Klarinet Archive - Posting 000669.txt from 1997/10

From: Bill Hausmann <bhausman@-----.com>
Subj: RE: Clarinets players becoming sax players
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 21:19:07 -0400

At 11:46 AM 10/15/97 +0100, Ian Dilley wrote:
>Strangely I had a similar experience just yesterday. I tried playing a
>bass clarinet for the first time. Even though it's many years since I
>played a saxophone I kept trying to use my LH middle finger for first
>space F and C above the stave.
>
Been there, done that. Maybe it is the plateau keys that fool you, or that
curvy neck making you think tenor sax. Or the neckstrap. Or mouthpiece
angle. Anyway, you are not alone.

>Incidentally, on this bass clarinet I had a lot of trouble playing the
>notes from G just above the stave up to C but above C it became a lot
>easier. Can someone tell me if this is normal for bass clarinet, or was
>it a bad instrument/mouthpiece/reed or is it just me?
>
I believe those are traditionally weak notes on bass clarinet, but if
someone knows how to fix it, I'd like to know for my own horn!

Bill Hausmann bhausman@-----.com
451 Old Orchard Drive http://www.concentric.net/~bhausman
Essexville, MI 48732 http://members.wbs.net/homepages/z/o/o/zoot14.html

If you have to mic a saxophone, the rest of the band is too loud.