[Dixielandjazz] Clarinet/Saxophone doubling

[Mark Bauer]

Paul, you diagnosed the problem correctly. He doesn't want to, or can't get
motivated to practice the clarinet. He is a good soprano player and he only
plays clarinet when he absolutely has to(tunes like West End Blues and
Clarinet Marmalade)though he does struggle with technique on clarinet, he
would be pretty good with practice. How do you motivate an unmotivated reed
player? UUUGH! I look at it like this: As a trombone player, whenever I have
to play orchestral music I have to play a larger bore trombone. Why? Because
the larger broad sound is what Orchestra listeners and directors expect.
That's what fits the style. My small bore king wouldn't cut the mustard in
orchestral music. To bright and not enough weight to the tone. Anyway, to
me, it's the same with clarinet in trad jazz. There are just many times that
it is needed.





-----Original Message-----
From: dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com
[mailto:dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com]On Behalf Of Edgerton,
Paul A
Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2004 12:27 PM
To: 'dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com'
Subject: RE: [Dixielandjazz] Clarinet/Saxophone doubling


Mark, you've raised several interesting questions, and I'm sure you'll
receive a variety of answers both in favor of and against the saxophone.

Reed players are expected to have mastered a whole arsenal of instruments,
and many of them have. That said, there certainly are big-name musicians who
have chosen to focus on one instrument. Sidney Bechet played both, but later
in his life stuck with the fish horn. If your reed man plans to be a doubler
-- particularly if the saxophone is his main instrument -- then he'd better
dig in and whip that clarinet into shape. They are different instruments and
should be treated as such.

How much clarinet should he play? Section V-12 of the Uniform Code of Jazz
Justice specifies that 47.6 percent of all tunes must be played on the
clarinet on a per-note basis, with extra credit given to players of the
Albert System. For myself, I'd rather hear a saxophone played well than a
clarinet played badly. Just the same, there seems to be a correlation
between the difficulty of the instrument and the quality of music produced
on it. (Any violin players care to say "Amen?")

In the early part of your playing career, you should be concerned with
"learning the tradition." Part of that involves learning the roles of the
different instruments within the ensemble, and for several different styles.
The clarinet and saxophone are similar, but not interchangeable. As you
noted, each gives the ensemble a distinctive sound.

Put into plainer language, use whatever instrument sounds best on that tune.
Or else run what ya brung. (Reed players just love having extra cases to
carry around.)

-- Paul Edgerton
Who remembers when there really WAS a doubling law.



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