 The Doublers BBoard
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Author: melearly
Date: 2006-04-24 13:53
So I play clarinet and bassoon .... but not sax or flute, when I talked to a teacher about giving up bassoon and taking up sax he said that the bassoon would be great for doubling, only I've never come across it and have missed out on opportunities because of my lack of sax - is clarinet/bassoon ever going to be useful? (just talking amateur productions)
Love this new board!
Mel.
Post Edited (2006-04-24 13:56)
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2006-04-24 14:12
Quite a few shows use bassoon/clarinet doubles. Keep at it! Often, show books are rearranged to account for the availability of players -- sax players/doublers are common, but bassoonists are not.
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Author: Merlin
Date: 2006-04-24 17:22
Old school theatre books sometimes have sax/string doubles. In recent memory, the Charlottetown festival still had alto sax/violin doubles and tenor sax/viola.
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Author: martinbaxter
Date: 2006-04-25 12:06
Hi
I have done several shows, mostly for amateur societies, where 3 reed players have had to cover 4 or even 5 books. One performance of a show because of absences (it was a matinee ) I played Flute, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Alto sax, Bassoon and piano !! ( I wouldn't claim to have been good but I was judged as OK I guess because the MD wanted me to do this again for the next show so they could save a musician. (I declined the request).
I find Bass Clarinet and Tenor Sax a double to be avoided although I know other players cope well. The same applies for me with flute and Tenor tho' most people seem to cope. I don't like playing oboe with anything else - in fact I never liked playing oboe and nowadays I don't. So many shows were originally scored for particular players and catered to their strengths which may not be yours (mind you if you are Andy Findon you can probably do anything - London players will know who he is). I was one of the original band for Lord Dynamite, which is why one of the parts doubles bassoon, Contra and Alto Clarinet (I think there was also a bit of flute. So the more instruments you can play the more work you get in the theatrical field; but you still have to do the practice on them and play them properly; play any of your doubled out of tune and you don't get asked again so don't take the gig if you don't KNOW that you can handle it.
Martin
Phone 01229583504
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Author: DressedToKill
Date: 2006-04-25 15:38
Clarinet and bassoon is not at *all* a strange combo...
You want strange? The last tour I did, I played oboe and *violin*. Now THAT is strange.
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Author: Merlin
Date: 2006-04-25 17:12
I did a production of "A Little Night Music" where myself and one other player covered the important stuff from 5 WW books - none of them with saxophone.
I played picc, flute, alto flute, oboe, EH, clarinet & bass clarinet. He did the same with bassoon in place of the ob/EH.
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Author: melearly
Date: 2006-04-26 08:38
yes I think the string/reed doubling definitely takes the cake for being strange!
I forgot that I also did trombone/bassoon in one show covering 2 books so I guess that's stranger still
I'm so impressed by people who can really play so many instruments, how do you find the time to keep on top of them all?
Also I just saw in the Sweeney Todd post that there is a written book for clarinet/bassoon - so I will just have to wait it out for a production of that! (Now that would be worth waiting for!)
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Author: DressedToKill
Date: 2006-04-26 12:57
"I'm so impressed by people who can really play so many instruments, how do you find the time to keep on top of them all?"
I can't speak for the others, but I personally maintain a very regimented practice schedule, with very specific times allotted to each instrument, and a thorough practice plan for each. (specific etudes, repertoire, areas of weakness to work on, etc).
Also helps to have a few good private teachers ;-)
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Author: Merlin
Date: 2006-04-26 15:15
I'm the worst person to ask about keeping up instruments. I do very little practice on anything these days. I tend to whip myself into shape as required by circumstances.
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Author: aska5
Date: 2006-05-09 09:40
I happen to be a violin/sax doubler... Most of my friends think that it's rather strange, but I find it useful, as you easily get selected for music activities, events, etc...
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Author: Steve Epstein
Date: 2006-05-10 05:48
Not at all strange. My childhood clarinet teacher, who was of Greek ethnic background, also played the violin, on which he had a repertoire of all those klezmer tunes.
Steve Epstein
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2006-05-22 11:04
Over the weekend, I picked up a double flute at a flea market. Does anyone know where I can find a fingering chart for it? I don't even know from nuthin'--not even whether I'm supposed to play the two sides simultaneously or alternately.
It's a handcrafted fipple-flute (probably mass-produced overseas for sale in a gift shop, not a music store, since the flea market dealer only asked US $5) of lightweight wood with a balsamic scent. There's no maker mark. The beak has two separate windways, each resembling a recorder beak but flatter than a recorder beak.
The pipe on the left has three finger-holes. The pipe on the right has four finger-holes. The pipe on the right may have something wrong with it, or may be partially blocked inside the fipple. The right-hand pipe itself appears not to be blocked, but I can't get a consistent tone out of it, whether I blow it alone or simultaneously with the pipe on the left. The pipe on the left sounds similar to a soprano recorder.
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: Chris P
Date: 2006-05-26 10:23
If you want your doubling skills tested (and juggling with several instruments as well), then do the pit orchestra version of 'West Side Story' - and especially Reed 3 - you will need the following:
Piccolo,
Flute,
Oboe,
Cor Anglais,
Bb clarinet,
Bass clarinet,
Tenor sax and
Baritone sax.
Reed 1 has Piccolo, flute, clarinet and alto sax,
Reed 2 has Eb, Bb and bass clarinet,
Reed 4 has Piccolo, flute, Bb clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano and bass saxes.
Reed 5 is Bassoon.
And like Merlin, I only get my act together when required.
