Arabic Music

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September 4th, 2004 admin Leave a comment Go to comments

I was wondering, if the clarinet that are used for Arabic music is same as the western music?

My father is looking for a clarinet, we are wondering if the clarinet that is used for Arabic music is same instrument that is used for Western music.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Well, the Bb clarinet CAN be used, but it can be a difficult process for 2 reasons…

Most Middle Eastern, Arabic, Indian (India, not American Indian), and Hasidic music use tones of the scales that are not normally found in Western music. They are based on quarter steps instead of half steps… so a Western scale has 12 pitch degrees from C to the next octave C, and a Middle Eastern scale has 48 pitch degrees from one C to the next ocvtave C.

There are fingerings for the Bb clarinet (and the A) which allow us Westerners to play those quarter steps more accurately, but they do not allow for a rational or flowing finger pattern, and can hinder the player’s ability to play melodically or with much musicality.

Currently, in America and most of Europe, the most popular key system is the Boehm system… in Germany, Austria, and the rest of Europe, the key system is the Oehler system. These instruments were built almost specifically around Classical music- the fingerings naturally lend themselves to those kind of melodies and jumps between notes…. playing jazz is harder on these models because they do not naturally allow for slides, bends, etc. The same can be said for the qualities of Middle Eastern music.

However, the system that came BEFORE the Boehm or Oehler system- the ALBERT system, has fewer keys and is a FANTASTIC instrument for jazz, Hasidic, Indian, or Arabic music… it allows for slides and quarter steps MUCH easier than the “more refined” instruments. There are very few “original” Albert system clarinets left (the other systems were popular by around 1890), but they are still made in SMALL quantities. Do be careful buying an Albert system clarinet though: if you buy an old one (vintage), make sure it doesn’t have A430 marked anywhere on it (it’s tuned ungodly high and almost impossible to play in tune with other instruments… a Bb with this tuning will almost be a B clarinet!)… and if you buy a new one, stay away from India or China manufactured- they are not worth the money you pay in shipping and break almost right out of the case

Now… there is another option too… for tone, tuning, and range, the Middle Eastern clarinet (usually called the Trukish clarinet) is almost always a G clarinet (as opposed to a Bb). Amati actually makes a great G clarinet (although their Bb clarinets are pretty much crap)… they have kind of cornered the market on this one. Also, I remember a while back seeing a choice with the Amati G Clarinet- you could choose either the Albert system or the Oehler system (though the Oehler system is more expensive). However, in trying to find links for you, I was ONLY able to find the Oehler system, priced around $1500 (a VERY good price- they usually retail for almost twice that) at WoodWind & BrassWind.com:

http://www.wwbw.com/Search.list?N=61&Ntt=amati+g+clarinets

So really, it would be up to your Dad with what he was more comfortable with… if he is used to the Boehm system clarinet, it takes adjustment to any new system, but it can be done. He might even find that he likes one of the other systems BETTER, as it will facilitate his genre much easier. The Oehler system has more keys (4 more, I think- including alternate pinky Eb, alternate G#/Ab), and the Albert system has less (about 5 less keys and 3 less rings!). If he decides that he doesn’t want to adjust systems, you should try to find him a G clarinet… it will make the range easier, and the bore is a bit different than for standard clarinets, giving it that unique Middle Eastern tone. I’m thinking though, that even with a G clarinet, your Dad will have to adjust to a different system- but that’s what gives that music its flavor!