I found a new band yesterday, that made me remember why I love the clarinet. They’re called Four Play Clarinet, and they’re incredible.
They do loads of popular songs, on the clarinet, and each one is wonderful. There’s such joy when they play, having fun. And you can hear the bass clarinet, it’s rich and mellow sound oozing out of the harmony, deeper than the earth, notes as earthy as the soil itself. There’s a good drum beat, in the background , which helps, making their music sound full of life and joy.
They do lots songs, and its wonderful. A lot of the time, as a clarinettist, you get trapped in classical music. And a lot of the playlists are classical based. That’s not to say the classical pieces aren’t beautiful, and wonderful. They are. Its just sometimes, you get tired of slogging through Mozart or Holst or Beethoven, through impossible passages and gruelling sections. So it can be really refreshing to just play for fun. Which is why I also love playing popular songs, like Billie Jean or You Can’t Hurry Love, or even the Pink Panther. Its not that I don’t enjoy the classical pieces. But sometimes, I need something that’s fun, to get me through practices.
And it’s wonderful, to find a clarinet band like this. Their music reminds me that anything is possible, in the clarinet, making me want to try new things. And I return to my classical practice, reinvigorated and ready to try again.
