If Rufus Harley can play jazz on the bagpipes, you can damn well play folk music on a clarinet!!! :-)

If you're interested in hearing what folk-rock clarinet might sound like, there's a band called "Night Sun" who work out of the Kingston area that is very good. Highly eclectic: Folk/Celtic/Klezmer/whatever.

Kelida's observation is right on: the "throat" notes, particularly Bb are like the 'B'-string on a guitar - God's way of telling musicians that there is a purgatory! There is supposedly an adaptation of the standard (Boehm) system that get around that. It's called the "Mazzeo" system; I believe Selmer makes them in their student Bundy line.