Introduction to an amazing music instrument

Hello !

Looking for inspiration for an article to write on the blog, I explored many themes, and thought about ideas like "how to keep cool and reduce stress", or "pollution in our city is extremely nocive"... But well, after three articles about climate, you might want to read on another topic. And let's be honest, my article about stress would have been one the least original in the whole blog, given that you can find thousands on the Internet : "make yourself a little tisane, it helps relax and improves the quality of your sleep", seriously ?

So I just spent the whole week-end contemplating my lack of inspiration. Had I not the intelligence of practicing music for 30 minutes on Sunday evening, this article would not exist. 

Because yes, this article will be about music, and more precisely about the wonderful instrument I have been playing for now 11 years (yes, you heard right, I am a professional (irony)) also known as the clarinet.

Let me tell you about the clarinet. It might be a little bit technical sometimes, but I am sure you will be able to understand.

ONE THING TO REMEMBER BEFORE GETTING FURTHER :

THIS is a clarinet (a Bb clarinet)

Don't you dare make the irreparable mistake of telling a clarinetist they play the oboe. This insult might not be ever forgiven. To be politically correct, the oboe is an interesting instrument that requires a lot of practice to sound good, but it shall never be associated with the purity of the clarinet, and this is another subject.

THIS SPITEFUL WEAPON  IS NOT A
CLARINET : THIS IS AN OBOE

So, the clarinet is a wind instrument, which means that you play it by blowing in it, like the trumpet, for example. But contrary to the trumpet, to produce a sound (or at least a hearable and pleasant one) the clarinet needs a reed, tied to the mouthpiece.

The mouthpiece with a reed tied on by a ligature
(this is a massive difference with the oboe)

To change tone, you just need to press the keys with your hands. It is one of the wind instruments that have the broader range, for we can play almost 4 octaves on it. It produces this very round sound, that I find beautiful, when well played.

The nowadays standard clarinet is shown above, and is called the Bb clarinet, because for some matter of height and sound of the clarinet, if you play an C note on a clarinet, it will sound like a B flat on a piano. So within an orchestra, the music sheets for clarinet Bb don't have the same key signatures as the ones of the rest of the orchestra. But fortunately, there is not only one clarinet, but a whole family ! Even more fun ! Indeed, there are in total 13 types of clarinet. They all function with the same principles of mechanism, and the sound they produce tend to have a similar timbre, but the range changes : some are treble, some are very, very low. And some are in Ab, some are in Eb, some are in C (yes it's crazy), etc.

To give you an idea of all the clarinets that exist

A very famous one is the classic bass Bb clarinet that has a great sound.

The bass Bb clarinet
(have you ever heard about bass oboe ?
Of course not, it doesn't exist)

What I really like about clarinet is that you can play lots, and lots, and lots of different music genres. I mostly play classical music, because I am in the Conservatoire, but this instrument is used a lot in klezmer music, issued from the cultures of the region of Balkans. Also, jazz uses clarinet a lot, and you can even do techno music with it !


Here are many different artists and pieces that I advise you to listen to.
• Starting with classical music, the most famous piece for clarinet is definitely Mozart's concerto for clarinet in A Major K622. Here you can listen to the second movement, the adagio.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdtoIUqZuC8

• Let's go towards a very different atmosphere : two jazz pieces for clarinet
Duet, by Jimmy Hamilton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_h4yv7pbhW0

Stealin Apples, Benny Goodman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mloNLKV4F0

• Now, let me introduce to you the great David Krakauer, who plays klezmer music mixed with plenty of other influences (jazz, pop, electro, pop, techno).
Elijah Walks In, David Krakauer and Marc Ribot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef3vH_ffAN0

Daidalos, David Krakauer and the Anakronic Electro Orchestra (really good techno music)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvLRj8ahpFs&list=OLAK5uy_kuNnIOBlmW2qwNuCs7dcBtywMGrS3PwjY&index=3

 • Another very good artist is Martin Fröst. He is Swedish and plays klezmer and classical music. My favorite piece by him is Klezmer Dance, written by Goran Fröst (his brother)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul6IA53vo_8

• My favorite clarinetist is Yom. He is French (I went to one of his concerts), and... well he explores the spectrum of alternative music, going from rock to klezmer, with techno in between. It might sound weird, but it is great.
Le silence de l'Exode, Yom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22DgqNtWuxs

The Wonder Rabbis, Yom and The Wonder Rabbis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0Mwrl48DfY&list=PLA3996D390B6CC269&index=4
Once Upon A Time, Yom and The Wonder Rabbis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQvqsTyhfrg&index=5&list=PLA3996D390B6CC269
The whole album Yom and The Wonder Rabbis is absolutely great, you should listen to it.

• In the case you were not convinced by all these weird music, here is something easy and pleasant to listen to : the Gitarinet Duo. A guitarist and a clarinetist, covering famous songs. It truly sounds great.
Take Five, written by Dave Brubeck, interpreted by the Guitarinet Duo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgzhErwJcns

The link to there Youtube Channel :
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8V2xeeACebHoQSLonRWRCg/videos

And I will stop here, otherwise the list could go on and on and on...

Here we come to the end of this brillant, excellent article on clarinet. I truly hope that you will want to discover more about my favorite instrument, and that you will have liked some of the music I suggested. Tell me the ones you liked, and the ones you didn't like. If you have any technical (or else) questions concerning clarinet, please leave them in comments, and I am almost sure I will be able to answer ! If you have any music suggestions, feel free to tell me !

Bye,
Jabrielle <3

PS : If some of you are interested in learning how to play the biniou as well, just let me know, I might be able to get some contacts, and we might even have the opportunity to get lessons ! ;)