The Clarinet Family: 10 Minute Crash Course

[@ScoreCircuit]

YES! I know! We didn't cover the Eb alto clarinet! Sorry we didn't have one on hand! For a direct sound comparison check out the video on Richard's channel: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnjPm3yMpJ1sqtk

[@HenkVeenendaal]

I do miss the Basset Clarinet in A in the line-up. It is used quite often nowadays for the Mozart concerto (Sabine Meyer and many others). And of course the Sub-contrabass clarinet, but that will be hard to find due to its rarity. Great explanation for sure. And expertly played at that.

[@chrisoconnor9521]

Ye forget the basset clarinet too...i.e. the literal instrument Mozart wrote his concerto and quintet for...not to mention the clarinet in D

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

@@HenkVeenendaal I‘ve been concentrating my efforts on performing the Mozart concerto on the instrument that W. A. originally had in mind, the basset horn in G. A basset clarinet in A would be nice to have. As for the subcontrabass clarinet, I believe you’re referring to the Leblanc octocontrabass and octocontralto clarinets. As far as I know, there's one octocontrabass and three octocontraltos in existence, so getting a hold of one would be tricky for anyone. I‘m sorry that you "miss" the presence of this instrument in the video. Do you have one? Have you ever seen one?

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

@@chrisoconnor9521 Well, my sincere apologies for neglecting to acquire these two instruments. At the end of the day, there's always going to be an instrument that one does not yet own.

[@lesliefranklin1870]

The Eb alto clarinet seldom gets respect. 😥

[@JeromePJr]

God this is fascinating. I never knew there were so many clarinets. Thanks for sharing.

[@CanadianRose]

I played the bass clarinet in high school from grade 10 (when my music teacher asked me if I'd like to switch from the b flat to the bass) to OAC (Grade 13 at the time in Canada). I loved playing it, especially since I am 4'7. I am 44 years old, and I have wanted my own bass clarinet since I left high school. After being out of highschool for almost 25 years, my husband got me my very own bass clarinet for Christmas. 🙂❤ I played a little for him, and I managed to remember some of the easier notes. He got me three books (one is of christmas songs) to relearn from. It has been quite a while, and I will be working on relearning and learning some new things too as I did not know EVERY note as it was only 4 years that I played (and I was not in band). So this will be something fun for me to get back into again. 🙂

[@rainbowkeykaraoke]

All the unusual basset horns and you skipped over the very common Eb Alto Clarinet?

[@foo0815]

and even missed it in the "missed" section at the very end... a new level of neglecting

[@ScoreCircuit]

🤣

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

To be fair, @Scorecircuit was at the mercy of the clarinets that I happen to own, so the alto clarinet wasn’t omitted on purpose, just by happenstance. And the "commonness" of instruments depends on where you live. Over here basset horns are more common and alto clarinet parts are played on them. So whilst every concert band in the USA may have an alto clarinet, please understand that the situation may be different elsewhere.

[@briantuma1502]

The alto doesn’t even get respect from clarinetists 😂

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

@@briantuma1502 Unlike the basset horn, the alto clarinet was never really endowed with incredible music and so that doesn't motivate many clarinettists to acquire the instrument. It is however - like any instrument - able to be played well, beautifully, if given the right kind of attention, but the lack of repertoire is still a problem. In Europe, where basset horns are more common than alto clarinets, it's not rare to see the alto clarinet part being played on a basset horn, which is essentially an alto clarinet in F with an extended range.

[@ateneaflorescastillo]

I didn’t know there were so many clarinets! Thank you!

[@walterharley6049]

This was Excellent! Not just for composers but an introduction to many other clarinets that many middle/high school programs don't have at all. This will truly start a new generation of clarinet players and aspiring composers. Congratulations on Outstanding Content!!👏👍😀🎶

[@WendyHaynes-o5n]

Richard - great information and playing! Loved seeing the clarinet d'amore again.

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

❤ Thanks Wendy!

[@IceOfPhoenix88]

I started playing bass clarinet this year and it is so much fun :)

[@AdamTheClarinettt]

Ur lucky you don’t have the contra-clarinets. Setting it up contra clarinets is genuinely pain.

