Rhapsody In Blue Clarinet

The Clarinet Solo in Rhapsody in Blue: What Actually Works

The clarinet introduction in Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue is one of the most recognizable passages in American classical music. It opens with a rising glissando that launches into the main theme. Everyone wants to play it. Most people struggle through it because they approach it the wrong way. Start by listening to the record. Not reading the sheet music first. Paul Whiteman's 1924 recording with Jimmy Dorsey on clarinet is the reference point. Ben Steinberg's 1942 recording with the New York Philharmonic is cleaner but less authentic to the original feel. Listen to how the glissando actually sounds before you try to reproduce it on your instrument. The glissando itself spans from low E below the staff up to E above the staff. That's over two octaves. On a Bb clarinet, you need to understand which fingers actually work for this passage. The standard fingering uses a combination of left-hand fingers and right-hand fingers sliding across tone holes. It's not a clean chromatic run. It's a smear, and that's the point.

Here's what nobody tells beginners: the glissando sounds better when you don't try to play every note cleanly. The original performance relies on the sound passing through the transition notes quickly. If you finger every note individually, it sounds mechanical and loses the jazz quality Gershwin was going for. You want it to sound like the clarinet is sliding, not climbing a ladder. I spent three weeks trying to get the glissando to sound right. My professor kept telling me my fingers were too precise. The problem was I was using full finger lifts between each semitone. The fix was learning to partially cover the tone holes rather than lifting fingers completely. Think of it as rolling your fingers off the holes instead of lifting them. It's the difference between opening a valve and uncorking a bottle. Once you get past the opening glissando, the solo moves into the main theme. The tempo marking is "Allegretto brillante" at around 108 beats per minute. In practice, many performances speed this up to 120 or higher. Don't try to match the fast tempos on your first attempts. Play it at 90 BPM until you can play it cleanly, then gradually increase the tempo. The tempo varies significantly between recordings, and there's no single correct speed.

Common Problems and How to Fix Them

The biggest issue players face is the transition from the low register to the high register during the glissando. The break between the chalumeau and clarion register creates a momentary gap in sound. This is where most performances fall apart. The solution is to practice the glissando in segments. Start with the low E to A, then A to D, then D to the top E. Build it up slowly. Reed choice matters more than most players realize. A softer reed (strength 2 or 2.5) makes the glissando much easier because the reed responds faster to changes in embouchure pressure. Harder reeds tend to resist the quick register changes. I switched from a 3.5 to a 2.5 reed and the glissando became noticeably smoother within two days. Another practical issue: the clarinet part sits in a dense orchestral texture for much of the piece. If you're playing with a full ensemble, you need to balance projection with tone quality. The solo portions require a bright, cutting tone to be heard over the orchestra. This means more air speed and a focal point in the embouchure. But during the lyrical sections, you need to pull back immediately or you'll drown out the rest of the ensemble.

I once played this piece with an amateur orchestra and the conductor didn't give me a clear entrance. The glissando starts quietly and builds. Without a clear downbeat, I came in too early and the whole opening fell apart. The workaround is to watch the violin section's bowing during the introductory chords. They start their arpeggios right before the clarinet enters, and matching their bow direction gives you a reliable visual cue even when the conductor isn't helping.

Sheet Music and Arrangements

The original 1924 orchestration by Ferde Grofé is the standard. Several arrangements exist for solo clarinet and piano, which are useful for practice. The solo clarinet and piano versions trim the orchestral texture and make the clarinet line more visible. These are better for learning the part before attempting it with an orchestra. Be careful with newer arrangements that claim to be "original." Some publishers have created editions that modify the clarinet line for easier playability. The original glissando fingering is notated somewhat ambiguously in some editions. If an edition shows clear fingerings for every note in the glissando, it's likely an edited version, not the original notation. The original score leaves the glissando fingering to the performer's discretion. For practical purposes, the Henle Verlag edition and the Boosey & Hawkes score are the most reliable sources. Neither is freely available, but both are held by most university music libraries. If you're self-studying, the piano reduction editions are adequate for learning the part, though they don't help with orchestral balance issues.

What This Piece Won't Do For You

Learning the Rhapsody in Blue clarinet solo won't significantly improve your overall technique. It's a very specific passage that demands particular skills — glissando control, register transition, and orchestral awareness — that don't transfer directly to other repertoire. If your goal is general clarinet improvement, spend time on Etudes and Popper exercises instead. This piece is good for building performance experience and expanding your solo repertoire, but it's not a comprehensive technical exercise. The glissando also puts stress on your lower teeth and lip. Playing it repeatedly in warmups can cause soreness. I limit myself to three or four clean runs per practice session. More than that and my lower lip starts to bruise. The piece should be added to your repertoire rotation, not practiced daily as a technical exercise. If you're preparing this for an audition or performance, plan to spend approximately six to eight weeks on it at a comfortable pace. Rushing the process typically results in a glissando that sounds more like a shaky scale than a smooth slide. The passage itself is only about 30 seconds long, but mastering it requires patience because the techniques involved are not trivial to develop.