Klarinet Archive - Posting 000322.txt from 1999/02

From: Mark Thiel <thielm@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Getting used to a bass clarinet
Date: Mon, 8 Feb 1999 12:24:19 -0500

Kenneth Wolman wrote:
. . .
... I am still trying to figure out how to START at a low note: it
gets
down to what I guess is a low Eb (if that's the one with the key
on the
bell) easily enough (the vibration can rattle glassware:-) if
you're
working your way down the scale, but I'm still battling embochure
problems
to START from the lower reaches of the scale.
...

The low end notes of the bass shouldn't really be hard to get.
You need to check for leaks very carefully, and on a one-pice
instrument this means sticking a cork in the bottom and getting a
helper to feel and listen while you hold all the keys down.

But also, don't assume you need to use the hardest reed you can
blow. Even if you're among those who think it's macho to strap an
unbending piece of lumber to the mouthpiece of your soprano, there
is no reason to get carried away with reed strength on the bass.
You said it's like "learning to play the clarinet all over again"
--
did you start with 3's on the soprano?

happing bassing,
Mark Thiel

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