[@sourwinee]

me too! i switched from Bb clarinet to bass clarinet

[@IsaVerdugo11]

I switched last school year for me to bass from Bb when i was in 8th grade and i’m going insane 😭

[@n4nao]

bass clarinet is PEAK!! it's my main (i never actually learned how to play regular clarinet) and im auditioning for 2 wind ensembles on it soon

[@dylanlabon9667]

In high school, Our band always did a clarinet choir for solo and ensemble contests, so I was familiar with most of these. However, the basset horn is a new one for me. What a lovely instrument.

[@colenbacher]

This is awesome!

[@emilev2134]

I really would like a video about the differences between all the G models : clarinet d’amore, cor de basset in G, turkish klarnet in G... What sets them appart from eachother?

[@jarodvmusic]

This is great!!

[@bassclarineric6173]

5:58 no Eb alto clarinet ☹️

[@charlielarkin8369]

I recently got one through my concert band and feeling like I'm playing a cool saxophone whilst still having the fingering and look of a nerdy clarinet makes me indescribably happy

[@Musix4me-Clarinet]

*My Man!* Noice! Me luv clarinet!

[@mirkojorgovic]

Richard Strauss wrote for bassethorn also

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

There’s a comment thread on basset horn in orchestra below.

[@wilhelmorangenbaum]

I love the Schwenk & Seggelke desing for the Clarinet d'Amore own by Richard. I'm infatuated with its sound and I plan to use the instrument in my first Opera and other works. I personally think this design should be made the de facto design for all G clarinets used in the orchestra, similar to how the Cor Anglais design differs from the oboe's (Yeah, I know that G clarinets are practically never used in the orchestra, I'm being hypothetical here).

[@TERIYEITUBREAR]

How can i access Clarinet ,am in Uganda

[@JamesErnst-eq1gt]

The clarinet is also in C in Beethoven’s 5th symphony in the last movement

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

He must‘ve thought they’d brighten things up! 😊

[@Lucius_Chiaraviglio]

According to the liner notes of the Academy of Ancient Music CD I have of Mozart's clarinet concerto (and Wikipedia agrees with the liner notes), he wrote it for a basset-clarinet in A (not mentioned in this video), not a basset horn in G. And Wikipedia also says that basset horns were made in A, G, E, E♭, and D; it says that the first of these is related to the basset clarinet, but not the same, and does not explain the difference, although based on other things in the articles about the respective instruments, I would suppose that the basset horn in A was an older design than the basset clarinet in A. Wikipedia also mentions bass clarinets in C and A, but says that the are very rare, with production of the A instrument being in fits and starts; apparently the weight of the bass clarinet is enough that most bass clarinet players would rather transpose on the fly by a semitone than carry around 2 bass clarinets.

[@ScoreCircuit]

Thanks for the comment. Yes, and no. The very first version was in fact conceived for basset horn in G. You can even see it clearly marked on the score on IMSLP.

[@rloomis3]

@@ScoreCircuit The version I think you're referring to has a different Köchel listing, and so seems to be considered a separate work. The image I found on IMSLP included only the first two pages, but you can see in the last measure or two that it starts to diverge from the K. 622 we know.

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

@@rloomis3 @lucius_chiaraviglio The Köchelverzeichnis numberings were first published in 1862, meaning that the cataloguing of Mozart's works only started after his death (1791). When Mozart began writing the first draft of the concerto, he scored it for a basset horn in G and orchestra (in G major), as is evdient from the manuscript. The basset horn part clearly is the same as the concerto we know today, but since it’s a draft, it’s missing a lot of the detail in the orchestral parts. This draft came to be numbered KV 621b in the Köchelverzeichnis, as the predecessor to KV 622, the completed concerto. It’s the same piece of music, just an earlier version of it. Yes, at the end of the draft there is some divergence but you can also see the change to A major occurring. So whilst the concerto was completed for a basset clarinet in A, Mozart‘s original idea was a concerto for a basset horn in G. The Stamitz Basset Horn Concerto was also originally scored for this instrument and given a version only later for the more common F instrument.

[@Flyguycy]

Isn’t there like an Octobass clarinet?

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

Yes there is, and it’s referred to as an octocontrabass clarinet. Leblanc built one instrument.

[@Flyguycy]

Sweet

[@sandonchevlin1433]

You’re not only missing the Eb alto, but the Turkish clarinet in G.

[@TERIYEITUBREAR]

And can we have branches in uganda

[@THELAITHSHOWWITHLAITHAMIRKHAN]

9:12 I thought my phone was broken

[@BetonBrutContemporary]

0:55 Oren Boneh's Municipal Shuffle!

