Klarinet Archive - Posting 000426.txt from 1997/07

From: "R Tennenbaum" <rtenn@-----.com>
Subj: Re: Bass clarinet friend
Date: Tue, 15 Jul 1997 13:10:29 -0400

1) Relax, is as important as anything else.

2) I am far from well-versed in bc, since I only picked it up a short
while ago to play in one teeny little "gig" -- but since I overcame
similar problems maybe I can offer this: in my experience, the bass
embouchure and support is rather more like playing clarinet than like
sax. To me the distinction is that one sort of blows through the
sax, especially in octave-key registers, whereas in bass clarinet, as
well as soprano, you concentrate more on supporting a constant
pressure in the clarinet register. Practicing long tones on
third-space C and above was a big help with this.

3) If she's really that anxious, she maybe ought to consider trying
out a few mouthpieces -- and should be sure that the instrument is in
good shape, because if a bass doesn't seal properly it's especially
difficult, and I think there's a lot of mediocre bc keywork out there
(or at least a lot that needs repair).

>Hi everyone!
>
>My friend will be going to a music camp this summer with me. She
>normally plays the tenor sax, but she was chosen to attend playing the
>bass clarinet. She has little clarinet experience--she started on
>clarinet, and then switched to tenor, and she was in my school's clarinet
>choir last year (on contrabass). She is really nervous about going since
>she is having difficulty playing the bass. Does anyone have any
>suggestions or advice to make the transition easier? Anything that she
>can do to improve her range? She can currently play from a low Eb to
>about a fourth-space E or a fifth-line F. Her clarinet squeaks a lot b/c
>her embouchure isn't used to it.