 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Djudy
Date: 2021-11-06 03:37
I was fortunate to be able to acquire a lovely used recent Selmer alto clarinet a while back and really love playing it, I find it a very 'zen' instrument. So I asked if I could switch to alto in our local wind band as there are already a bunch of Bb clarinets and the clarinet choir, that would have been the more logical place to play it, has disappeared what with all the problems during succesive Covid 19 lockdowns.
About half the repertoire for this year has a 'official' part for the Alto and where one is lacking I play 3rd clarinet transposed. This brings up the question of where do I sit ?
When I study the conductor's full score I often find the Alto part is more similar to the Bass Clarinet, the Tenor and Bary Saxophones and occasionally the Euphonium or Trombone. In our setup, most of those instruments are in back of me; I'm in the 3rd row with Clarinets to the right and Alto Sax to my left (facing the conductor). While this works for the transposed 3rd Cl parts, I feel out of place with most of the Alto parts (but not all) since the other similar parts are in the back. The director hasn't remarked on this so he must find it sounds ok but sometimes I do feel a bit unbalanced. I enjoy playing the Alto and want to make a good contribution. Anyone ever had a similar experience? Where does the Alto usually sit in a wind band? My old clarinet teacher who might have been able to help with this has moved, to my great regret, and I've lost track of him.
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Author: seabreeze
Date: 2021-11-06 04:15
No particular arrangement is set in stone but in the U.S. Marine Band, the lower clarinets--contrabass, alto, and bass--sit in the second row between the saxophones and the bassoons. If you stop this video at 0:07 and again at 0:53, you can clearly see the seating of the instruments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvMbIRia43M.
Post Edited (2021-11-06 18:36)
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Author: BethGraham
Date: 2021-11-06 06:20
In our concert band, the alto clarinet sits between the third clarinets and the bass clarinet section. Since I'm a fairly new band person, I don't know if this is the standard arrangement.
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Author: super20dan
Date: 2021-11-06 17:32
in my community i am playing alto also. i had the option to sit anywhere i want since no one wanted to play alto before. i chose to sit next to the bari sax so i can read his music if there are no alto clarinet parts. for the most part the alto parts i am given have been better than expected . also play alto sax parts if needed. i am having a lot of fun. its a welcome change from playing sax for decades. i owned my alto for 30 years and never once got to play it. bucket list crossed off now
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Author: marcia
Date: 2021-11-06 20:55
I play alto clarinet in a wind ensemble in Vancouver BC. Front row-right to left facing the conductor-first clarinets, Eb clarinet. oboes, flutes. Second row-second clarinets, third clarinets, alto clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoons. Since I am right besides the thirds, I play third when there is no alto part. Third and fourth rows--all the other guys! ![[wink]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie3.gif)
Marcia
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2021-11-06 22:04
Sit between the 3rd clarinets and the bass clarinets.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Djudy
Date: 2021-11-07 02:17
Thank you all for your inputs ! I would have expected the bass clarinet to be in with the other clarinets but he is sitting in the far back between the barytone sax and the trombones (only 1 bass clarinet, played by the former solo Bb clarinet). He's very good, multi instrumentaliste, used to play in a military band and subs for the director when necessary or when supervising section rehearsal for the clarinets , so I'll discuss this with him. Maybe when there is no real alto part I should think about doubling with the barytone rather than the 3rd clarinets. I thought about trying the alto sax parts but they are so obviously written for that instrument that the phrasing on the non-classical numbers just didn't feel right to me; also the alto does such a good job of complimenting the Bb clarinets that it seemed better to stay with them.
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Author: super20dan
Date: 2021-11-07 04:25
actually the alto clarinet sounds very much like an alto sax in the mid and upper range . i have no problem playing the alto sax parts and blending with them when i have to use their music but playing the bari sax part is usually more appropriate. i always bring my bass clarinet and play that if its a important part also . between both horns i am keeping busy and having a blast .
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Author: Ed
Date: 2021-11-07 04:35
I think it should be an offstage part!
Sorry, I could not resist an alto clarinet joke
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Author: ACCA
Date: 2021-11-08 15:49
Ed wrote:
> Sorry, I could not resist an alto clarinet joke
neither can I!
q: why did the alto player get locked out of the concert hall?
a: he didn't know what key it was or where to come in!
[runs and hides!]
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2021-11-08 20:13
You could always sit next to the 3rds and also double on Eb clarinet where that's more important and not covered by other instruments as the alto clarinet often is.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Ebclarinet1
Date: 2021-11-08 22:15
In the groups I've played in the alto(s) sit between the third clarinets and the bass clarinets. The alto often joins one or the other other in parts so it's a good position.
