 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Philip Caron
Date: 2008-12-20 22:55
The band I'm in is playing Sousa's "The Rifle Regiment" march, as edited by Frederick Fennell. The coda in the 1st and 2nd clarinet parts is difficult, with some unusual leaps and altissimo register staccato. The conductor takes this at brisk march tempo. Though after several weeks of work I'm still waffling as to which fingerings are less awkward, my reliability either way is getting reasonable . Making it sound like something other than chicken squawks is, ah, still to come.
Last summer in a different band, we played Semper Paratus, the Coast Guard Marching Song, by Captain Francis Saltus Van Boskerck. That too had a difficult coda, very agile in altissimo. I had to sight read it in concert and did a poor job.
There are not terribly many things in the books of standard orchestral excerpts that are as technically challenging as those two codas. Is there such a thing as band excerpt books? What other band marches with especially difficult clarinet parts are out there?
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Author: davidsampson
Date: 2008-12-20 22:59
I played bass on one, and that part was easy, but I often heard the clarinetists complain about it, and it really sounded hard. The White Rose March, Sousa. The first time through the final strain has a high-woodwind obbligato, full of altissimo leaps and trills.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2008-12-20 23:15
Try "Purple Carnival" or "The Nash." Mean clarinet parts, both of them. You just practice until you got them.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Curinfinwe
Date: 2008-12-21 00:55
The Gladiator March (Sousa), in the Grandioso section at the end, has some very nasty altissimo fingerings in first clarinet.
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Author: blazian
Date: 2008-12-21 01:02
I thought Kansas Wildcats (Sousa?) was a difficult one for the first clarinet and Eb parts.
- Martin
Post Edited (2008-12-21 01:03)
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Author: Brianj
Date: 2008-12-21 13:10
Look at the Alexander March Book, 1st part, Melody Shop, Eagle Squadron, and The Rifle Regiment. Most marches by Filmore, Sousa, King, and Alexander will have at least a section that has a mean 1st part.
SSG Brian Jungen
399th Army Band
Ft. Leonard Wood, MO
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Author: William
Date: 2008-12-21 17:34
Most of those old circus marches had knuckle-busting 1st clarinet parts, usually in the trio sections. Some titles that come to mind are: The Circus Bee, Barnum & Baileys Favorites, Americans We, E Plurbus Unium, The Crosley, His Honor and The Melody Shoppe. I learned all of these as a high school student playing with the Saulk County Circus Band, the Pardeeville City Band, the Friesland Community Band and the Madison Municipal Band. And frankly--as an old timer clarinetist who never met a hard clarinet part he didn't like--I must say they don't write modern clarinet parts for marches like they used too.
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Author: Tara
Date: 2008-12-21 19:57
The upcoming audition for "Pershing's Own" United States Army Band includes The Rifle Regiment (Sousa). It has some pretty nasty grace notes at the end.
One of my personal favorites is the Mad Major by Kenneth Alford. It's been a while, but as I recall the first clarinet part is quite high and quite soft. Always a challenging combination. Great march.
Tara
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Author: Philip Caron
Date: 2008-12-21 21:41
Tara: "The upcoming audition for "Pershing's Own" United States Army Band includes The Rifle Regiment (Sousa). It has some pretty nasty grace notes at the end. "
Those grace notes are indeed the sticking point. For the high Db grace notes (down to clarion G and F in cut time 8ths,) I started with the normal fingering, then dabbled with an open thumb hole fingering, then switched to high C plus the first two RH trill keys. Now I'm back to the normal fingering, probably.
These strongly tend to sound raucous. I suspect the idea was to resemble something a bugle or cornet might do. However, I don't get that from this:
http://john-philip-sousa-the-rifle-regiment-mp3-download.kohit.net/_/414319
. . .though I don't really hear those particular grace notes at all in this performance . . .
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Author: Ebclarinet1
Date: 2008-12-21 21:50
Is there a colection of these available rather than buying individual parts? I have an old one for piccolo that was always fun to practice and also to do some sight transposing for the Eefer.
Speaking of eefer, our high school arrangement of Stars & Stripes had the Eefer playing the piccolo obligatto. Haven't sen that arrangement since although at tis point I know the notes. Anyone else had that part. My high school career ened in 1972 and even then the part was old.
Eefer guy
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Author: rtmyth
Date: 2008-12-22 16:18
Many. But Alburtis Meyers had us play them all, in Allentown High School. It was nice to have George Silfies and Julius Karner as part of our 24 clarinet players in a band of 72 musicians. We were all agile, then, and they did not seen too difficult. I played first clarinet parts.
richard smith
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2008-12-22 16:51
Another issue that at times rears its ugly head is that the 2nd clarinet part across the break can be a real bear. I'm thinking of Sousa's Pathfinders of Panama (a pretty obscure march but a great one). In the last strain, if the tempo is brisk, the 2nds get a real workout.
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2008-12-23 10:23
'Ravenswood' (though strictly for brass band) - the top Bb part is peculiarly frustrating.
I'll also vote for the 'Dambusters' march (and also 'Colonel Bogey', to some extent) as being very hard to play /well/.
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Author: coasten1
Date: 2008-12-23 17:08
I don't recall the name right now but there is a march where the 1sts have the melody while the 2nds and 3rds are doing fast arpeggios in the trio section. I always thought that was the fun part anyway.
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Author: Dan Oberlin ★2017
Date: 2008-12-23 17:50
The solo part in Marche Indienne (Sellenick) is nontrivial but very enjoyable.
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Author: LarryBocaner ★2017
Date: 2008-12-23 19:28
"I don't recall the name right now but there is a march where the 1sts have the melody while the 2nds and 3rds are doing fast arpeggios in the trio section. I always thought that was the fun part anyway."
Sousa: Manhattan Beach
Fun part? I agree!
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Author: BobD
Date: 2008-12-23 20:05
If my memory is correct "Marche Militaire Francais" has some measures that I had a bit of trouble with.
Bob Draznik
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