So, how does it work: Essentially what we have is a multiphonic fingering (the low fundamental with either the index finger or the thumb of the left hand removed) trilling with the low fundamental, which creates enough interference that you can hear the trill faintly, but not so much that you lose the multiphonic (these beautiful floating high harmonics). Here’s how the effect is transfered to the bass clarinet (this is the same fingering combination as the beginning of the second line in the Sciarrino): Today the purpose is to transfer this technique to the bass clarinet, offer some explanations and then present you (tada!) with a little database for your compositions. The notation he uses isn’t without its problems – I think there’s probably a better way to achieve the same result with slightly more rhythmic clarity – but that’s not the purpose of the post today. The notation for this effect is also a lot simpler than you’d imagine: here we have a very complex sound, one that is not terribly difficult to play (at least for a clarinetist with some experience with multiphonics) and one that offers the composer a great deal of flexibility. It’s a great gateway drug for the rest of the amazing contemporary repertoire that we have available to us! It has become standard new music repertoire for clarinet, and it’s also probably one of the easiest of the big solos – not too long, focuses extensively on one effect, sounds a lot more difficult than it is, etc. If you’re a clarinetist and you don’t know this piece, do check it out.

Here’s a beautiful recording of Heinz-Peter Linshalm: The effect I’m looking at today is fairly recognisable as something Sciarrino uses extensively, but particularly in his clarinet solo, Let me die before I wake. If you don’t know the piece, it’s worth listening to it, if only because it’ll make it that much easier to have a feel for the bass clarinet writing we’re going to be looking at today.

Sciarrino Let Me Die Before I Wake Pdf