I always wondered of high school or college students ever played any of these instrutments. The high school I was in had only one bass clarinet and I was the only one playing it after it was colleting dust for over a decade. My college didn`t even have any bass clarinets. The only school I can think of having these instrutments is maybe a school for performing arts. I would like to hear your experiences.

My high school has some contrabass sometimes, but that is it. Most songs don`t come with alto parts, unless you are playing like a quintet or something then they can show up, but usually the parts are played by another intstrument in the band.

Wow, you`re pretty lucky, Ringo. I always wanted to try the contrabass. But maybe I`ll wait until I improve on the soprano clarinet. I know if I went to my old high school now, that bass clarinet would probably be collecting dust again... I remember some of the music didn`t even have a bass clarinet part, I had to use the tenor sax sheet music.

My high school has Alto Clarinets and my old middle school barrows some since they just recruited a lot more students. More often now they are starting students on the Alto clarinet instead of the Bb clarinet around here.

that`s kinda sad. My school has 4 bass clarinets 3 alto clarinets, one contrabass(that is usually used by the highschool) and 2 or 3 contra alto`s. But sadly they ownly have 3 ppl playing the bass, Me being one of them and I`m the only one who plays the alto and I`m also the only one who plays the contralto. I also play bassoon and soprano clarinet so we never have all those cool clarinets being played at once.

^wow.. lucky. my band has probably only around 20 soprano clarinets, and only half of them work i bet, and 2 bass clarinets. i think. and 2 bassoons, only 1 of which works, and that one is the one i play, along with the clarinet.

I never knew this site existed! Usually I stay on our southern Indiana site (simplyinstrumental.com) and didn`t eve realize what was out there!

Anyway, from personal experience: our high school band has one alto clarinet, about 15 soprano clarinets, 3 bass clarinets, and two contra altos.
I play bass, but recently, I`ve been wanting to experiment with contrabass, but I don`t have anywhere to get one without paying mucho dinero !

I play the alto clarinet and just got back from a competition

I am the only alto player in our band..we have three bass clarinets as well and probably 15 or so soprano clarinets.

Yeah, altos do tend to have to play off someone else`s parts (bari sax part anyone ) but more contemporary music is beginning to use the alto again (just had a fun time with Pirates of the Carribean for kicks and giggles in band)

No contrabass though at our school--it has broken and the weather made it difficult to maintain the larger clarinets without problems, especially during the winter.

Pirates of the Carribean on alto clarinet? I would love to hear that Have you tried using the alto sax parts as well?

Pirates of the Carribean is very nice...so is The Lion King (the full band arrangements)..along with the traditional Rhosymedre (if I can spell)

Yes, I`ve played on the alto saxophone part, usually for pep band or that sort of thing. Our band actually has a rather large saxophone section (about 13 kids or so), so they don`t need any needed help from me

i am playing the alto clarinet for a song in band. i am having trouble play the higher register. does anyone know how the play anything above an F on the alto clainet?

WOW

my high school has like 30-40+ soprano players

we got like 20-30 bs clar....we got really old ones(Pieces of crap)(plastic vitos), marching ones(artleys)(not plastic but definetley not wood), and concert ones(selmers)....but we only got like 6 players

yall might be thinking im exagerating but im not.....plus the vitos count for like 10 of the 30......and the artleys we just got last season...so yeah.....

.....and we got a contra-alto...which i`ve played before(really cool) and a contra-bass(im not sure about it havent actually seen it but i know we have one)

oh yeah we got like 2 alto clarinets

but then again i go to a pretty BIG school....maybe yall have heard of my school

WESTFIELD HIGH SCHOOL

so this is how it goes in most of the music.......there are clarinet parts(of course), a bass clarinet part(I actually played a song last year called Mock Moriss that had two parts....very rare).....and then most of the time theres no contra-alto part,alto clarinet, or contra-bass part....but the one thats most common of the three would be between the contra-alto and the contra-bass

anymore questions or anything like that ....ask them in this forum....

PEACE OUT

OH yeah about going above the f on alto -clar

which f are u talking about the one on the 5th line(top line) of staff...because if you cant play past that your either a horrible player(just kidding) or something wrong with the horn......my freind played alto and she had so many repair issues with it ....like there was one screw that stuck out very far..and so when she tightened it..the horn wouldnt play high........so you might want to get the horn checked

one more thing.....im jo jo the monkey.....but i was gonna say if yall are interested in the contra-alto read my forum in this section intitled

contrabass AKA the contra-alto

yes i know thats incorrect but thats the title

i played contra alto for a clarinet choir for solo & ensemble here in Indiana, and it was soooooo much fun. i`m the 1st chair sop. clar. at my school (Floyd Central), smaller school, but that`s okay.
we`ve got like 15 Bb players and 3 bass players total, the school has like 6 Bb`s that have parts missing, etc... we`ve also got 1 contra bass, 1 contra alto and 3 alto`s, of which only 1 works good enough to play, and i think 4 basses that have so many problems. we just need new horns.