Klarinet Archive - Posting 000828.txt from 1998/02

From: Shouryu Nohe <jnohe@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: Contrabass playing tips
Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 09:51:15 -0500

On Mon, 23 Feb 1998, Garrett Fitzgerald wrote:

> I'm playing contrabass in my Wind Symphony's clarinet choir. Does
> anyone have any tips on how to get it to play better, besides
> lots of practice? :-) I'm still getting lots of squeaks, and the
> throat Bb will barely sound: I get a better tone using the
> low Eb + register keys....

In my experience, the biggest trouble with contras (other than finding
good ones in tune for good prices) is their reeds. Because contra reeds
are so ludicrously big, they warp ludicrously easily. You will need to
'break in' the reeds several times (Four to five) before it will
consistently play well - maybe more if you live in a humid area. For some
reason, (Probably because they're so huge) they rewarp quickly. But after
thefourth or fifth break in, it should settle down. To see exactly what
this process is in detail, I'll simply refer you to my page:
http://web.nmsu.edu/~jnohe/reed/reed.html
Also, check to see if there is an incompatability between the mouthpiece
and horn. Typically, Selmer mps will refuse to play properly on LeBlancs,
and LeBlancs/Woodwind Co. mps wont play well on Selmers.

Shouryu

@-----.edu/~jnohe - SIGN THE GUESTBOOK ^_^ O_O -_-
SHOURYU NOHE -- Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Sax, Voice, Piano, Drums
And Majordomo of the Church of Tendo Nabiki
CHRIST RULES YAY MUSIC ANIME ROCKS PfR GROOVES FUJISAWA IS MY HERO
*(BUT HE MISSES HIS SPICE)*
It's Western custom to toss rice at weddings. I think I'll toss burgers.
ICQ: Shouryuzani 6771552