Can you play the clarinet if you play the flute?

Answer 1

As a Clarinet player who has several friends who are Trumpet players I would not want to argue that point with them. Each musical instrument comes with its own set of difficulties and it takes practice and a lot of listening to constantly improve oneself. Clarinet players need to deal with their reeds not always working properly, different/alternate fingerings to help play in tune and listening for an even tone moving through the different registers of the instrument. Trumpet players have their own set of problems and I'm sure you can find a friend to find out what they are.

I am a trumpet player and the difficulty with the trumpet is embouchure. All notes are played with your lips. To understand this more, you should ask a trumpet player in your band to give you a lesson.

Answer 2

A trumpet's range is limited only by the ability of player, so it depends on the player. According to Wiki and a couple of other websites, the top range of a clarinet is double high C (that's C two ledger lines above the staff, plus an octave). Some trumpet players can play that high, some can't. Personally, I can play up to E above that.

Answer 3

Actually The clarinet and Flute are in two entirely different keys and different fingerings. Flute goes by concert pitch, clarinet does not. (Example: Concert Bb* is a clarinet's C) Yes you can transpose the music, but it would be a lot simpler to stay with the flute if that's what you know.

*B flat the flat symbol looks like a lower case b. You should know this but for informational purposes that is what I meant.

Another answer:

The difference in key is not a big obstacle. It's true that if you simply take flute parts and play them on clarinet, you will be in the wrong key. However, if you are good at reading flute parts, you will have little trouble reading clarinet parts, since they are on the treble staff and cover roughly the same range. (The clarinet goes a little lower, so you will need to get used to three ledger lines below the staff).

The fingering is similar, although the clarinet is somewhat more complicated. The clarinet uses a fingering system that is based on the Boehm system originally developed for the flute, but it had to be significantly modified. The clarinet has a number of auxiliary keys that the flute does not have. Some of this extra complication is due to the fact that the clarinet overblows a twelfth, where the flute overblows an octave. Still, many people "double" on flute and clarinet with no difficulty.

The biggest obstacle is the embouchure, which is entirely different. First, you have to get used to the mouthpiece and reed (and sticking pieces of dry bamboo in your mouth). You have to develop the skill to apply the right pressure, in the right place, on the reed for each register. Because your jaw is in a slightly different position, you also have to modify your tonguing technique.

Personally, I find the flute a lot easier to play than the clarinet, but your experience may be different.

Answer 4

Long-term: No.

Short-term: If you try to play the clarinet (or any other wind instrument) right after playing the trumpet, it may take a few minutes to adjust to the different playing style.

Answer 5

It certainly depends.

First of all, flute requires a TON of air. This should help your trumpet playing, teaching you how to really pump out the air and helping you learn to play higher and louder. Also, flutes are known for their quick parts, called noodling. You'll develop some quick fingers!

On the other hand, though, flute requires your mouth to make a different shape, so it could mess with your muscle memory. As a result, your sound may change slightly, and your "aim" between partials could suffer, as well.

In my opinion, you should give it a try. If you find that playing flute absolutely kills your trumpet playing, stop! But I don't think that just trying out flute will create any lasting damage to your skills.

The key, though, is that if you start playing flute, you can't stop playing trumpet and expect to sound just as good. It shouldn't be too difficult to play both of them (though not at the exact same time!), but you'll have to keep practicing trumpet just as much as before to maintain your sound and range.

Answer 6

So basically it is much harder to play trumpet then clarinet. There is only one trumpet in my grade. From his look he doesn't even know how he does it.