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 Posted: Tue May 23, 2006 4:20 pm
What are your thoughts on Instrumental Doubling? Who else doubles?
As a clarinetist to play jazz I have to also play saxophone, which is good because I'm also a saxophonist. It is just about required for any modern big band.
The saxophonist are also best to know how to play flute and clarinet for many arrangements.
I also play piano.
When people say, "Hey, I see you play several instruments, Which one is your favorite?" it kills me. It's like saying to a mother "Hey, I see you have several children, which one is your favorite?"
I like each instrument I play for different reasons and find each special in its own way. I may play one better than others, but it doesn't mean it is my favorite.
What are your thought?
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Posted: Wed May 24, 2006 1:19 am
Honestly I hate it when people say doubling is a "rule" as a jazz flutist they always want you to play sax. I ony play one instrument besides singing and being barely formiddable on piano. I hate when people ask what you like the most too. It's like asking a painter what their favorite artwork is.
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Posted: Wed May 24, 2006 1:41 am
yep, theres not much doubling for a trombone player, but a valve trombone player like me... theres still isnt much doubling, i wish i could play sax n the highschool jazz band, cuz i could double on clarinet, and get by (and nothing past that), but yeah, the valve trombone that im using is a pretyy good horn if you dont get stuck on fourth or third parts, cuz its dead in the lower register.....tears..... i want to learn how to play with the slide, but i dont know... i think i have a learning block ontrombone, it doesnt work like i think it should...... lol, enough rambling, i think doubling is good in some cases, like if you have the knowlage and the ability, but dont ware yourself out on it, am i making sense, like, dont lose your chops on trying to double too hard, thats better.
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Posted: Wed May 24, 2006 1:44 am
t0paz Honestly I hate it when people say doubling is a "rule" as a jazz flutist they always want you to play sax. I ony play one instrument besides singing and being barely formiddable on piano. I hate when people ask what you like the most too. It's like asking a painter what their favorite artwork is. I have to constantly double when I record with one of my two bands. Besides being a trumpet player I'm also expected to play several other brass instruments such as the trombone and the flugelhorn. I also play the guitar and in turn people ask me to play various guitars. I also hate it when you are asked what your favorite instrument is. It's awful...... Sorry, I can't think of an intelligent analogy for "What's your favorite...." sweatdrop
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Fashionable Conversationalist
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Posted: Wed May 24, 2006 4:23 pm
Unfortunately you cant just be a flute player or clarinet player if your in a standard bigband setting. Teh bands you see at Essentially Ellington have clarinet doublers but for the most part they're saxophonists. Normal bigband charts are usually written for saxes trombones, trumpets and a rythmn section.
Of course most of you know this already.
From my experiences in doubling in a bigband chart the alto players will double in clarinet and the tenors will double on flute.
An awsome local band here in Seattle called The Jazz Police has incredible doublers. The Bari sax player doubles on bass clarinet and basoon 0.O. The lead alto player doubles on clarinet, flute and oboe. And the tenors usually double on clarinet and flute respectively.
As a saxophonist i'll play whatever is needed for a gig but Tenor will always be my primary horn. I may double on clarinet and flute and whatever else a band will want me to but i always stick to the Tenor sax.
I actually started on clarinet and played bass clarinet through middle school. I discovered sax in sixth grade and didnt stick to it till my sophomore year of highschool.
Doublers are awsome! Ever listen to Bob Mintzer play bass clarinet or clarinet? Holy cow that was an amazing recording!
It just gives more variety to a song and it's a chance to show a musician is versatile.
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Posted: Thu May 25, 2006 9:07 pm
I took to doubling originally just because my school or someone else needed somebody to play X, and no one else seemed to want X, so I volunteered.
My old sax teacher was huge on doubling. He kept stressing to me about how, if I'm a good musician, my 'voice' is coming from myself, not my instrument. That means you should be able to be just as good at any instrument. That kinda makes sense. I can't think of any exceptions, except for some physical or anatomical problems. Then again, I heard that Django Reinhardt couldn't use two of his fingers throughout most of his career.
