 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: superson
Date: 2010-04-28 21:26
I've never been able to explain what draws me to the clarinet, I can think of lots of other instruments that I think have a nicer sound, or look cooler, but if anyone asked me to swap i'd say never. I have tried taking up other instruments but none of them have stuck with me like the clarinet has. I have no idea why this is, so i'm interested, what do you like about the clarinet?
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2010-04-28 21:29
Having all those side keys makes life easier than other woodwinds as they serve more purposes than what most players think they're intended for, and such a large range for a small instrument.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: stevensfo
Date: 2010-04-28 21:41
That chocolatey deep velvet sound of the lower register that makes you shiver.
The fact that it sounds great both in classical music and jazz.
The wide range - meaning I can take almost any music from the internet and play it.
Student models are quite cheap.
A beginner on a clarinet doesn't send people mad the way some other instruments do.
Fits in a small case. **
Steve
** Just back from a school concert in which a friend's 15 yr old daughter played her harp. You need a big car! Though think of the spare room for cork grease and accessories! ;-)
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Author: DixieSax
Date: 2010-04-28 21:59
Ahh, the clarinet starts out small..
But then you add the A,
then the Eb
then the C
and a Bass
Maybe even a contrabass
And stands, mouthpieces
And reeds, of course reeds, reeds everywhere.
Maybe a couple more clarinets as you discover more, a pro model, a full Boehm or two
And if you are like me, you also discover sax (insert double entendres here)
And the cycle continues.
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Author: davetrow
Date: 2010-04-28 23:42
The tonal characteristic of the three registers are so different that it's like getting three instruments in one.
Dave Trowbridge
Boulder Creek, CA
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2010-04-29 01:51
Learning the clarinet first has made me a better saxophone player, so I can make more money, which I can't make playing clarinet.
![[grin]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie5.gif)
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Author: GLHopkins
Date: 2010-04-29 01:52
Since I wasn't about to play flute, I chose clarinet because it had the next highest number of girls in the class. For the most part they smell better.....girls that is.
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Author: reddog4063
Date: 2010-04-29 02:49
It was forced on me, originally that is.
Now it reminds me of a younger, simpler time. Its small, smooth and versatile. I can be a little bit of a know-it-all during music discussions with friends (most of them play guitar "by ear" and can't read music, etc.).
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Author: karlbonner82
Date: 2010-04-29 05:21
1. The clarinet is the backbone of the wind symphony, corresponding to the violin and viola in a traditional orchestra.
2. Its range allows it to serve as a soprano, alto or even tenor voice.
3. Very portable.
4. Aesthetic appearance.
5. Timbre can fill a most versatile range of roles.
6. It's a lot of fun striving to achieve that perfect tone quality - especially given the fact that most of the clarinetists from my school band never really got that far with tone improvement.
Undoubtedly more reasons but I don't have time right now.
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Author: tdinap
Date: 2010-04-29 07:13
To make an extremely long story short, it's one of the most versatile instruments I can think of.
And in my (biased) opinion, it has some of the best repertoire in the business.
Tom
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Author: audrey
Date: 2010-04-29 09:41
As Tom said, its versatility.
It's so expressive it's like a voice, only a more beautiful voice than my own!
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Author: Bartmann
Date: 2010-04-29 14:22
I love that it can function as a melodic or harmonic instrument. And I agree with David Trow that the three registers are so distinct it's like getting three instruments. I don't like shlepping around the double case of Bb and A clarinets.
Bartmann
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Author: whole note
Date: 2010-04-29 15:51
I love its sound--its simultaneous expression of melancholy and mischief.
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2010-04-29 17:57
whole note wrote,
>> I love its sound--its simultaneous expression of melancholy and mischief.>>
What an evocative description!
In addition to the versatility and the sound, I also enjoy the mechanical complexity of the clarinet. It's an interesting gizmo.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: A Brady
Date: 2010-04-29 18:55
Yes, indeed, the complexity, perceived or real.
In 6th Grade, when the Junior High Band Director came around looking for recruits for band the next year, he brought large posters with photographs of each of the band instruments.
Up to that point, I had never considered playing any instrument, and no one in my immediate family (only a Great Uncle) had been a player.
