Arranging/Notating Questions?

Hey.

I am writing a piece involving 2 clarinets. Throughout the start there is a low clarinet and a high clarinet playing together, which is fine. Then there is a bit where there is a low clarinet phrase, then a little bit after that a high clarinet phrase.

I'm wondering what is the more standard way to arrange this? I was thinking it would be nice to give the high part to one and the low part to the other. Or is it more standard to have a primary clarinet which plays all of the solo clarinet parts and then an extra one only for when both are playing together?

Cheers.

Poulenc has written a very nice sonata for two clarinets (in Bb and in A) which you could look at (I think I've posted a link to it in the Monthly Competition forums).

Also, you specify "high" and "low" clarinets, but actually there are very specific kinds of clarinets. There's the Bb Clarinet (most common), and then the A (a bit lower than the Bb), the Eb (a bit higher than the Bb), and there is also the amazing Bass Clarinet (an octave below Bb). So, for which ones are you writing your piece?

I was just gonna use Bb clarinets, but now you've mentioned that it might be worth having a Bb and an Eb, or maybe an A instead of the Bb. I'll have to have a look when I've finished the piece.

Cheers.

How can you write a piece without knowing the instrumentation first if it's for such a small orchestration? :|

Well, the difference between the clarinets isn't that huge so you can't still make a change when you're finished. Of course, the Bass clarinet is something entirely different, and the Eb clarinet sounds shriller, but most people wouldn't even notice if a piece for A-clarinet was played on a Bb-clarinet, or the other way round. I've also had to change a clarinet part for Eb clarinet to Bb clarinet shortly before the performance because I was told only then that there wasn't an Eb clarinet. It wasn't quite the sound I had imagined (partly also because I had to transpose some things an octave down), but it still worked well enough. Clarinetists will be able to play both A and Bb clarinet, and most of them also can play Eb and Bass clarinet without problem (even though there are also often specialised Bass clarinet players). (I suppose the main reason for deciding between A and Bb clarinet in tonal pieces is the key of your piece anyways. A-clarinet for pieces with many sharps, Bb clarinet otherwise. But of course there's also a difference in sound. I'm not sure if I could easily tell them apart from the sound though.)

Oh, and let's not forget the basset horn in the clarinet family!

How can you write a piece without knowing the instrumentation first if it's for such a small orchestration? :|

It's not just for clarinets, so far there is also a flute, an oboe, a bassoon, a piano, and some strings... oh... and a triangle :P

I'm just typing it up on Reason, after realizing the music on my keyboard. Reason doesn't have samples for all these different clarinets, so I just wrote the music for "clarinet". Once the piece is finished it would still be possible to change to different types of clarinets, if I felt their sound was more appropriate.

Gardener: Do you know of a website or any specific pieces of music where I could hear the differences in these clarinets clearly?

Thanks.

Gardener: Do you know of a website or any specific pieces of music where I could hear the differences in these clarinets clearly?.

Actually it's OK, YouTube seems to be my man ;)