Some reflections...

As I've been going through the process of recording my parts for "Down a Country Lane", I realize I’ve gained a completely new respect for composers. I’ve never really understood the extent to which the different instrumental parts fit together to create one ensemble. I've always been pretty aware of how the three clarinet parts fit together in any piece since we're so closely related, and I can figure out how my entrances feed off of the other sections, but I have a new understanding of what it takes to build a piece.  It’s really hard to explain, but there’s a new sort of enlightenment that comes from playing ALL of the different parts and layering them together.

I don't think this is the first time I've had this realization.  Over the course of three years, I've played "Shenandoah" by Frank Ticheli three times for three separate ensembles.  Each time, I've played a different clarinet part.  Learning the three different parts gave me a new awareness of how the three parts feed off each other.  However, this is the first time this thorough understanding has applied to the entire band.  I know not only the clarinet's parts, but every other instrument's parts as well.  It's like the difference between reading news about the countries in the world and actually living in them.

I also talked to Mr. Klepacki about my experience with recording the parts for saxophone.  I’ve gotten so much better since December - I can play in tune more easily and get a better tone quality.  The big difference between saxophone and clarinet is the angle of the mouthpiece.  The clarinet's is angled down, and the saxophone's is straight into your mouth.  Mr. Klepacki asked me which instrument I have better control over.  I initially wanted to respond “clarinet”, because I have more experience on the clarinet, so therefore I should have more control. But then I thought about it some more. I realized the change in mouthpiece direction makes a big difference. Lipping down the pitch is easier on the clarinet because it involves dropping the jaw and loosening the embouchure.  I think the mouthpiece's natural angle is what makes it easier. It's harder to lip the pitch up, or make it sharp, because I have to tighten my embouchure a lot.  With the saxophone, I think I can’t lip it down as far because the angle is straighter, but at the same time the angle provides more freedom to lip it up. (If I tilt the mouthpiece so the angle is more like the clarinet's, it makes the pitch sharper.)