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

Yes, it was written for me! 😃

[@BetonBrutContemporary]

@ and my one of my favorite clarinet pieces ever! XD

[@Stockymusicfan]

Me 5 favourites: Basset Horn Bass Clarinet Contrabass Clarinet Alto Clarinet Eb Clarinet

[@Jesse-tz2he]

just wanted to know what song you are playing in the demo of each clarinet

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

It’s just a warm-up noodle based on a C major arpeggio and scale. We chose something simple to illustrate the differences in the sound from one instrument to the next.

[@tonyrettig1052]

No D Clarinet? The C Clarinet is uncommon in the USA, but I think it’s used commonly in Europe. Correct me if I am wrong.

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

Well, this video is based on my personal collection of clarinets and so I apologise for not owning a D clarinet. Orchestras here (in Europe) will frequently use C clarinets if called for in the score. This is not because the players are lazy and don't want to sight transpose, but because the C clarinet brightens the sound of the orchestra, especially if there are two or three of them. Whilst relatively rare, the D clarinet is possibly much more of a nice to have. This is where money comes in: most players will have to dig deep to acquire an Eb clarinet, in addition to the standard Bb/A pair, and whatever else they may own. I'd love to have a D clarinet but am waiting for the right time to have one built.

[@tonyrettig1052]

@ Oh man, I didnt know it was your personal collection! I thought it was just Clarinets you use as a Composer/Performer, regardless of where they came from. I wish the “C” Clarinet was more widely accepted here in the US. It does have a different timbre than the Bb Clarinet. A few manufacturers make them, including Buffet and Ridenour. Leblanc used to make them, as well as a D Clarinet.

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

@@tonyrettig1052 The C clarinet shown here is a Noblet Artist, but I‘ve since acquired a Schwenk & Seggelke 1000+ model, which does the job nicely.

[@tonyrettig1052]

@ nice 🙂 It sounds lovely. Leblanc used to make the L1176DS (D Clarinet), L45C (Noblet C Clarinet), and L1189CS (Leblanc Concerto C Clarinet). Selmer Paris also used to make the C1510S, which was a Series 10S Clarinet in C. Granted, I dont think any of these models sold particularly well, but they’re out there, if folks can get their hands on them. I personally would love a C1510S, but finding one is not the easiest task 😅

[@EduardQualls]

@5:50 "The only thing Mozart and Stockhausen had in common." Yep. The contrast being that audiences will pay to hear Mozart's music, but have to be paid to sit through Stockhausen's noise.

[@Elemental029]

Im not going to be... Too specific or anything, maybe what im saying is BS but... I heard that Alto Clarinet in F used to be a thing... And i think F alto and Basset could be 2 completely different clarinets, but i could be wrong, clarinettists, if you see this... Please, please tell how I am wrong

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

Alto clarinets were in fact first made in G and they looked just like higher clarinets. Over time makers experimented with different lengths and so instruments were also made in F. Iwan Müller and Adolphe Sax played a large role in cementing the alto clarinet‘s nominal pitch of Eb and paving the way for its modernisation, and so alto clarinets in F were - if at all - rarely produced in the form that we know today. One might say that the basset horn is an alto clarinet in F with an extended range.

[@brucealanwilson4121]

C saxophone were once common in church music because one can play right out of the hymnal. Is this true for the C clarinet?

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

Not sure, but I play flute, oboe and recorder sonatas with organ on C clarinet at church services. Works nicely.

[@samueldeerwester9228]

Very surprised not to see the Eb alto. It's the best clarinet and you missed it.

[@tonyrettig1052]

No D Clarinet? The C Clarinet is uncommon in the USA, but I think it’s used commonly in Europe. Correct me if I am wrong. I wish Leblanc would remake their Model 340 and 350 Contralto/Contrabass Clarinets, with more modern Basset Keywork.

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

Leblanc (as it is today) is seemingly uninterested in any of their heritage instruments, such as the four models of contralto and contrabass clarinets. Under the banner of Conn Selmer they offer two Selmer contra-clarinets and two Leblanc contra-clarinets so starting production of the earlier models is probably not going to happen.

[@tonyrettig1052]

@ The L7181 and L7182 are officially discontinued. Now, the only Contras available are the Model 40 and 41 by Selmer Paris, assuming you purchase from a Conn-Selmer dealer. The reason I am unsure of, but who knows? Maybe something is in the work?

