I would like to write a song for a Bb clarinet. What is the easiest key for a clarinet player to play it in? Do I use the Treble clef register?
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1Bb clarinet is a transposing instrument, and plays a tone lower than the music. So if you wrote in C, with no sharps and flats, the player would sound in Bb. Treble clef is fine.– TimFeb 15, 2019 at 17:06
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Yes, and if you write in G major it will be easy for the piano accompaniment (F major)– Albrecht HügliFeb 15, 2019 at 17:12
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2 Answers
Clarinet in Bb sounds a second lower than written. Easy for the clarinet (like many non-keyboard instruments) are those having (in the instrument's key) only a small number of accidentals. When playing the clarinet, I always found the (clarinet's) keys of Eb,Bb,F,C,G,D pretty easy; this is concert key of Db,Ab,Eb,Bb,F,G. As one skill increases, more keys become easy (it's a fingering thing and to a lesser extent, just reading).
For minor keys, the equivalent relative minors are good.
Note that the clarinet has an extensive range and the the sound-quality is quite different in each range. Register breaks are usually not a problem for good (high-school band first chairs and up) players.
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You all are the best! Just so you know, Mr Payne, I do use an e at the bottom of the range! Feb 15, 2019 at 20:53
Yes, treble clef, transposed for a Bb instrument (i.e. for sounding C, write D).
Key isn't really an issue except for elementary players, though I wouldn't throw TOO many sharps or flats at any musician without a good reason! (And remember the clarinet will see two more sharps than the piano.)
Register is worth considering. The lowest note on clarinet is written E (sounding D) below the treble stave. The botton few notes on clarinet are a beautiful and characteristic sound, and are easy to play. It would be a pity to write a melody that had to avoid that register because it fell out of range in your chosen key. And, although clarinet CAN go pretty high, it can get a bit squeaky more than a couple of leger lines above the treble stave!
