 The Fingering Forum
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Author: pnut
Date: 2004-06-20 23:10
Does anyone play a C-Clarinet? I am currently playing a Bb Clarinet along with a guitar and piano and I am looking into buying a clarinet in the key of C so I don't have to transpose all the time!
Any helpful suggestions?
pnut
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Author: michael
Date: 2004-06-21 00:13
i too play a clarinet in bflat and i want a clarinet in a. clarinets are standard in bflat because these variety sound the best. this doesn't mean all the other clarinets in different keys sound like cats though. the C clarinet is sort of, kinda, just a little bit shrill in sound. in symphony orchestras even when it is necessary, a C clarinet is played by a bflat clarinet. if your heart and wallet is really set on it, then get a C clarinet. you can check out www.wwbw.com but i'd rather just transpose it on the bflat
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Author: Carolyn
Date: 2004-06-21 03:50
What kind of music do you play that you'll have to transpose/
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Author: Derek
Date: 2004-06-21 04:20
I would not suggest buying a C clarinet, they tend to sound overly bright and have more intonation problems. A better idea might be to purchase a clarinet in A because it still has a dark warm clarinet sound. Also, depending on what concert key the music your playing is in, u may find the A clarinet makes it easier. If you're playing music in natural keys; D, E, F#, etc the A clarinet will transpose to an easier to play in key (with the exception of G and perhaps D) then a C or Bb clarinet would. Conversely, use the Bb clarinet to transpose music in flat keys as it will make them easier. (Bb clarinet takes away 2 flats/adds two sharps to concert keys and an A clarinet adds 3 flats/ takes away 3 sharps from concert keys)
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Author: Dee
Date: 2004-06-21 13:30
Please read the person's question. He/she wants has already stated that he is working from piano/guitar music and wants to get away from transposing. A clarinet in A is not going to resolve that issue.
I suggest trying a good quality C clarinet and judge for yourself whether the sound is suitable for what you want to do. But be sure you are testing one of good quality with a good mouthpiece and reed.
Orchestras are going back to using the instruments the composer called for when possible. C clarinet parts are now often played on C clarinets not transposed by the clarinet players. This is because the composer MAY have wanted the particular quality of the C clarinet when he calls for that particular instrument. By the way the orchestral clarinet is usually an A clarinet not a Bb.
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Author: Dee
Date: 2004-06-21 13:33
Clarinets in Bb are only standard for bands. For orchestras, the standard clarinet is in A. The Bb clarinet does NOT sound the "best". Bb and A clarinets are very similar in sound. It is very difficult to tell the difference by listening.
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Author: Carolyn
Date: 2004-06-21 13:51
You didn't need to get snippy, just because you didn't understand what I was asking....
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Author: Carolyn
Date: 2004-06-21 16:46
I suggest you try a hand at learning how to transpose by sight. It's hard, but not impossible. I play tenor in a rock&roll type band, and ever since I started transposing by sight, things have been a whole lot easier.
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Author: pnut
Date: 2004-06-21 22:37
Thanks for all the suggestions. I am playing in my church... only other instruments are guitar and piano and sometimes flute which you know are all in C. I can transpose rather quickly and even by sight am getting pretty good however I was hoping that it may be easier just to get a new clarinet. Maybe I should just switch to flute! I also play alto sax. Would it be difficult for me to switch to a non-reed instrument like flute?
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Author: Derek
Date: 2004-06-22 01:42
You shouldn't have much trouble learning the flute fingerings, however the embouchure is different. Chances are that if the band already has one flute player only occassionally then they won't be needing another 1. Stick with the clarinet to bring an additional "voice" to the ensemble. Also, the clarinet's ability to play far below the range of the flute might make it more desirable, especially if your playing along with a guitar. But then again, i don't particularly know what I'm talking about so do whichever u feel is right. Just remember that one cannot learn a new instrument instantly, it's going to take a lot of practice.
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Author: Derek
Date: 2004-06-22 01:44
and a personal note to "Dee". chill out, no one wants to hear someone gripe on a forum.
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Author: Eoin McAuley
Date: 2004-06-22 07:05
Derek, Dee is right. It would make things a lot easier if people actually read the questions before answering them!
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Author: Carolyn
Date: 2004-06-22 16:20
In the long run, (especially if you're somewhat good at it to begin with), transposing by sight will be the best.
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Author: Carolyn
Date: 2004-06-22 16:24
We've been over this already. I read the post. Just because you two didn't understand what I was asking doesn't mean I'm stupid and 'didn't read the post'. As you'll see, I gave my advice.
My first question was what kind of music she was playing. Contemporary Christian? Hymns? I was just curious, because I'm in a church band as well. I didn't realize you couldn't have conversation on message boards.
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Author: john w
Date: 2004-06-22 20:37
Speaking of not reading question's its quite interesting as most of the time that what makes peaple fail in exams in my school.For example they cloud say 5 questions each wloud point somewhere on a world map and ask what's this country then as the last question they ask for continent and many peaple reads too fast and ansers the country
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Author: Dee
Date: 2004-06-23 00:04
I do not know why Carolyn is so bent out of shape. The person my comments were aimed at is the one who suggested an A clarinet of all things (and that was not Carolyn) when the poster's stated objective was to get away from transposing.