[@MampiAmatende]

I play Bass clarinet![proud]

[@KALV_1ON]

I was wondering how much money the Bb contrabass clarinet was and the lowest cost I found was 8,000 USD💀 so I guess I'm never going to get one.

[@sunnysleeps.]

BASS CLARINET!!

[@andrewcordle2424]

Yes - I noticed you skipped over my personal favorite clarinet, the Eb alto clarinet. If you didn’t have one available for this video demo WHY DIDN’T YOU AT LEAST MENTION IT???😱😱😱It’s more frequently used than the basset horn😵‍💫

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

Thanks for your comment: there are plenty of other comments referring to the alto clarinet so you might find the answer there. And to be fair, the alto clarinet is frequently used in the wind orchestra however in repertoire outside of the wind orchestra very rarely, and the basset horn more frequently. Where I live, alto clarinet parts in wind orchestra are frequently performed on basset horn.

[@andrewcordle2424]

@ No, my question was that if you didn’t have an alto clarinet available for the video why didn’t you mention it?

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

@@andrewcordle2424It’s mentioned in the pinned comment. There are many other clarinets not mentioned in the video.

[@jacobmiller1110]

People who are saying "Oh WhY NO EB AltO ClARiNEt" LOOK AT HIS PIN PLUS NTM HES SHOWING UNUSUAL ONES TOU MIGHT NOT HAVE HEARD OF OR SEEN BEFORE THE EB ALTO IS THE MOST COMMON(I think). Edit:the Bb clarinet is the most common but still

[@devious8179]

Bro should collaborate with Colin Stetson

[@samuelzackrisson8865]

How did you miss the eb alto clarinet?

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

The video was based on my collection of instruments, and I don’t own an alto clarinet.

[@samuelzackrisson8865]

@@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet ahh that makes sense. i guess i was just surprised since you have so many other more nieché clarinets

[@brainformer2007]

Wow, what a great video of clarinet family! The only thing I didn't get: only basset horn was shown and Alto-Clarinet was not even mentioned ( I have one and it's amazing...

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

@@brainformer2007 There are plenty of videos about the alto clarinet on KZbin. We attempted to show you some other instruments…

[@SubSandwhichStudios]

Clarinets you might not know ❌ Clarinets you might know ✅

[@Mow2012-Shmdiddy]

Bass clarinet is the best one prove me wrong

[@elisuqzatacting]

It appears that people didn’t watch to the end

[@littlemisskimmycat78]

What about the Eb Alto clarinet and the A basset clarinet?

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

You might find the answers you’re looking for among the other comments. Of course we are completely aware that not all clarinets on the planet are represent here.

[@wilhelmorangenbaum]

5:47 and RICHARD STRAUSS!

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

Yes indeed! Richard Strauss loved the basset horn and tried to cement it within the standard orchestral clarinet section.

[@wilhelmorangenbaum]

@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet He practically put it on the map again, as far as orchestral repertoire is concerned.

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

@@wilhelmorangenbaum Totally, and then there was Stockhausen. Anyone in between?

[@wilhelmorangenbaum]

​@@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet I think Franz Schreker wrote for it in two of his operas. English composers like Josef Holbrooke and Havergal Brian also wrote for it.

[@rloomis3]

Doesn't Beethoven's _Creatures of Prometheus_ call for it?

[@rosiefay7283]

4:50 No, Mozart wrote his clarinet concerto not for basset horn in G but for a basset clarinet: a clarinet in A with a downward extension. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basset_clarinet

[@ScoreCircuit]

Thanks for the comment. Yes, and no. The very first version was in fact conceived for basset horn in G. You can even see it clearly marked on the score on IMSLP.

[@Lucius_Chiaraviglio]

@@ScoreCircuit I'm not finding the particular one of the score editions that have it marked, but a whole bunch of versions are on there, and I can't even be sure that the scanned hand-written manuscript I found (which didn't have this marking) is the first one.

[@ScoreCircuit]

Sorry, I should have been clearer. It's here: imslp.org/wiki/Basset_Horn_Concerto%2C_K.584b%2F621b_(Mozart%2C_Wolfgang_Amadeus) We only have the first movement. The rest of the original has been lost.

[@Lucius_Chiaraviglio]

@@ScoreCircuit Okay, thanks.

[@rloomis3]

The reply I just left on another thread probably would have been better placed here... (That's what I get for reading the comments in the order they were posted...)

