People, I`m taking music in high school, but Im not sure if I can choose which instrument I want to play. If I could, I`d pick piano, though I`d give the clarinet a second thought. what can you peeps tell me about the clarinet??

The early stages of learning clarinet is absolutely horrible. But once you get past that, it would be pretty fun.

Why is it horrible? When my sister played, she was actually pretty good at it.

Hi there,
Well I`ve only been playing for a couple of months and I don`t think it`s horrible at all !
Like any instrument you have to be well motivated to practice to get the best results.
When I was young (I`m a real oldie now - over 40) I had to learn to play the violin and I hated it ! I played it for 5 years but because I never really wanted to play it - actually wanted to play the flute at that time, I wasn`t any good at it.
I now really want to play the clarinet and I`m enjoying it - ok it`s not all plain sailing of course but I find if I choose the stuff I like then it helps !!
Good luck with whatever you decide - hopefully it`ll be the clarinet and you`ll let us know how you get on.
OK ?
Sue

Of course! I may not even play the clarinet, but if I do, I`ll come back for help

The clarinet is known for its multi dimensional characteristics. When you`re a beginner in the first few weeks or months, you can`t take advantage of these different sides of the instrument since you are really stuck playing in only the chalumeu and throat registers. Also, the instrument is actually quite harder to play than you woould think. It needs plenty of air, and puts a lot of pressure on your right thumb, which is pretty much the only ting that supports the intrument when it is held. After a practice session of maybe 10 minutes, don`t be surprised to feel your teeth aching and see red marks on your thumb. Listen to the concertos of Mozart and Weber to hear the instrument at its best.

Well- in my opinion the clarinet is at its best in Debussy`s Premier Rhapsodie and if you want to hear jazz- Rhapsody in Blue is obviously the first pick.

Debussy`s Premiere Rhapsody is a fantastic written piece and one of the most beautiful musical compositions you`ll ever find. However, I don`t believe this piece offers "the clarinet at its best". It doesn`t really showcase the wonderful capabilities of the instrument to extents such as the Mozart Concerto (with all of its runs, arpeggios, and mood/tone changes).

Ah, Rhapsody in Blue. Whitman`s principle clarinestist deciding to smear the glissando during a frustrating rehearsal was the greatest thing to ever happen to the clarinet since a dying Mozart decided to write a concerto for his close friend and clarinet legend Anton Stadler. But of course, even though the only clarinet solo you`ll hear in the rhapsody is in the first minute (the entire rhapsody is over 15 minutes long), the gliss is the most famous measure in clarinet literature. Other of that, be sure to listen to Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw if you like jazz.

O_O :O

Hi,
I have a fairly wide music taste but I don`t like jazz at all unfortunately although I do like classical music - full orchestral pieces. Don`t like the piano though !!!
Can anyone suggest a classical piece of music for me to listen to which would really show the clarinet at it`s best please ??
Thanks
Sue

Sue, these are large scale, fully orchestrated classical pieces with important clarinet parts in them:
Beethoven`s Sixth Symphony (Movements 1-2)
Beethoven`s Eight Symphony (Movement 3)
Brahms` First Symphony
Brahms` Third Symphony
Mahler`s Symphonies
Mendelssohn`s Midsummer Night`s Dream (Sherzo)
Rimsky-Korsakov`s Capriccio Espagnole

And these pieces feature the clarinet as a soloist with full orchestra accompianment:
Mozart`s Concerto for Clarinet
Weber`s First Concerto for Clarinet
Weber`s Second Concerto for Clarinet
Weber`s Concertino for Clarinet
Weber`s Intro, Theme, and Variations
Nielson`s Concerto for Clarinet
Stamitz`s Concerto for Clarinet
Rossini`s Intro, Theme, and Variations for Clarinet and Orchestra

Thanks very much for all those suggestions !
It must have taken you ages to type them all out - much appreciated !
I`ll be searching now to see which ones I can find.
Thanks again
Sue

Well- I was saying Premiere Rhapsodie because in my opinion , that is a fine example of clarinet at its finest, but I guess i have to agree with you on Mozart`s Concerto if you want to "WOW" a future clarinet player. I also think Aaron Copland`s Clarinet Concerto, and Poulenc`s Sonata for Clarinet and Piano are excellent examples of clarinet at its finest......

Oh, not to mention the Copland concerto was actually commisioned for Benny Goodman. The Poulanc concerto I`m not really familiar with so I can`t really comment.

And Sue, if you really like classical clarinet, you MUST go get yourself a CD of Mozart`s Concerto played by Robert Marcellus with George Szell conducting the Cleveland Orchestra. This 1961 recording is THE most famous recording in the history of the clarinet. I don`t know of a good clarinetist who doesn`t own the CD.

Robert Marcellus was a legendery clarinetist known for his "American" sound who sat principle chair with the Cleveland Orchestra from 1957 to 1977. During that time, the Cleveland Orchestra under the direction of George Szell built one of the top wind sections ever.