When I was playing in my school's pit orchestra, I was reading from a book that had alto sax, flute, and clarinet parts. I had to learn clarinet just to get that part. I remember asking my sax teacher for help with it, and he mentioned how he was actually playing in the pit for his local high school. I asked him what he was playing.
He said:
Alto sax
Tenor sax
Piccolo
Flute
Alto flute
Bass flute
Oboe
(It took him awhile to remember the seventh one. I remember him having to start counting them off with his fingers.)
Anyway, I was talking to my friend's piano teacher. She's the top jazz pianist in the county, at least. I asked her if she knew my teacher.
Apparently he made an impression on her, because she has never met anyone who could play ALL the instruments as well as he does.
It took me a little while to get her to clarify what she meant by "all." She didn't really mean "all" but she meant every instrument that they would ever need.
I've also been listening to some James Carter lately. I can't believe how versatile he is. I've heard recordings of him on bass clarinet, and I've heard stories about him recording on contrabass clarinet too. Besides the assorted clarinets he plays, he plays the entire flute family, and nearly the entire sax family.
Yes, nearly the entire sax family.
On the one CD I have of him, he's playing Sopranino, Mezzo-Soprano, Soprano, Tenor, and Bass. Just on that one CD.
He's equally amazing on all of them, but it's clear that he's a tenor player first off.
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Posted: Thu May 25, 2006 10:20 pm
i play percussion
so im playing the ol' drumkit and have a set of vibes beside me as well..
dont know if that really counts xd
but I used to be in the horn section as sax/clarinet
so I know what that's like
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Posted: Thu May 25, 2006 11:45 pm
In my band, because there is no part for clarinets, my teacher switches me into tenor parts (which we are lacking of). Though I have to play everything in a lower octave. I'm actually considering to pick up tenor now.
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Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 4:13 pm
I play Tenor and Clarinet, but my director never picks pieces where I can play clarinet. So, I stick to Tenor, but Clarinet is my concert interment, so it's all good! sweatdrop
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Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 2:34 pm
I picked up clarient and flute in high school for fun, but it really does make practical sense, too. For a serious musician, playing only one instrument is just too limiting. My high school Jazz Band director required everyone in the saxophone section to be able to double on either clarient or flute, since we so often played pieces in which we switched on and off the different woodwinds. If you couldn't, you weren't even allowed to audition.
I also played in the pit orchestra for the school musicals, so I got used to switching among the woodwind family pretty quickly.
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Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 12:05 am
Myself, I started on clarinet, then moved up to bass clarinet for like a month before switching to tenor sax. Sadly, after many years of playing tenor sax, I've forgotten how to play clarinet and I'm reteaching myself all over again sad . But I'd much rather be playing jazz flute instead of clarinet. (If only I could figure out where to position my mouth on that headpiece OMG!)
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Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 4:54 pm
I do like jazz flute more than clarinet.
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Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 8:54 pm
In Jazz Band, my primary was tuba, but I doubled on trombone and bass guitar. Bass guitar was the most "funnest" of them all because I was very free to hippity-hop all over and be active. Tuba was also cool because I had an awesome Latin-style solo and I filled in for the bassist when he was sick the day of a performance. Trombone was the least enjoyable for me because the mouthpiece wasn't to my liking...I was using a n00b 12C and that gave me killer dizziness on high notes. I would have enjoyed a bigger cup mouthpiece...
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Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 6:07 pm
DrkMerchant I play Tenor and Clarinet, but my director never picks pieces where I can play clarinet. So, I stick to Tenor, but Clarinet is my concert interment, so it's all good! sweatdrop qft i know how you feel, man. i play alto sax, piano, and clarinet. when i tried to get into my school jazz band they didn't take clarinets crying , but that's how i picked up alto biggrin . just get a Benny Goodman Book and mess around with it on clarinet, it's fun.
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Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 9:45 pm
So me theory teacher told me to look into Eric Dolphy.
*sheds outer layer of skin.
crying What have I been missing?
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