[@OrchestrationOnline]

I do not care how common the Bb clarinet may be, nor the vernacular of the term "vanilla" - the proper flavour metaphor for any clarinet from Bb and lower is always "chocolate." 🙂🍩

[@lilyblasko2806]

I know every clarinet considering i play Bb

[@lilyblasko2806]

Alto???

[@davidh.4220]

No alto clarinet?

[@kyyzh12]

bruh why no alto clarinet-- more neglect

[@wilhelmorangenbaum]

Richard doesn't own one basically lol

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

@ Yes, this is a fact. But we‘ve covered a lot of other instruments that are just as interesting as the alto clarinet, so I think all the disdain here is slightly overdone.

[@LillyTacoCat14-r9v]

There is to many clarinets 😜

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

@@LillyTacoCat14-r9v I tend to disagree…

[@LillyTacoCat14-r9v]

@@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet hehe 😜

[@moraisgamer8902]

And you just ignore de Alto Clarinet

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

We've mentioned elsewhere in the comments section that an alto clarinet wasn't on hand. To be fair, the basset horn is a kind of alto clarinet in F. The alto clarinet is very common and that there are plenty of videos about it on KZbin.

[@JHouse4]

The ranges you reported for some of these instruments is a bit disingenuous. For the Ab piccolo, getting above normal C will be a challenge for inexperienced players (which is going to be all players in a collegiate setting...), and strong players will be challenged to play up to F, let alone above it. Listing it wholesale as G upwards is unrealistic. The same is true of the contra clarinets - playing above normal C is a challenge, and if any composers are reading - please do not write above C for any contra without first touching base with the exact contra player you are writing for. These instruments lack some critical acoustic venting that allow for altissimo register and only the very best players who specialise in this instrument even attempt to overcome this deficiency, and even fewer achieve acceptable results. While extremely high pitches are relatively easy to produce on the instrument, playing them with intent and control is another matter entirely. Otherwise a pretty good video and demonstrating a larger collection than most folks! I appreciate you acknowledged the lack of G clarinet, though I'm sad at its exclusion giving how common it is (albeit outside the concert tradition)

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

Hi James and thanks for your comment! It wasn't our intent to mislead anyone and so if you'd let me explain my decisions surrounding range here: First up, ScoreCircuit received their information from me. I'm a professional clarinet player. I perform in orchestras, ensembles and as a soloist. I know all of my instruments extremely well, in part due to having gone through high-pressure performance situations on all of them, and in part due to having performed some of the most challenging repertoire there is. This leads to one having to explore the extremes of the instruments and practicing them until they become, well, less extreme. The second thing to mention here is that whilst this video investigates each instrument only briefly, with a view to providing an impression of some of the instruments of the clarinet family, it does not make concessions for amateur players. ScoreCircuit is (among other things) a professional composer and writes for musicians of professional ability. Having studied music in two very different countries, I can safely say that the ranges provided in the video are attainable by a musician of professional ability and with the right tools / fingerings at hand. These tools include knowing how to blow into the instrument in such a way, that high pitches become possible, also in part by making changes to the embouchure. Fingerings at this altitude are of course not the most important thing, but a professional musician will have enough resources on hand, either in the form of prior knowledge (mostly how harmonics work) or physical charts, in order to find these pitches. I would hope that these ranges inspire some players to explore the altissimo register of the instrument, rather than stopping that search when things start to get difficult. The Ab piccolo clarinet's high range is a challenge, yes, but naming a G6 / g''' as an approximate upper limit is in my experience not disingenuous, as you put it. G6 is a strong fingering on all clarinets, as are F# and F6. Anything above about an E6 needs a very fast airstream and this is aided by a slight and controlled puffing of the cheeks. Using this method I can reliably play up to and beyond a G6. As always, it depends on your instrument, mouthpiece, reed, barrel, everything really. If you have a less than ideal setup, or are lacking experience with this instrument, of course you're going to have trouble playing as high as this. In the 1850s Giuseppe Verdi was already writing at least Eb6 for the Ab piccolo clarinet, for an instrument with far fewer keys and probably less stable equipment. If you haven’t already, check out the companion video to this one on my channel, as well as my other videos featuring the Ab piccolo clarinet. Your recommendations in terms of the contra-clarinets is understandable, but again I'm coming from my perspective as a professional player with quite a bit of experience on these instruments. Any composer in their right mind will realise that whilst a clarinet can play very high, virtuosic noodlings within the highest register should only be considered if a) they consult with the player and b) this kind of virtuosity in this register has a very, very good reason. The notion of responsible composing comes into play here. I once performed a contrabass clarinet part in a symphony orchestra: the bulk of it was written within the range C6 to Eb7 (!!). There was no solo or exposed playing to speak of. I spoke at length with the composer and compared the part when played an octave lower on a bass clarinet (so still sounding the same). They preferred the brilliant, possibly also somewhat volatile sound of the contrabass' altissimo. To my mind however, this kind of writing makes sense in a solo or chamber music context, where this brilliance can be perceived. It didn't make sense within the orchestral tutti, and I think most other players would also question this kind of writing. But, once you have the right kind of arsenal of fingerings at your side, a chromatic scale up to and beyond the pitches I've specified is very possible, not easy at first, but with time and experience a piece of cake. Knowing how to blow them (again airstream & embouchure) is absolutely essential. No amount of straining, blowing harder or pinching the reed is going to help: you have to know how to tease them out and sometimes this requires less effort, than one might think. As you haven't mentioned it, I'll assume you didn't take issue but let me remind everyone here: there is a very good reason, why the approximate upper "limit" of each instrument gets progressively higher. The smaller the instrument, the less high (within its transposed range) it can play. The bigger, the higher. Of course the highest pitch of the contrabass clarinet won't be anywhere near the highest pitch of an Ab piccolo clarinet… All of this is inextricably linked to the ability, experience and setup of your player/s, so ask them, talk to them and if they say it's impossible, find some fingering charts and find out together if it really IS impossible. As the video is based on my personal collection of instruments, there had to be some instruments missing: the piccolos in D and G, the regular low G clarinet, the alto clarinet, bass clarinets in C and A, and of course the full gammut of different makes of the contra-clarinets (they're worlds unto themselves) but I suppose we were hoping that people would appreciate the fact that there are *quite a few* instruments shown, and in contrast to the videos where people pick up instruments for the first time and see if they work, being played in cultivated way.

