 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2008-04-28 19:14
Wondering what is considered the quickest Clarinet change in Orchestral Literature? Meaning what piece has the least time to switch from Bb to A, or A to Bb.
Debussy Fetes 4 measures before letter 2 has a preatty bad one which includes a page turn, but what else gives the player basically no time to do the switch?
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: donald
Date: 2008-04-28 19:32
heh, if i remember correctly the reed one/1st clarinet part to Jesus Christ Superstar has a switch from Clarinet to Tenor sax with no break AT ALL
dn
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2008-04-28 20:29
...I bet Jesus Christ Superstar himself coulda done it...
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2008-04-28 20:34
ok, I'll explain what I wrote so that you won't think I'm a crackpot.....
Really did have breakfast with "Jesus Christ Superstar" Ted Neeley as his producer, him and I had a meeting over Breakfast. I was promoting the musical that he was in.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: davyd
Date: 2008-04-28 20:44
In the 3rd movement of the Mahler 4th, all 3 players have 1 (slow) bar to get from the A to the Bb -- maybe not the quickest switch ever, but a candidate for quickest switch sectionwide.
I'm all in favor of using the instrument the composer specified to the fullest extent possible. But why Mahler couldn't have waited 2 more bars to ask for the mass switch is beyond me. In the one opportunity I've had to perform this work (probably the only one I'll ever get, too), I rewrote the passage so I could stay on the A, and got called a cheater. Can't we all just get along?
More than once in this symphony, the 3rd player has fewer than 4 bars to switch between Bb or A soprano and Bb or A bass.
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Author: William
Date: 2008-04-28 21:02
Just played Mahler's 4th and transposed the Bb part on my A to avoid that one bar switch and nobody called me any funny names. Better than being suddenly out of tune or late for the entrance.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2008-04-28 21:19
I don't remember what the piece was (and it probably was something almsot no one is familiar with anyway) but I played bass clarinet, and had one line on soprano clarinet, with almost no time to change and change back. I just had to imediately grab the soprano from a stand with the bass still dangling, play a few bars, then throw it back on the stand and keep playing the bass.
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2008-04-28 21:26
With Tenor though I would think that you could just let the tenor hang briefly on the neckstrap and pick up the clarinet (dry reed) and play pretty quickly.
The hard part would be if you had to switch the mouthpiece from Clarinet to Clarinet. My optimum ligature doesn't slip particularly, but my BG certainly has less grip for a quick change.
Possibly if there wasn't enough time to do it you would have to have seperate setups from the Bb to the A.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2008-04-28 22:23
If you play the solo in the Brahms 3rd on the Bb to avoid the nasty Ab arpeggio, the necessary switch back to the A has almost no time. You need to use the A barrel or tighten your ligature with the thumb of King Kong to prevent it slipping off, plus slather everything with double cork grease.
Ken Shaw
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Author: theclarinetguy
Date: 2008-04-29 13:33
When I performed Debussy's Fetes last month I just transposed the part since there's a break right after those measures. Although the principle player never switched after playing it a couple of times, then complained that the oboe was playing to 442 instead of 440. :\
Micheal
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2008-04-29 14:08
Phila played it 4 weeks ago and Sam just made it with about a second to spare. I haven't played it in about 10 years so forgot just how tight it was.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2008-04-29 14:42
Walton Facade, in big number 20, fast change from solo bass clarinet passages to clarinet solo passage, less than four very fast beats. I've made it most of the times I've played it but a few times came in few notes late. You have to lean the bass on your shoulder and grab the clarinet, not easy. The worst though is at Pops concerts when they make a cut and you have no time to change. They think you can play one beat on one clarinet and the next beat on the other. Good luck! ESP
www.peabody.jhu.edu/457
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