Reed Between the Lines (2023)
for electric clarinet and wind band. 10 min.
Premiered by clarinetist Christopher Mothersole and the University of West Georgia Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Dr. Joshua Byrd, on April 3rd, 2025.
Originally for amplified bassoon and wind band, this piece has been arranged and reworked for electric clarinet. One of my dreams is to be an electric clarinetist in a heavy metal band. This piece allows me to live that dream, and allows other clarinetists to feel like rock stars. I started really getting into guitar pedals around January 2022, and I wanted to write something that featured distortion and ambient reverb. Through many hours of improvising, researching pedals, and experimentation, I found a pedalboard setup that really worked with how my musical brain thinks. Reed Between the Lines does a few things for me: it sits between the traditional music of the concert stage and the shredding lead lines of heavy metal, it fulfills my dream of being a heavy metal clarinetist, it’s a lame pun, and I get to tell people who don’t like this to “read between the lines.”
Instrumentation:
Piccolo
Flute 1, 2
Oboe 1, 2
Bassoon 1, 2
Solo Electric Clarinet
Clarinet (Bb) 1, 2, 3
Bass Clarinet
Alto Saxophone 1, 2
Tenor Saxophone
Baritone Saxophone
Horn 1, 2, 3, 4
Trumpet (Bb) 1, 2, 3
Trombone 1, 2, 3
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba (div.)
Timpani
Vibraphone
Marimba
Drum Set
Piano
Technology Requirements
The soloist provides all electronics used for the performance. The wind band performing this is not responsible for any electronic needs. The only thing that is needed from the wind band is a hookup into a PA system in the performance space.
The soloist must use a method that does not give feedback. I have the PiezoBarrel 'Wood' pickup made by Steve Francis, and I found it at <https://piezobarrel.com/products.htm>. Alternatively, there is the HornFX intraMic, though I have not personally used it.
Do not use external microphones to amplify the clarinet.
This pickup will go into a small pedalboard that has the following pedals: noise gate, volume, octave, distortion, chorus, short reverb, and ambient reverb. This pedalboard will require a power strip. The pedalboard will go out to the PA system in the hall, or to a speaker. The soloist may also desire a monitor.
The pedal order should be:
Pedals and their Function:
You do not need to use the same pedals that I used. Please use any pedals that have the same function. I list the pedals that I used originally in case you wanted to hear what that sounds like.
Noise Gate: (original pedal used: Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor)
This pedal is meant to cut out key clicks and breath sounds from the clarinet.
Volume: (original pedal used: Boss FV-30H Volume Pedal)
This pedal is meant to control how much input is being sent to the rest of the pedal chain.
Alternatively, if this is placed at the end of the chain, this is meant to control how much output is being sent to the PA / speakers.
(Note: there is no specific use of the volume pedal, so this pedal is technically optional.)
Octave: (original pedal used: Electro-Hamonix Pitch Fork)
This pedal is meant to transpose the clarinet one octave down, while keeping the original signal present. I prefer a 50/50 wet/dry balance between the octave down signal and the original signal. If this is not possible, the lower octave is preferred.
Distortion: (original pedal used: Horizon Devices Apex Preamp)
This pedal is meant to heavily distort the clarinet to sound like a lead guitar in a metal band.
Chorus: (original pedal used: Boss CH-1 Super Chorus)
This pedal is meant to apply a subtle chorus effect.
Short Reverb: (original pedal used: EarthQuaker Devices Avalanche Run, with the delay half of the pedal turned off)
This pedal is meant to add a very short amount of reverb to everything. If you feel that the hall you are playing in already provides a desirable amount of reverb, feel free to turn this pedal off.
Importantly, this reverb should have a short tail: no longer than half a second (500 milliseconds).
Ambient Reverb: (original pedal used: EarthQuaker Devices Afterneath)
This pedal is meant to create an ambient wash of reverb, with a very long tail (5 - 20 seconds, or 5000-20000 milliseconds).
Piano Reduction:
There is a piano reduction that is currently in development, that will be for electric clarinet, piano, and drum set. This is expected to be done by Summer 2025. Check back soon!
