Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2009-09-17 18:45
When I got out of the West Point Band, I went back to college and played in the University of Tennessee band (under good old Uncle Jay Julian). The Eb player couldn't hack it, so I switched, making the maximum jump from BBb contra at West Point to Eb in Knoxville (and back to contra when necessary).
Playing Eb was great, and I got to play Eb in Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde with the Knoxville Symphony.
Get your own mouthpiece. The ones that come with instruments (particularly ones that belong to a band) are beat to death. Grit your teeth and spring for a hand-made one from Grabner, Fobes, Lomax, etc. Once you pay for it, you'll never miss the money, and you'll have it forever, enjoying it every time you play.
For information on how I get a problematic Leblanc to play in tune, see http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=262303&t=262226.
If you get serious about Eb, consider getting the Fobes extension, which everyone who's used it raves about. http://www.clarkwfobes.com/clarinet_EbExtension.html
In a band, remember that the principal Bb player is still the section leader. Eb is there to add sparkle to the clarinet section sound, and not to be the soloist. If you can't hear everybody else, you're playing too loud. Play to blend in. The Eb's natural brightness is all you need.
And, as GBK says, get both of Pete Hadcock's books, which have invaluable information as well as lots of alternate fingerings for high-register tuning. http://www.vcisinc.com/clarinetmusicexcerpts.htm, items C036 and C043. They're pure gold.
Ken Shaw
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The Clarinet BBoard
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