OK, i`m just curious, what do you clarinet players think is the most technically difficult peice you have played in band &who wrote it(composer) this year, i think shostakovich`s 5th symphony finale and percy grainger`s molly on the shore were pretty hard, but that`s just me...i play the 1st part too.

Flight of the bumble bee ( it took me about 4 weeks learning that song alone to play)

yeah, i havent attempted to play that yet. i`ve looked through it...probably my summer project. I forgot about that while putting this up tho.

I played a piece by Adam Gorb recently called `Awayday` which is CRAZILY fast (minim=144). That was pretty tough and apparently, the transcription of Holst`s The Planets for band is really difficult too cause the clarinet lines are all string parts!

We played Universal Judgement and there is this really hard solo for the 1st chair clarinet. Unfortunately that happened to be me Everything turned out ok though.

Well, I`d have to disagree with Flight of the Bumblebee, that`s easy. It`s just a bunch of chromatic scales! I think Planets- Mars is very difficult. I`m not sure who wrote it though.

Hey guys!!!!!!
In our band we have played Universal Judgement also. I agree that it is a difficult piece,but it is fun to play.

If you think orchestral- wind ensemble transcriptions are hard, how about Piano concerto- wind ensemble.....

Rhapsody in Blue for wind ensemble is the hardest piece I`ve come across- all the piano solos and little cadenzas are written out for clarinet primarily, oboe, bassoon and alto sax.

Bradley

A piece I played once in concert band - "Lord of the Rings Suite", by Johann de Meij.

I think the third part of the clarinet concerto by Mozart is the most difficult thing I have stumbled across. Not because it`s hard to play but it`s hard to make the sound come out as if it was the easiest thing you have ever played, sounding playful. I guess that`s also some sort of technic?

This year we played "Molly On The Shore" by Grainger also. It was a difficult piece because of the tempo. But, it was also fun!

NOOOOOOo I can`t believe you guys consider Mozart`s clarinet Concerto to be so difficult. That is one of the easiest pieces I`ve ever played! I mean, you just have to work on it. And when it all comes down to which piece is harder or more technical, it depends on who`s playing it, how old they are, and how much experiance they`ve had with the clarinet.

Mozart is very difficult to play. The notes and rhythms may not be that challenging, but presenting an ORIGINAL interpretation of the piece while maintaining the integrety of what Mozart wrote is very difficult.

No. I still do not think Mozart is difficult at all. Compared to many other pieces with elaborate fingerings, Mozart is one of the easiest pieces I`ve ever played. It only takes a little practice to get it down. Even playing it "originated" is easy. You just put yourself in the music. I imagine myself walking, or something to help me with the romantic string of music. If I want to audience to feel my passion, I put romantic feelings into it. It`s truly not that difficult.

the lord of the rings by meij is pretty hard.
also, try looking at fantaisie-caprice, by charles lefebvre. the last section is very fast and difficult technically, and the overall piece is also very very challenging, though not necessarily technically.