Clarinets in Community Band

SteelTownGirl

I play in several adult community bands, most play challenging music with very skilled players (ie music majors and current/former band directors) and one is a group of adults who are more into pep tunes and playing at fun local events (ie former high school and college players having fun playing in the adult years), than tackling classical pieces. both types of bands are great for my playing soul and fill needs I have for different types of music and performance experiences.

I am noticing that the pep band director is focusing intonation attention on the clarinet section, ie spending excessive time addressing very minor clarinet tone issues (there are 3-4 of us) and ignoring obvious tuning issues in other sections. It has gotten to the point of ridiculous. It almost dims the spirit of having fun playing in this kind of a band setting.

The flip side of this is that when I play in other bands, who have much more skilled players and play much more challenging pieces, there is not a peep from the director about clarinet intonation, in fact one director tunes to the first chair and will tell brass sections that if they can't hear the clarinets, to play softer so that is possible. This dichotomy of literally being called on the carpet and being nearly ridiculed for intonation issues at practice on one night, and then having high praise for being so in tune the next evening at practice is really a bummer to deal with.

The pep band clarinets have used tuners in warm up and work together on that, but still get this ridiculous attention about being out of tune. The tuners were recommended to the whole band about a year ago, and when we use them, the director tells us not to tune to the tuners, tune to the band, which we understand. Might also be interesting to note that this band director enjoys telling us that he wears ear plugs to "protect his hearing" during practice. "Yes, we have a recipe for disaster.

Any thoughts on politely dealing with a community band director, who has a preference for brass instruments, and how to let them know we sound fine? Other players in other sections are even commenting about the extreme tuning exercises we go through as a clarinet section.
 
Some bands spend more time trying to tune early in a season before concert prep crunch time. But it sounds like this has been going on for a while.

Community band members often do not have much recourse except to stay or leave. If you decide to leave, you might as well tell the director how you feel. He might lighten up or you have to follow through and leave.
 
I have found that most community bands tend to "go sharper" in general as they play.
1. make use that your concert Bb is spot-on
1a. play on your mouthpiece only - you should be able to play/squeek a sustained a high-concert-C on your mouthpiece...if you play your mpc flat, you will have intonation issues......maybe go up a 1/2 reed strength if need be and/or adjust the angle of the mpc or lock-it-in tighter
2. also check your G (on top of the staff) and low G (three leger lines below the staff).
3. If the above three notes are good, use them as your tuning "fence posts".
4. If the pitch floats you can adjust the pitch (lower it) a bit with your embouchure or tongue position - it's easier to lower the pitch.....
5. Keep you tuner on-your-music stand as you play or even better get a clip-on mic similar to this: https://www.amazon.com/Korg-CM300BK...ocphy=9002173&hvtargid=pla-468426724507&psc=1
and attach the mic to your bell. The band can be loud-as-he** and you will still get a reading.
6. Keeping your tuner on-at-all times will give you a visual as sometimes bands play so loud that you can't even hear yourself which makes it tough to stay in the tuning pocket...
...also: when the conductor decides to criticize the clarinets' intonation you can always say: "The brass in-general has gone two/three-cents sharp since the beginning of rehearsal - does that mean that we have to also play sharp?" That might temper the conductor's attitude.

I hope that this helps.
 
What do you think is more important? Holding your ground at A440 or adjusting to the most prominent instrument? Could be the trumpet, flute or another clarinet.
 
In the end, use your ears....and play to the center of the group IMO.
It's good to have A440 as a reference point.
 
Both bands I play in tune to A440 using the oboe as a reference. As has been said, the bands tend to go sharper as they warm up, so both bands retune halfway through the session. Always remember, if you are at exactly 440 and the rest of the band is sharp then you are out of tune.
 
Tony Fairbridge said:
Always remember, if you are at exactly 440 and the rest of the band is sharp then you are out of tune.
Click to expand...
Which is fine, unless there is a piano, or xylophone, or marimba, or other fixed pitch instruments.

Yes the center of pitch can move and following is the better course, except when it isn't. I did Brandenburg V years ago in a very warm (hot and humid) church with a real harpsichord. As the violin soloist I could go high with the flute and go low with the harpsichord. But when all 3 solo instruments played at the same time it was not pretty.

Another time I was playing viola in a pit for King Of Hearts. There is a duet between the viola and male lead that ends with the viola playing an open 5th on the 2 lowest strings. One night the lead managed to drop in pitch a 1/4 tone and dropped right out of the range of the viola. I followed him down and dropped the bottom note.

Yes I have ears and can follow pitch as it migrates, but I am a strong advocate for knowing your instrument's tendencies and doing your best to stay in tune to the note you were tuned to.
 
Conductors are imperfect people. Personally, I'd just make sure that when I play, I always play in pitch. You may have someone on clarinet who plays overall in tune, but it is that one note that's a little off that catches the attention on an important passage.

as @Mojo alluded to, you do have an option to voice your opinion, but if not careful how you do it, or, say conductor has a prima donna attitude and is touchy, may leave only option to quit the band.
 
My C1 is flat even with a 64 mm barrel.
I use C2 to tune because it plays well in tune. Not much else I can do.

It may not matter in any event, as I'll be playing my Bass Clarinet in a new Community Band
I dropped it off at the repair tech today - needs some tweeking, possibly some twerking :)

I'm going to try Mike M's suggestions.
 
Yes, have to agree with Mike M on absence of those experienced in playing in tune in each section who can keep tuning moderated, that tuning changes as rehearsal progresses tends to shift sharp.

Our trombone section had a tendency to play sharp. Don't know really why, as the slide positions are relative and can be tweaked on the fly.

For me, I don't pay too much attention to my initial tuning note, because the sax will shift in tune as it warms and cools, also other factors such as the relative humidity. I've just learned to play in tune. I'll tweak my mouthpiece in or out as required after the first or second piece, so that I don't have to make as much adjustment with my embouchure.

Sometimes during community band rehearsal, when playing in ensemble with say the trombones or trumpets, so the harmony sounds half way decent, I cringe a little but just tune to them, although they may be a touch out. It's what sounds best in the mix. Let the director make the call for tuning if he/she fancies. (We have a director and alternates for his absence.)
 
I had a director, actually a friend of mine, keep telling me during a rehearsal to a performance that was in a (gag) gymnasium that I was playing too loud. The third time I said, "Neil, I wasn't even playing that time. I just put the horn in my mouth." He looked like a deer in headlights. But hey, it needed to be done. Directors make mistakes.
 
I had a similar thing happen years ago in a chamber orchestra. We were doing Vivaldi's 4 seasons with a husband/wife team splitting it by doing 2 seasons each. When the wife was the soloist the conductor kept hammering the husband as being too loud - this violinist has played in some of the top orchestras and ensembles under top conductors in the world, which I do not have permission to name, but I'll say that if you have classical orchestral recordings you probably have him in your collection.

The conductor was really out of his depth and had not earned the right to hammer like he was. When the husband took the solo spot, I took the husband's former chair and the hammering continued, this time on me - and I did NOTHING about it. If it was appropriate for the respected player, I figured that was the way it should be done.

Some conductors are unjust schmucks. ( I was going to say "just" but it seemed inappropriate)

Don't get me wrong I have played under a few conductors I would follow anywhere, they're just so few of them out there, but they are out there.
 
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