Conversations are great. They often clarify the situation. For example, the question on types of music was helpful. Hymns as a whole are relatively simple to sight transpose with practice. "Flight of the Bumblebee" would be darn near impossible to sight transpose. So suggesting that honing one's sight transposing instead of getting a C clarinet is practical for the former but not practical for the latter.
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Author: pnut
Date: 2004-06-24 03:12
Just for the record..... I play contemporary christian and traditional hymns. There are no other instruments at this time besides myself (playing clarinet and saxophone)along with the piano & guitar.
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Author: D
Date: 2004-06-24 17:44
um do you guys have to fight over what to write in this forem every week? what i realized is that every one wants to use it for differient reasons and you should never trust just one post, is is discussion for advice and u have to know that sometimes things will be wrong so just clarify, the only problems was about a month ago when like 5 people posted random stuff dissing us
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Author: Wes
Date: 2004-06-25 05:39
Yes, try the Buffet E11 C clarinet as it plays very fine and quite in tune. You can use your Bb mouthpiece on it. It's and intermediate level instrument and much less expensive than the first line Buffet C clarinet.
Also, learn to transpose C parts. I generally do this although I've had a C clarinet for many years. The C clarinet is specified in a lot of opera and symphony orchestra parts. Beethoven, Bizet and others commonly used it as it was expected that a clarinet player would have A, Bb, and C clarinets at their time. In some opera parts, they clearly wanted the slightly brighter sound of a C clarinet as the keys weren't that hard.
The only problem is having to carry two clarinets. Good luck!
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Author: pnut
Date: 2004-06-25 18:44
Thanks for all the posts. You were all helpful.
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Author: Goran
Date: 2004-07-02 09:06
Playing c-clarinet is absolutely no problem. I play a lot with other instruments no one can tell from the sound what kind of clarinet I am using. Playing is fun, play on the clarinet that makes you happy.
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Author: leif karlsson
Date: 2005-02-25 02:37
Someone mentioned using a Vandoren B45 dot M.P. on the c clarinet to help with the tuning. I bought one and it's great. Tuning is excellent around the break and the rest of the range. It opened up the sound a lot.
I recently bought an Amati c clarinet and for the money it's great.It's a good looking horn with silver keys etc.
I use a la voz med. hard with the M.P.
The whole combination is great.
I play in a large church orch. and I'm the principal oboe player as we have never had an oboe player. Our conductor really likes it. T
john w wrote:
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Speaking of not reading question's its quite interesting as most of the time that what makes peaple fail in exams in my school.For example they cloud say 5 questions each wloud point somewhere on a world map and ask what's this country then as the last question they ask for continent and many peaple reads too fast and ansers the country
john w wrote:
-------------------------------
Speaking of not reading question's its quite interesting as most of the time that what makes peaple fail in exams in my school.For example they cloud say 5 questions each wloud point somewhere on a world map and ask what's this country then as the last question they ask for continent and many peaple reads too fast and ansers the country
john w wrote:
-------------------------------
Speaking of not reading question's its quite interesting as most of the time that what makes peaple fail in exams in my school.For example they cloud say 5 questions each wloud point somewhere on a world map and ask what's this country then as the last question they ask for continent and many peaple reads too fast and ansers the country
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Author: djodavies
Date: 2024-06-09 15:54
I bought a little cheap c clarinet from amazon. it does have tuning probs but after some practice i got used to it and was able to adjust. it reminds me of playing an e flat clarinet. the middle and upper registers are crystal clear and fun to play.
i got it for the same reasons you mention. if your church uses hymnals at all, they usually have a version for the various instruments.
i know this is a decades later in response but here it is nonetheless!
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Author: David Eichler
Date: 2024-06-21 05:03
Unless you want the sound of a C clarinet, I would suggest learning to sight transpose, learn the pieces by heart, or write out the transposed parts yourself, all of which are useful skills to have. If you really want the sound of a C clarinet and can afford a high-quality instrument that has the sound you want, then I would go for it, but I would do it for the sound, not for some convenience factor.
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Author: davidjsc
Date: 2024-10-07 10:54
I have two C clarinets - one is a Boehm made by John Packer and the other is an Albert made by Gewa (Roy Benson).
I got both because they crossed my path, were really affordable, and I wanted to use them with the Euro ethnic folk music I play, which is usually written in C (violin / piano/ accordion, etc). I also used to play oboe as my primary instrument and so now can use all my old oboe sheet music with them.
As some above have mentioned, they do have a much brighter sound than the b-flat - which is another reason I like using them with ethnic music, as they give a nice pastoral sound especially with 'alpine' stuff from Switzerland or Balkan/Latvian music I tend to play.
DSC
~~ Alto Clarinet; Bass Clarinet; B-flat and C Boehm Clarinets; Albert C Clarinet; Oboe ~~
Post Edited (2024-10-07 10:57)
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