graduate.
I am a clarinetist who has made my living primarily as a saxophonist over the last 22 years. My current bandleader is also in this boat. We have had terrific fun in our careers, and have had a number of doors opened up to us by being good clarinet players--but almost every job involved being a good saxophonist as well.
By embracing the whole picture of jazz and pop music--including the craft of arranging--we have been able to showcase the use of the clarinet and flute, and reach out to students who play those instruments. This would've been very difficult had we not embraced the saxophone early on.
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Author: Danielle
Date: 2001-10-15 01:28
Oh-I almost forgot. At the Manhattan School of Music prep program, I'm in a jazz combo-on the clarinet. I'm the only jazz clarinetist in the prep program, but it's still fun. I'm with three alto saxes, a trumpet players, a pianist, a bassist, and two drummers. The professer, a vibraphone player, doesn't mind at all having a clarinet-I offered to bring in my sax, but he said that using the clarinet would be good. (At the audition for the combo, the judges all were like, "a jazz clarinetist, cool."). Sometimes, I guess, a jazz clarinetist can be a gimmick of sorts. Although I do have to put up with the trumpet player calling me the "black torture stick girl". Hmph. Anyway, it's a lot of fun, and it definately helps me play louder, which my teacher is always telling me I have to do.
Danielle
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Author: Jeanne
Date: 2001-10-16 02:15
I'd like to thank you for this great advice. I am starting in our school jazz band on saxaphone on wednesday, and hope to better my skills as a musician by doing so.
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Author: IHL
Date: 2001-10-16 12:04
dont worry. I feel a clarinet renaissance in the air...
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