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I do not understand the key notation for the clarinet in an orchestral score I am looking at. This is an extract from the Andante of the Ravel concerto in G:

Ravel concerto

The clarinet has a different key signature than the rest, and though the score uses a treble clef, what the clarinet plays is actually a third below. Surely this has something to do with the fact that the score says "Clar. in la", i.e. something like "play an A when you see a C", but I am confused where that notation comes from and its exact purpose. Why not writing an A if an A needs to be played?

Lolo
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    I don't have the time to write a detailed answer but look up "transposing instrument". You will find plenty on the subject. – badjohn Jun 03 '18 at 06:40
  • Related [question](https://music.stackexchange.com/q/64612/2600) - why have some instruments a note name added. – guidot Jun 04 '18 at 12:24

1 Answers1

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The point of transposing instruments is to be able to play different sizes of the same instrument (such as an A and a B clarinet) without learning a new set of fingerings.

An A clarinet is slightly longer than a B clarinet, therefore whenever you use the same fingering to play a tone as on the B (or C) clarinet, the result sounds a second (or a third) lower. But it's much easier for players if they can rely on a particular written note, e.g. C, corresponding to the same fingering on both instruments rather than two different fingerings. Therefore, we notate the parts for A clarinet a third higher than for the C clarinet, and everything comes out just right.

This puts an additional burden on readers of the score, such as conductors, but they already need a lot more education for their job than just playing an instrument, and understanding transposing instruments is just a small part of that.

Kilian Foth
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  • That makes a lot of sense. Doesn't it feel strange though to be reading a note and hearing a different one being played? – Lolo Jun 03 '18 at 07:01
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    Note (sic) that the 'B' clarinet in this answer refers to the German B, which sounds in pitch the same as our Bb. Here, in this score, the clarinet is an A clarinet, which needs its part written a m3 higher to match the pitch of the rest of the orchestra. – Tim Jun 03 '18 at 07:01
  • @Lolo - no, as that's catered for in the written transposition. Playing a transposing instrument, one expects this. Trying to read someone else's part written at concert pitch is the strange one! – Tim Jun 03 '18 at 07:03
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    Small nitpicking. La is the name of the tone A ( C is called Do ). The A clarinett is slightly larger than the Bb clarinett. – ghellquist Jun 03 '18 at 07:10
  • @ghellquist - even smaller nitpicking - La is indeed the note A, but *only* in the 'fixed doh' system, as used in France and some other countries - but the moveable doh is also available, where doh is taken as the tonic of any key. And, yes, a slightly larger instrument will produce slightly lower notes (A opposed to Bb) – Tim Jun 03 '18 at 07:45
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    @Lolo, the musicians I know who have perfect pitch find it difficult to play transposing instruments because they do hear a different pitch than the one they are reading. However, those without perfect pitch usually don't have a problem reading the transposed part. The discrepancy between the written music and the actual pitch doesn't affect them. – Heather S. Jun 03 '18 at 10:55
  • The spirit is correct here, but the facts are not. First, as noted, an A clarinet is _longer_ that a Bb clarinet or C clarinet. And if you use the same fingering, the A clarinet will sound a minor third _lower_ than the C clarinet and a half step _lower_ than the Bb clarinet. Just so no one gets confused here. I used to have an old Buffet-Crampon A clarinet in the low tuning (A- about 430), and by pulling out all the joints a bit I could get it down to Ab in 440, good for the flat-keyed ragtime my band was playing back then. – Scott Wallace Jun 03 '18 at 13:16
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    @HeatherS. - a friend of mine, a great early music performer with perfect pitch, had difficulty singing transposed parts, until she simply (!) learned how to read all seven possible clefs. Now she just thinks the appropriate clef and key signature and is singing the written pitches. – Scott Wallace Jun 03 '18 at 13:21
  • The famous Mozart clarinet concerto in Amaj, K.622 is written for an A clarinet. It's indeed longer, has lower notes and some extra keys, if you know typical Bb clarinets, it's noticeable https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT_63UntRJE (At 5:00 the low notes are highlighted and from 5:23 the highs) – Vinko Vrsalovic Jun 03 '18 at 13:30
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    Just to add to the confusion... K. 622 was written for a basset clarinet, an obscure variant mid-way between the A clarinet and the basset horn; it has the same scale as the A clarinet but extra keys for four additional low notes. The *modern* A clarinet is structurally identical to the Bb clarinet and **doesn't** have those low notes, so Mozart's concerto is commonly played in a slightly adapted version. – Kilian Foth Jun 03 '18 at 14:09
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    But, strangely, the Bb Trumpet and Bb Clarinet are not variants of a basic, standard, non-transposing C Trumpet or C Clarinet (though both of these instruments exist). The Bb version has long been the standard one - certainly since the trumpet acquired valves and the clarinet its current fingering mechanism. – Laurence Jun 03 '18 at 14:38
  • @Scott Wallace, I suppose a very few people might be willing to put in that effort. Good thing transposing instruments don't switch clefs mid-piece (that I can think of.) – Heather S. Jun 03 '18 at 16:24
  • @HeatherS. , learning to transpose in all keys is possibly slightly unusual but many players of transposing instruments learn to transpose in keys relevant to their instrument. For instance, I can transpose up a tone at sight and I do that a lot in informal situations with my clarinet (ditto a 6th for alto sax - and yes, it throws me a bit if I switch between the two mid piece!). – Rosemary7391 Jun 03 '18 at 17:01
  • @Rosemary7391, I am a composer, play saxophone and clarinet in addition to piano, and teach band/orchestra to kids. I am constantly transposing and reading every which clef (not the unusual ones like soprano, just treble/alto/tenor/bass.) I don't have perfect pitch, though. My husband does and a good friend I had in high school do and they both had trouble when they tried playing saxophone. – Heather S. Jun 03 '18 at 17:48
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    The stories are abound of first clarinet players by mistake taking the wrong clarinet for an important solo in the classical literature, and transposing a half step up or down on the fly. Only shows that great musicians are great musicians (which should not be a surprise). – ghellquist Jun 04 '18 at 10:53
  • @HeatherS. Transposing instruments can switch clefs mid-piece, see for instance French horns in symphonic repertoire. – Karlo Jun 04 '18 at 11:48
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    @Karlo, good to know. I will keep an eye out for that. – Heather S. Jun 04 '18 at 13:59