Bass, B-flat, and E-flat Clarinet: Alcides Rodriguez Does It All!

Alcides Rodriguez Visits the Vandoren NYC Musician's Advisory Studio

Hello, my name is Alcides Rodriguez, and I’m a Bass Clarinetist and Clarinet with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. I have been with the Atlanta Symphony for nine years now and it’s been great. And my responsibilities in the orchestra is to play bass clarinet and clarinet, and I try to keep in shape on both instruments. The equipment I use for both clarinets is Vandoren equipment; on the bass I’m playing a B­40 mouthpiece with a M|O ligature and I use 3.5 , sometimes 4, V­12 reed. For the Bb, I use a B­40 Lyre Mouthpiece, and I play Vandoren V­12, 3.5+ with an Optimum ligature. Even though my responsibilities are only for soprano and bass clarinet, sometimes I have to play Eb as well. And right now on Eb I play a B­40, also with a M|O ligature, and 3.5, sometimes 4 reeds for the Eb clarinet.

Besides playing in the orchestra, I also teach. I have a private studio at home, and I teach at the talent development program of the Atlanta Symphony and I also coach the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra. So between teaching and performing, that pretty much keeps all my time occupied.