When I saw the picture of the clarinet, with that fascinating web of silver keys splashed against a mysterious black body, I said, "that looks REALLY complicated" and I was immediately hooked.
Many years later, the love affair/obsession continues unabated; it's a journey, not a destination.
AB
AB
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Author: superson
Date: 2010-04-29 20:39
Thankyou for all your input - it has made a very interesting read.
I myself have been reflecting hard on what it is I love about the clarinet and I think I know what it is now- it's an instrument both simple and complex. It's small and practical, but as Chris P said it has such a large range. Like stevensfo said it plays both classical and jazz great and as Bartmann wrote it can be both a melodic or harmonic instrument. I also very much agree with what davidtrow said in that its like having three different instruments. I love what audrey wrote in that it is so expressive.
Thankyou- and without sounding too cheesy- you really have helped me realise what it is I actually love about the clarinet. It's a great load off my mind!!!
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Author: golfnclarinet
Date: 2010-04-29 21:23
All above plus, .....
With the price of my step-up cello, I can get top class clarinet.
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Author: JJAlbrecht
Date: 2010-04-30 00:36
That's a great thing about clarinets. Relatively speaking, they are extremely affordable, even for top-line pro instruments!
Jeff
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Author: Squiddy
Date: 2010-04-30 05:25
I played alto sax through high school then later got a tenor. I never had much desire to play clarinet until I got a bit older. My wife called one day from a garage sale that had a clarinet there for around fifty bucks, if I recall correctly. I fell in love with the thing. Don't know if it was partly from being away from a woodwind instrument for many years, or a combination of things, but all I could think is, 'why did I wait so long to try the clarinet?!' I share the sentiments of a couple of earlier posters in that I love that it's so small and portable you can take it anywhere. Now, if I could just learn to play it! I guess that's part of it's mystique for me.
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Author: OmarHo
Date: 2010-05-01 01:41
You can easily fake stuff and hide in the texture, but everyone also knows when you mess up when you squeak haha....
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Author: Molloy
Date: 2010-05-01 03:00
Very high quality vintage clarinets can be gotten for very little money.
The range is impressive (although the high notes are not beautiful).
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2010-05-01 04:01
The clarinet has sent all four of my kids through college and paid my mortgage. I like to hear it when others play it because so many players have different tones and styles but I love the tone best of all when I'm playing it. I love to hear myself play. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
ESP eddiesclarinet.com
Post Edited (2010-05-01 04:05)
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Author: Bluesparkle
Date: 2010-05-03 02:16
The highs and lows,
the ebbs and flows,
the fast and especially the slow.
The soft, the loud,
the creamy, dreamy sound,
Hypnotized from the get-go.
Okay, so I'm a better clarinet player than poet.
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Author: jacoblikesmusic
Date: 2010-05-03 05:10
Well let's try what I hate about the clarinet. For the record first of all I love it more than I hate it but i do have some hate in there.
First of all, the reeds!!! I can't stand the reeds!!! Inconsistent, hard to manage.
Second, throat tones!!! They can never be 100% not airy.
Third, all that money!!! I don't know if most instruments need this but I literally pour thousands upon thousands of dollars not just for instrument, but for various mouthpieces, barrels, bells, and different reeds, reed trimmers, ligatures, clarinets for outdoor, and the list just goes on and on...
Lastly!!! The tonguing. It seems the clarinet is one of the only instruments that make double tonguing next to impossible. Clarinetists don't have the luxury of triple tonguing and such.
Addition of lastly!!! In a marching band, you can't hear them...
Now that that's all cleared lets move on to what I love about the Clarinet.
Amazing tone, wouldn't trade it for anything. Especially when you get that "perfect" reed on a perfect condition.
Beautiful music written for the clarinet, especially classical. I'd never trade it for trumpet music that goes so high it hurts.
One of the instruments created in the classical era so you get Mozart and such.
Also the various fests in the U.S. just make it a blast playing with others. It also makes you always strive to improve.
The possibilities are limitless!
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Author: RoBass
Date: 2010-05-03 07:13
variability, handy size, the contrast of sparkling/filigree keywork and simple/ordinary body shape... ;-)
kindly
Roman
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