[@JHouse4]

@@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet Thank you for a thorough and well-written response! I would be curious to see the results of a survey of professional players who regularly play these instruments as to what the reasonable upper limits of their ranges are. With the exception of yourself and a very small handful of folks who are extremely invested in championing these instruments at the highest levels and put in extraordinary time, I've not seen much in the ways of professionals being able to reliably play this high with good sound and intonation. Very few seem put in that much effort when it feels like bashing your head against a brick wall. Have you considered releasing fingering charts and making videos talking about high register on contras? (and even piccolo) I know Jason Alder has been planning on doing such for each manufacturer of contra, but it hasn't materialised quite yet, and a variety of approaches would ultimately be a boon for the contra community (if you could call it that). I think players need more encouragement that these things are possible, and guidance on how to achieve it. Even during my own experimentation I wasn't able to reliably bridge the upper clarion to the lower altissimo on a variety of contras, despite really wanting to make it work for several years. I could produce all of the pitches in some way or another, but not in a musically useful manner, they simply fought back too hard.

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

@@JHouse4 Statistics are about as helpful as Sibelius (the notation software) telling us that “this note is unlikely/impossible”: if the repertoire (exisiting and new) doesn’t demand something of us, how will we have a reason to really try and make it work? So rather than making a survey of impossibilities, why not encourage everyone to *seek help outside of social media* in order to overcome these difficulties. If you’re bashing your head against a brick wall, there is going to be someone that may be able to dissolve that wall all together. And just to be clear, this may be another player with experience, or woodwind technician, who can alleviate the mechanical/physical issues with the instrument that are creating said brick wall. To my knowledge Alder has released fingering charts for contrabass altissimo but I’m not sure if there are any instructional videos on how to blow these notes. There are countless fingering charts for high clarinets online as well, bearing in mind for the piccolo clarinets you have to choose wisely as not all altissimo fingerings for, say, Bb clarinet will work. There’s not a great need for a dedicated Ab piccolo chart, to my mind, but again an instructional video might be useful. Your experience with contra is understandable: the break from clarion to altissimo can be tricky but here a well regulated instrument is absolutely essential. If the interplay between the two (automatic) register vents is minimally off, then you’re in for a world of frustration. Sadly, most high school and university instruments I’ve encountered are poorly maintained and badly treated, which is devastating considering these instruments (particularly the Leblanc heritage contras) are all we have left of them. If your experience has been with such instruments then I’d encourage you to get in touch with a player in your area with well-regulated instruments and just try them to get a sense of what is possible.

