Preparing Technical Orchestral E-flat Clarinet Parts
This month's post is inspired by my freelance performing over the past year or so. I spend most of my time teaching, and play in an orchestra about once a month during the regular concert season. Most of the time, this doesn't include E-flat clarinet. However, I have been called several times now as an emergency E-flat clarinetist on pieces like Roman Festivals, On the Town, and Shostakovich 10 - sometimes with only two days before the first rehearsal!
The plan for November was to talk about playing traditional band music... until I was called to play Shostakovich Symphony 10. If you've seen the woodwind parts for this pieces, you know the challenges: fast parts, awkward fingerings, lots of altissimo, lots of unison, and patterns that aren't really patterns (thanks for the enharmonics, Shostakovich...).
Since I had to basically drop some of my projects for a couple weeks, this month I'm sharing my process of preparing not only to play with a section I've never heard before, but play an extremely challenging part on E-flat clarinet.
My first and most important point: I could never have taken any of these gigs if I wasn't already consistently playing E-flat clarinet! If you want to gig on an auxiliary clarinet, practice it like you could be called to audition or perform at any time - it pays off when you actually get called.
Personal Practice
1. Have ALL THE REEDS.
When you're subbing with a group for the first time, you don't know what is feels like to play in the rehearsal and performance venues. If you break in a lot of reeds, you have options. Number the reeds, and try playing them in different spaces if possible. Know how it feels to play different passages of the piece(s) on different reeds.
2. Know the part.
If you don't know what the piece sounds like, the first rehearsal won't be a good experience. Who plays when you have rests? When are you part of the clarinet section? When are you unison with the piccolo? Do you have solos or duos with anyone? Do you switch clarinets frequently?
3. Know when you have breaks.
Related to knowing the piece - as you listen to a recording, keep track of when you can turn pages, swab your instrument, etc...
4. Know when to breathe.
Do you need to stagger breathe with the other clarinetists? Are there standard places to breathe at the ends of phrases during your solo with the piccolo? Is there a place to breathe out and take in fresh air during all the technical passages?
5. When do you need to be in tune, and when do you need to play all the notes?
In all honesty, these two things may not be 100% possible at the same time. Obviously you should do your best to achieve both! Sometimes the continuity of the line (in fast passages) will be more important than tuning a single sixteenth note. Other times, you need to deal with possibly awkward and challenging fingerings because intonation is essential. Save your energy for these spots!
Also: ALWAYS practice intonation with a drone. The needle on the tuner won't help you in a full orchestra. Learning to hear intervals will.
6. Know how to select fingerings.
Related to tuning vs technique - sometimes you need to use a really strange fingering to be in tune, and sometimes you need to use a cheat/fake fingering to play a technical passage at tempo. For more in-depth discussion on fingering choices, check out a previous post on altissimo and alternate fingerings.
Rehearsal
1. Make friends with the piccolo player (and the other woodwinds too).
This can make rehearsal infinitely more pleasant. If you make it clear that you're willing to work together to make the best possible music, people are less likely to blame any and all intonation issues on you.
2. Have several working reeds out, and rotate when you can.
Fantastic reeds in rehearsal don't do you any good if they're dead by the time of the concert!
3. Remember your stands, and know which ones work best for E-flat clarinet.
This may seem like a weird tip. However... I actually had a problem once where my E-flat was suctioned to my stand (a standard K&M collapsable stand). I fixed that by wrapping part of the stand in masking tape. Added bonus - I could find my stand easily in pits for operas and musicals.
4. Mark all sections with questionable intonation.
Double check your pitch tendencies in the phrase you've marked before next rehearsal, and ask to play with someone before rehearsal starts if its a duet or exposed woodwind section.
Performance
1. Still have ALL THE REEDS.
Or at least all the good ones. Try to keep yourself from switching reeds during the piece if possible though - sometimes switching reeds can be worse than a minor problem that develops over the course of a long piece. If you really need to switch, make sure you do so before a tutti section.
2. Play out.
You've practiced the parts and you know your intonation tendencies. Backing off in order to listen can be intonation death at this point.
3. Swab.
Water can cause all sorts of problems. Take advantage of those sections you marked when you were practicing.
4. Have fun!
Playing a demanding E-flat clarinet part can be an exhilarating experience! Enjoy it, because a lot of the big pieces don't come up too often. If you come prepared, you might convince a few people that they don't hate high clarinets after all...