On 6/12/03 8:18 AM, "Andrew Stiller" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > As a clarinettist and bassoonist I can testify that this is hooey. I > have played professionally on every size of clarinet from Ab piccolo > to contrabass; it takes about 30 minutes to master any one of these > if you play the regular clarinet well, and once you have mastered > them you have the skill for life. Bassoon vs. contrabassoon is a bit > more complex, since the fingering systems differ, but there too an > hour or so of practice will give you a lifelong facility on the > contra. > > Would anyone put up with a sax or recorder player who said "sorry, my > high professional standards require that I play only tenor"? I think > not. > > What this is really about is turf protection. The first desk player > plays only one size not as a musically necessary requirement, but as > a mark of status. I regard this as grotesquely unprofessional--maybe > a cynic would say "grotesquely professional," I don't know. I do know > I wouldn't put up with it. "You won't play anything but timpani? > Fine, the timp. in this piece will be played by one of the general > percussionists. You won't play English horn? Fine, We'll play Haydn's > 22nd without you."
And I don't know about bassoonists, but I would guess that 80% to 90% of clarinetists relish the occasional opportunity to play a juicy bass part. I bet that if you do one contra, one bass, and one Bb, then the Bb player will be at least a little envious of the others. Clarinetists generally love the low register, and secretly wish they could play lower. I've even seen them jump at the opportunity to play bassett horns for Mozart orchestrations (and that's no picnic)! _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mail.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