[@JHouse4]

@@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet I believe it's prudent to caution composers. Maybe in 30 years by some miracle the upper register of contras will be a solved problem, but I highly doubt it. It will remain in the purview of extreme specialists barring even more innovation by makers. Unless that happens, composers should be aware of the ramifications of what they're asking for when writing blindly (not for a specific consulted player) Yeah I agree it's a shame the attitude toward maintaining these instruments. I ended up doing some of my own adjustments and regulations to university instruments because they weren't deemed worth the effort for the department to send them out to techs - never mind that some techs either won't touch them, or won't even do a good job because they lack the patience to work on something unfamiliar, so you can't even rely on your local guy most of the time. A similar attitude helped doom the alto clarinet to relative obscurity. Certainly lack of people with the enthusiasm to keep these instruments in proper adjustment has only hurt most folks perception of them, because school setting is where most are encountered and remembered. I've seen folks suggest to just never write above the break for these instruments, and it's sadly easy to understand how they came to that conclusion.

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

@@JHouse4 I think this all depends on where you are on the planet, and composers need to bear in mind the kinds of players they are writing for, as ever. Over here, instruments are kept in good nick and the instruments repairers are top notch. Players are generally resourceful and will do the hard work in order to make difficult parts performable. I realise this is not the case all over the world, but if one can’t be optimistic/idealistic here, then where? I maintain my stance on high notes: right instrument, right kind of practice, anything’s possible. I don’t think that composers should be cautioned on account of human failings in the area of instrument maintenance.

[@slendrmusic]

4:29 8:36

[@Randomlise]

Who’s here in 2025

[@Iggykoop]

RIP Alto Clarinet. : (

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

The alto clarinet isn’t dead, it’s alive and well. I just haven’t bought one yet!

[@mglittleb1385]

I think it's hilarious that the alto clarinet got skipped even though you guys didn't have one.

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

To be fair, plenty of clarinets got skipped. The video is based on my personal collection of instruments.

[@chrisoconnor9521]

Score Circuit - ''There are more variants of the clarinet than practically any other orchestral instrument.'' Recorder players - ''You have absolutely no idea how ignorant you truly are'' And before anyone says anything, recorders are still used in baroque orchestras...and also look at Ligeti's Violin Concerto so...

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

I think ScoreCircuit's inclusion of the word "practically" indicates the possibility that there might be an instrument with more variants.

[@IAm-yj9kf]

Contrabass clarinet sounds like tractor 🚜

[@michaelshelley1289]

you skipped the Eb Alto Clarinet!!! (my favorite one)

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

There are plenty of videos about the alto clarinet on KZbin. We attempted to show you some other instruments, including the basset horn in F, which is more or less an alto clarinet in F.

[@musicnerd436]

the Eb alto clarinet has yet again been forgotten

[@nukadoko76]

Cause it’s very rare

[@Teladian2]

So you missed D-flat piccolo, Bassett Clarinet (yes different from a basset Horn) E-flat Alto? I mean it's waaaaay more common in band literature than anything else. Aaaargh

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

This video was based on my personal collection of instruments and does not assume coverage of the most common instruments. We are of course aware that there are many other clarinets out there. To be fair, whilst you may feel that the “band” repertoire is the centre of your musical world, this is quite different for many, many other clarinettists, myself included. Thus, the Eb alto clarinet, having very few significant works outside of the wind orchestra, hasn’t been something on my shopping list. That, and there are many videos about the alto clarinet on KZbin, but very few featuring, say, the Ab piccolo clarinet. Btw, I’ve never heard of a Db piccolo clarinet: are you sure you’re not confusing it with the Db piccolo flute?

[@Safesaxjosh]

no bassett clarinet in A

[@RichardElliotHaynes.clarinet]

There are plenty of videos on KZbin about the basset clarinet in A. If you’re eloquently implying that we left out an instrument, then you'll probably notice that we left out others too. If you’re making a comment on the fact that I don’t own a basset clarinet in A, then yes this is true, but my other clarinets, for instance my basset in G get used more often than a basset in A would. Nonetheless, I would like to own a basset joint in A one day.