Eefer guy
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Author: BethGraham
Date: 2021-11-09 02:16
As a -- rather good, though somewhat novice -- third clarinetist, I'd call it band heaven. Harmony!
(Is it wrong that I've spent part of the afternoon looking up threads on the merits -- or perceived lacks thereof -- of playing alto clarinet? I'm rather intrigued, to be honest.)
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Author: Chris_C ★2017
Date: 2021-11-09 03:31
It's easy - sit where the MD tells you to...
The strangest arrangement I've sat in as an alto player was one where the MD placed the bass clarinet (doubling Eflat) and the alto clarinet in the middle of the front row. Very disconcerting.
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Author: super20dan
Date: 2021-11-09 04:09
alto clarinet is a lot more fun than playing 3rd . look into getting one-they are dirt cheap on ebay. you can get a working one for under 300$ .
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2021-11-09 04:39
I had that same experience with a previous layout of the band I currently play oboe in where for a long time, ALL the flutes and clarinets were sat on the frontline which was a committee decision from early on and woe betide anyone who complained about that.
With me joining on oboe and another oboist at the same time, we had to shoehorn ourselves in the middle. Then when there was the 2nd configuration where the flutes and clarinets swapped sides, I was sat with the piccolo in my left ear and the Eb clarinet doubling alto doubling 3rd and sometimes 2nd and 1st depending on what parts were or weren't available, was sat on my right.
And what with all those players sitting cheek by jowl on the frontline, it wasn't a pleasant experience especially when it came to the lack of elbow room which would be fine for oboe players adopting the American praying mantis posture with elbows in and wrists curved and the oboe pointing downwards, but not the European posture with elbows outwards with the oboe held out front. And with everyone packed in such close proximity like sardines, one evening the hearing in my left ear completely packed up with the piccolo blasting right into it.
1st row was originally like this:
Cl.3*-Cl.2*-Cl.1*-Solo Cl.-Eb/Alto Cl.-Ob.2/cor-Ob.1-Picc.-Fl.2*-Fl.1*
Then that changed to this mirrored layout in the early 2000s:
Fl.1*-Fl.2*-Picc.-Ob.1-Ob.2/cor-Eb/Alto Cl.-Solo Cl.-Cl.1*Cl.2*-Cl.3*
2nd row:
Alto 1*-Alto 2*-Tenor*-Bari-Bass Cl.-Bassoon-Horn 1-Horn 2-Horn-3-Horn-4
3rd row:
Bass-Bass-Euph-Euph-Trombone 3*-Trombone 2*-Trombone 1-Solo Trumpet-Trumpet 1*-Trumpet 2*-Trumpet 3*
4th row: Percussion and drum kit.
(* several players per chair)
Since the band got a new MD from the Royal Marines Band in around 2009, he tore up the committee's layout and split the clarinets up so 2nd and 3rd are now sat behind solo and 1st as they'd be in a military band, with the bass clarinets next to the 3rds (and alto clarinet between them if we still had one), then bassoons, bari sax, tenor and alto saxes on the left. And more importantly, a lot more elbow room between each player and much easier to set the band up in venues with limited room.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: davidjsc
Date: 2021-11-23 09:33
When I played alto clarinet in our concert band 20~22 years ago in Vancouver, myself and the bass clarinet sat in the second row right at the left-end, with saxophones to our right and in front of our lone euphonium. We were seriously deficient for low brass, with no trombones or tuba. I actually played bassoon and even tuba parts if they were more useful than the alto part, beacuse I could sight-read bass clef for the alto.
In the other community orchestra I played in, in North Vancouver, I was playing oboe - but the very same bass clarinetest was stuck in the middle between the tenor saxophone and alto saxophones around 3 rows back. Not sure why except our practise room was really long and narrow, so we had like 5 or 6 rows of 4-5 people wide. Really strange set-up and odd accoustics.
DSC
~~ Alto Clarinet; Bass Clarinet; B-flat and C Boehm Clarinets; Albert C Clarinet; Oboe ~~
Post Edited (2021-11-23 09:35)
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Author: marcia
Date: 2021-11-23 21:18
>the hearing in my left ear completely packed up with the piccolo blasting right >into it.
Earplugs!! I stared wearing them when I had a piccolo to my left. And I sometimes wear them when the trumpets are behind me. You only get one set of ears. Look after them.
Marcia
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