 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: fuehrcol
Date: 2015-11-18 02:42
Hello fellow clarinetists. I am in middle school and play bass clarinet. My band teacher and the high school band teacher have both said that I play better than any of the middle school and almost all of the high school bass clarinetists and clarinetists. They have both seen and heard some of the music I wrote and said it was good and that they would recommend me using it for solo and ensemble. I am not sure if I want to though. Does anybody have any ideas for things I could play? If anyone wants to here what I wrote, I can send the link for it. Also, I really want to get into honors band, but I have no idea what to practice, what you all do in honors band, and if it would help for getting a scholarship for music. Also, who should I ask to try out for honors band? Oh wait duh, I will ask my band teacher for the last question.
-Cole Fuehrer
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Author: David Kinder
Date: 2015-11-18 04:11
Hi Cole,
I haven't been on these forums for about 15 years, but I used to also play Bass Clarinet back in my middle school and high school days. It was the easy way for me to get into the top wind ensemble and honor bands. Eventually my skills and dexterity on the standard clarinet were good enough to be in the wind ensemble for clarinet and not just bass clarinet.
I would check out music by Howard Klug from Indiana University. Here's a YouTube link of him doing a Bass Clarinet solo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXJFGp9qiXQ
Here's a link to his Trio Indiana CD: http://www.amazon.com/Trio-Indiana/dp/B000003J6I/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1447804582&sr=8-3&keywords=Howard+klug
Here's an AWESOME Bass Clarinet duo of Tocatta and Fugue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Puui1jZ8Qg
It's been my experience that most bass clarinet players in middle school and high school... well... they barely know how to really 'play' the instrument. It was enough that I knew how to get a good tone and that people could hear me and I got into the honor bands and top HS wind ensembles.
Playing the clarinet (or any other instrument) is kinda like learning to play chess. The higher the standard of player you play and emulate, the more your natural game improves.
Hopefully you also have improved equipment over the stuff I played on back in high school. Having a properly angled neck on the bass clarinet would've helped to avoid putting the instrument under my chair to have the right mouthpiece angle... not to mention if I would've had my own mouthpiece and ligature setup. One would think that the Bundy bass clarinet neck would try to emulate the Selmer bc neck... but I digress.
Anyway, I'm just an enthusiastic amateur who's going to be picking up the clarinet again after a 15 year hiatus, so take my thoughts with a grain of salt.
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Author: locke9342
Date: 2015-11-18 04:34
I don't know what your solo and ensemble requirements are, but in my area you have to play off a list, so if they will let you play the music you made I'd go for it. You'll probably get really helpful advice both about your playing and your music. If you don't want to play your music check out the czardas or weber concertino, you can find bass clarinet versions of both on youtube.
And yea you really should ask your teacher about honor band, we know literally know nothing about what your honor band is. Honestly, I found reading through the first part and your last question really annoying, because it was pretty superfluous, but that could just be me.
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Author: clarinetist04
Date: 2015-11-19 02:15
You need focus, which you can get from a private teacher. If you already have one, they should be able to give you guidance on all of your questions.
I would also recommend, if you are serious about writing music, to also consider finding a private teacher for composition. It can really be a great benefit to developing your own style, although as a middle schooler, it'll probably be back to basics and learning the "ABC's" of music theory. Anyway, that's what a teacher is for, to understand where you are and how to get you wherever you want to be.
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