Another strange doubling was in 'Guys and Dolls' where Reed 3 does oboe, cor anglais, clarinet and tenor sax. Though for non-double reed players the oboe/cor parts are written out for clarinet as well (it's all on a double stave) - but I think it's best to play what the arranger had in mind.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-05-26 21:01
I just completed a run of "Once On This Island"
The (only) reed book is:
piccolo
flute
alto flute
clarinet
soprano saxophone
finger cymbals !!
...GBK
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Author: Merlin
Date: 2006-05-27 14:13
Quote:
Another strange doubling was in 'Guys and Dolls' where Reed 3 does oboe, cor anglais, clarinet and tenor sax. Though for non-double reed players the oboe/cor parts are written out for clarinet as well (it's all on a double stave) - but I think it's best to play what the arranger had in mind.
Not that unusual. Reed 3 or 4 is often tenor/clar/ob/EH, sometimes with some flute as well.
Cabaret has this on the Reed 4 part, and The Producers has it as well, with the addition of alto flute.
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Author: melearly
Date: 2006-05-27 15:08
GBK, ha! did you need to provide your own finger cymbals? (part of every good woodwind doubler's kit I'm sure )
I dread to think of some of the playing in community renditions of those seriously multiple reed parts esp. someone "making do" on oboe ....! Must be rare and valuable person who could really do a pro job on all of them!!
After doing some browsing through past posts and other web sites it seems like perhaps Bari sax would be a good addition to my clarinet (I also play bass clarinet) and bassoon... sort of aiming at those low reed parts .....
Would it make any sense to start on Bari and skip alto sax ... possible?
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-05-27 16:53
melearly wrote:
> GBK, ha! did you need to provide your own finger cymbals?
> (part of every good woodwind doubler's kit I'm sure )
I actually own a few pairs of finger cymbals.
However, I can't remember when or why I got them ...GBK
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Author: Merlin
Date: 2006-06-07 02:12
I'll also cop to having a set of finger cymbals, as well as an Alan Abel triangle.David Spiegelthal wrote:
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Author: Terry Stibal
Date: 2006-07-12 02:23
How about the bass reed book in On The Twentieth Century? It doubles clarinet, bass clarinet, contra-alto clarinet and carbon dioxide fire extinguisher shot into a trash can, this for the steam injection for draft on the locomotive during the overture. I went one further and brought an old steam locomotive bell, hit with a heavy plastic headed hammer, to replace the wimpy bell the musical director was originally planning to use.
leader of Houston's Sounds Of The South Dance Orchestra
info@sotsdo.com
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Author: EuGeneSee
Date: 2006-08-03 20:48
Wow! I like this doubler's forum . . . what, with half the folks doubling all sorts of combinations, then Merlin & GBK jumping in with finger cymbols, followed by Lelia adding whistles and kazoo . . . now I am no longer afraid to publicly admit to buying a slide whistle last week! When I'm not beating the bass drum and practicing clarinet/oboe/bassoon I plan to use the slide whistle in the last bar of "Syncopated Clock" which our community band folks want to play as soon as we can find band charts for it.
EuGene
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Author: BTBob
Date: 2006-08-16 15:58
About the violin & sax double...bakc in the 1920s when everybody wanted to learn sax, a lot of them were violinists in pit bands and such things when every theater, radio station, hotel worth anything had its own orchestra. So there were fiddle players everywhere, a lot of them probably not all that great.
Now that all that has disappeared, the standard of violin playing is much higher. There is very little encouragement to play another instrument or to play pop music outside of the theater.
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Author: nickles8189
Date: 2006-09-02 16:57
>>I'm so impressed by people who can really play so many instruments, how do you find the time to keep on top of them all?<<
i play in after-school ensembles most days of the week during the school year to keep up with all of mine. so during marching season i play sax now (used to be flute), then concert season i play bassoon. then throughout the year i'm in flute choir on c flute and bass flute, woodwind quintet on bassoon (used to be oboe for a time when we didn't have an oboist and two bassoonists), clarinet choir (originally on b-flat clarinet, now i play bass clarinet and contra-alto), brass choir on trumpet, and sax ensemble this year on one of the saxes, hopefully soprano.
and then since i'm pretty versatile on the woodwinds, i get away with not practicing as much in between those ensembles. the after school stuff is my practice for those instruments. but since bassoon is my primary instrument, i take private lessons once a week on saturday mornings to mostly help me work on technique and prepare for auditions and stuff.
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Author: Pam H.
Date: 2006-09-16 23:29
"I'm so impressed by people who can really play so many instruments, how do you find the time to keep on top of them all?"
Playing in different ensembles with different instruments is part of it.
On Sundays I'm in our church orchestra with clarinet and sometimes alto sax.
On Mondays I have either a flute lesson or flute choir. I'd love to play the alto flute sometime. If it's just a lesson, I may go home afterwards and play the clarinet a while.
Tuesday off of rehearsals, practice flute and clarinet.
Wednesday - church orchestra rehearsal so clarinet and sax.
Thursday I have just joined a community pops orchestra on bass clarinet and alto sax.
Friday night off unless I was lazy on Tuesday.
Saturday I practice whatever I have time to do. I work full time during the week so saturday is the day to catch up on time with husband, groceries, cleaning, laundry, yada, yada.
On Sundays, I may get some practice in later in the day too.
I'm getting better at switching between instruments pretty quickly. The only one that is sometimes troublesome is having a decent tone on the flute just after playing the alto sax.
My life is not dull. I don't have time to watch much tv lately unless it's the late-evening stuff.
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