variations for clarinet

Michael is correct, whenever you write multiphonics you must give the fingerings. The average clarinetist (no, even the professional clarinetist) will not be aware of any as clarinet instruction does not generally cover non-standard technique. (that's for those crazy flutists... )

Thanks for the reminder. I purposely withheld the fingerings for two reasons -

a) I am having the clarinet player who worked with me to check the fingerings for their clarity and correctness. Mike (or flint) if you are interested in checking them, pm me.

b) I'd like to post a public version accrediting the fingerings to this clarinet player as he has been generous with his time. Plus as a pianist/organist, I have only a very basic understanding of the fingerings (with the help of loads of illustration and diagrams, sheesh, I don't know how you clarinet players can remember all the levers to press and holes to leave, open, closed or half open while producing a beautiful tone! As Chopin said, pianists (and keyboardist) are very luckythat thy don't have to worry too much about intonation)

Except when the piano tuner isn't in town. (Or inebriated.)

Originally Posted by Justin Tokke

Except when the piano tuner isn't in town. (Or inebriated.)

Or if he just completely sucks. I've experienced it

yes, those unwilling forays into microtonal tunings

Ives "Three Quarter-Tone Piece" = YES.

Originally Posted by Michael A. Garman

Hi I'm a clarinetist... Personally I wouldn't start playing at all without multi-phonic fingerings... so I think you had better take all of the initiative in that department.

No, I have to disagree here. The performer's job is to work out how it would best be performed, not the composer's. Now, the composer can certainly speak with a performer about what fingering they might recommend, but their are some expectations performers should be aware of. One of them is doing your job as an artist and doing your best to meet what the composer is attempting to do. The composer is responsible for giving you all that you need to make an informed decision. That's it.

Fingerings? I lol'd...

I mean, after all, you're the one on stage, not the composer. You're the one being judged by the audience. The composer has the upper hand here. All they need to say is that it was performed poorly and that they'll use a better performer in the future. There. Problem solved for the composer. And while I would NEVER do this to any performer I work with, I know many who have said such things with little regard for the performer's efforts. Truth be told, it's a 50/50 sort of collaboration, which is why it's good that CO is working with his performer on it. In the future, you can recommend fingerings for these things, but as extended techniques continue developing, I wouldn't recommend holding it down to one established fingering. It may sound good with one performer and really shitty with another... and multiphonics are hardly "standardized" in a way that there is such a thing as an "acceptable" and "unacceptable" way to perform them.

More comments about the work on the way...

EDIT: Ok, so I'm not aware if Finale converts .sib files, but I don't have sibelius so I can't exactly listen to the score on my computer. Not that it really matters, I get the ideas and hear what you're doing in my head as it is... I see how you're jumping back and forth between variations, which is kind of cool but has been done before. Make sure there's a reason for doing it, and you might just compose the whole set of variations before you decide where to put them. Is the piece complete? You have a last page of nothing but rests, so unless this is unfinished, you might want to get rid of that.

Content-wise, I think the multiphonics at the beginning are a little heavy a bit too early. I would maybe do as you suggested for my work and create some antiphonal moments for this. There's no need to have the whole first variation in multiphonics without using that level of depth to create conversations among these ghosts. I think what might REALLY be cool is to have that variation develop throughout the whole work, as a sort of conversational commentary on the other variations. Write more variations, and use the first variation as a sort of "peanut gallery" if you will to express your own opinion of each variation. That will really make this piece take off for you, I think. It's what I'd do if I was working with this content..

Regardless, your first variation, by far, is your most interesting. Work with it more and integrate it into more of the work. I think you'll find the amount of content you have there could sustain the whole set of variations. I would definitely try to mix it up more with the multiphonics. My personal taste for them is similar to that of using spices in cooking... only use just enough of it to flavor your dish to perfection because anymore than that will ruin it. Use multiphonics intelligently and your piece will have substance. Use them just to use them and they'll ruin your piece... they are, after all, the measure of your consonance and dissonance in the work that you can use to give more meaning to specific areas in the music. Not everyone will agree that music is experienced in "events", but psychologically, it is the case that we hear music in events even when we try not to. You can use that to your advantage in this piece or you can compose it all out and run with it.

Good work. I look forward to hearing it when it's finished (because you aren't really done with it yet, and you know it). Maybe this will help you get out of your funk and continue working on the piece to get it finished.

thanks antitonality. My experience has been that you can provide fingerings from working with a clarinet player but another may struggle and suggest more alterations. My attitude is to do my job to make it as easy as possible for the performer to communicate the musical directions I give and make his or her own as well as the audiences -- nothing I write is mine eventually it will return to silence, the eternal rest of all music.

I cannot wait to hear your comments on the piece.