Klarinet Archive - Posting 000977.txt from 1998/10

From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@-----.edu>
Subj: RE: [kl] Basset Questions
Date: Thu, 22 Oct 1998 19:00:19 -0400

> From: MX%"klarinet@-----.34
> Subj: [kl] Basset Questions

> I have a couple of obscure questions.
>
> Basset clarinets are pitched in A. What about basset horns?
The WW&BW catalog
> says the bore on a basset horn is exactly equal to the bore on an
Eb alto. Is
> a basset horn, then, pitched in Eb?

It is incorrect for the WW&BW catalog to suggest that the bores of
basset horns are exactly equal to the bors of E-flat alto clarinets.
That is true for some basset horns such as LeBlanc and the new
Buffet instruments (and perhaps some German basset horns), but
the basset horn's bore is the same as a standard B-flat clarinet.
Such a narrow bore make the instrument acoustically unstable and,
thus, more recent manufacturers have begun to enlarge to bore to
eliminate the instability. But what they have made are alto
clarinets in F, not basset horns.

>
> Is it accurate (but simplified) to say that a basset clarinet is just an A
> clarinet extended to low C, and a basset horn is an Eb alto clarinet extended
> to low C?

Per the above comments, is is not accurate to state this.
>
> For those who have played basset instruments, does the longer air column make
> it more difficult to play those very low notes? Does the longer tube affect
> the sound of the horn? For example, do clarion register notes on a basset
> clarinet sound different than the same notes on an A clarinet?
>

If one is playing a basset horn, the narrow bore presents a variety of
problems including a tendency to squeak, intonation difficulties, and
a few other things such as mouthpiece selection. But there is no
difficulty in playing the low notes on a b.h. They speak beautifully.

> And what is the origin of the term "basset"? I would naively guess the
> etymology as deriving from "small bass", or something similar.
Or was this the
> name of a person?
>
German: It means "little bass."

> --
> - Tim Roberts, timr@-----.com
> Providenza & Boekelheide, Inc.
>
>
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
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Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California
leeson@-----.edu
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