Do you think soprano sax or soprano clarinet is more difficult?

Is soprano sax or soprano clarinet is more difficult?

  • Soprano sax just kills me

    Votes: 2 10.5%

  • They don't call the clarinet a "torcher stick" for nothing

    Votes: 6 31.6%

  • They are no problem for me for both

    Votes: 4 21.1%

  • Just practice and don't worry about it.

    Votes: 7 36.8%
  • Total voters
    19
tjontheroad

tjontheroad

We have not a poll in awhile :)

Last year, I dumped my soprano sax after feeling I'll never get a good tone out of it and my intonation was just plain whacked. Soooo, I concentrated my efforts on the clarinet and I feel I'm getting better results. After just a few months, I get better tone and pitch control with my clarinet than I ever did with the soprano sax I owned for three years. The clarinet embouchure feels much more natural to me. Of course the fingering is a bigger obstacle. Yesterday, I was trying to play the soprano line from Holst's "Suite No2 in F" and it was kicking my butt bigtime when playing it at tempo. My fingers felt like spaghetti.

Most of you guys here are much more experienced players than I. Which instrument challenges you more.
 
I tend to tell people that the clarinet embouchure and perceived "forced greater" control than alto/tenor sax will help one learn soprano sax better.

The soprano sax embouchure just seems to require more control than one is accustomed to on alto/tenor. I have no problems on soprano saxophone in intonation (assuming it is set up properly and in great playing mechanical condition). I always try to tend to practice clarinet as I know it helps me all the way around on sop, alto or tenor .. though I prefer playing sax.


my alto & tenor embouchure is also very controlled ... i can thank my high school era private teacher for forcing greater embouchure control some 25+ yrs ago
 
TJ: VERY subjective - but you asked.

I voted for the clarinet being the more difficult, but my experience doesn't equate to what others may experience.

I started on soprano saxophone when I was 16 years old, inspired by George Probert of the old Firehouse Five plus Two out of the Disney Studios. George is still playing, by the way. I played with him last year.

So, I've had 50+ years to get my act together on soprano. It was a long road and I've been through lessons, various horns, various mouthpieces, various reeds, etc. I THINK I'm close to solving the riddle.

For clarinet, I've been trying to play the thing almost as long as soprano saxophone, but not with nearly the commitment. Still, I find it becoming a bit easier after finding a great horn, a mouthpiece that gives me everything I can give back, and the correct reed. Anything less than this equipment and I'd be unable to give a public performance with it.

It is the open-hole thing (and to a lesser extent, the throat tones and fingering over the break) that give me trouble. And I suspect that may be the same for a lot of other folks trying to play clarinet. I won't use the word MASTER because few have done so. Oh, I know of clarinet virtuosos and I admire them, but . . .

Now, I'm trying to sound decent on a recently acquired Albert clarinet in C. That process is of no help to my Bb Boehm skills (or lack thereof). DAVE
 
SteveSklar said:
I tend to tell people that the clarinet embouchure and perceived "forced greater" control than alto/tenor sax will help one learn soprano sax better.
Click to expand...

Playing the clarinet has changed for the better my sax sound. In fact, my whole embouchure concept has made a sort of natural shift since I started focusing my time with the clarinet.

Dave Dolson said:
TJ: VERY subjective - but you asked.

I voted for the clarinet being the more difficult, but my experience doesn't equate to what others may experience.

I started on soprano saxophone when I was 16 years old, inspired by George Probert of the old Firehouse Five plus Two out of the Disney Studios. George is still playing, by the way. I played with him last year.

So, I've had 50+ years to get my act together on soprano. It was a long road and I've been through lessons, various horns, various mouthpieces, various reeds, etc. I THINK I'm close to solving the riddle.

For clarinet, I've been trying to play the thing almost as long as soprano saxophone, but not with nearly the commitment. Still, I find it becoming a bit easier after finding a great horn, a mouthpiece that gives me everything I can give back, and the correct reed. Anything less than this equipment and I'd be unable to give a public performance with it.

It is the open-hole thing (and to a lesser extent, the throat tones and fingering over the break) that give me trouble. And I suspect that may be the same for a lot of other folks trying to play clarinet. I won't use the word MASTER because few have done so. Oh, I know of clarinet virtuosos and I admire them, but . . .

Now, I'm trying to sound decent on a recently acquired Albert clarinet in C. That process is of no help to my Bb Boehm skills (or lack thereof). DAVE
Click to expand...

Nice info Dave.
 
I guess I got lucky. I started clarinet about 2 years after I started sax and never really had much of a problem with it. I picked up soprano and somehow got incredibly lucky with a horn that didn't leak and a mouthpiece that I am very comfortable with on the first go around. I haven't had this from any other instrument. I still have to consciously guard my intonation on soprano, where clarinet is pretty natural by now.
 
I started clarinet when I got a gig while I was in high school to play 'The Apple Tree' in the pit. I didn't know I'd have to double. I stunk through the part, faking it in the lower notes. The music director didn't seem to notice.

I've had a hate/hate relationship with the instrument ever since...
 
Both are challenging instruments, but in different ways. I started on saxophone and became an accomplished player through high school. As a music ed major in college I was required to study clarinet right off the bat because "you will have more clarinet players in your bands than saxophones".

The embouchure, open holes, and little finger keys were the most difficult challenges. Of course any part of the technique I could transfer from saxophone was easy. Had I started on clarinet and then transferred to saxophone it would have been much easier. I consider myself a better teacher on clarinet than saxophone because I had to work to overcome most of the common problems on that instrument. On saxophone it all came very easily to me.

The soprano, while technically less challenging presents some intonation challenges---especially in the upper register. The altissimo on soprano is ridiculously hard.

John
 
I think clarinet is more difficult.

It really comes down to the fact that if you come to clarinet from sax (as I did) that your mind says oh cool sax fingerings above the break and then you drop below and your mind turns to mush.
 
I voted without voting.

I've mentioned before that I have an extremely bad tone on straight soprano, but that is improved, considerably, on a vintage curved horn. Clarinet was my first instrument and I sound decent on that.

Overall, the clarinet is a more difficult instrument to play, technique-wise. However, if you could say that my clarinet technique = my sax technique, what instrument is easier for ME to play well? A clarinet. Hey, while I liked the vintage curved sopranos I noodled around with, I couldn't justify getting an overhauled one over the decent clarinet I have. And I've gotten more gigs on clarinet than soprano sax :).
 
I started on clarinet: after that, it was no problem to pick up sax (and flute and bassoon) :-D
 
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