Klarinet Archive - Posting 000324.txt from 1999/02

From: Roger Shilcock <roger.shilcock@-----.uk>
Subj: Re: [kl] Getting used to a bass clarinet
Date: Mon, 8 Feb 1999 12:59:53 -0500

It depends what mouthpiece you've got, but soft reeds on a bass have a
good chance of squeaking. They often aren't thick enough, or,possibly,
not dense enough - I'm not sure which is more important. Scraping down
hard
reeds till they blow fairly easily is what a lot of people seem to believe
in.
rjs

On Mon, 8 Feb 1999, Ken Wolman wrote:

> Date: Mon, 08 Feb 1999 12:38:23 -0500
> From: Ken Wolman <Ken.Wolman@-----.com>
> Reply-To: klarinet@-----.org
> To: klarinet@-----.org
> Subject: Re: [kl] Getting used to a bass clarinet
>
> thielm@-----.com wrote:
>
> > 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.
>
> Perry Ritter did this before he turned the horn over to me; I think he
> also dropped some kind of light down the body to make sure nothing was
> wrong with the thing. I'm pretty sure it's me rather than the
> instrument. When I started playing the Bb again 13 months ago after a
> 200-year layoff, I had trouble starting on the low end there too. It
> meant retraining my mouth.
>
> > 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?
>
> I see your point. No, everyone when I was a kid started on #2's,
> usually the "standard" Rico in the orange box, I suppose because band
> directors and school music teachers got them for cheap and in quantity.
> I gather this is still the case among kid musicians: which, as far as
> the bass clarinet goes, is exactly what I am. A box of good #2 or even
> 1.5 reeds might not be a bad idea until I build up my mouth. Someone I
> spoke to once, a prospective teacher, said that when it starts to HURT
> to play, then put the thing back in the case for awhile. "Doctor, it
> hurts when I do this." "So don't do that." I suppose there is some
> sort of "macho" thing that could be involved, i.e., playing through
> pain. But when you get to the point where you can't even feel the
> mouthpiece anymore, maybe it IS time to give it a rest. This isn't the
> NY Marathon....
>
> There IS a sports analogy that occurred to me over the weekend vis-a-vis
> the bass and the soprano clarinets. The bass reminds me of those
> practice bats guys swing in the on-deck circle: weighted with lead
> donuts. After swinging that thing a few times, the regular bat feels
> like a pencil.
>
> Maybe...music as a health benefit...learning to play this monster will
> finally get me off cigarettes once and for all: it requires noticeably
> more breath control, at least for an inexperienced player. Stopping in
> the first year will earn me back the money I laid out for the horn and
> mouthpiece.
>
> And finally, a repertoire question. For inspiration's sake, I'd like to
> listen to some lead playing on the bass, but (my own lack of knowledge),
> I know of very few soloists who use or used the bass extensively as a
> lead instrument. Giora Feidman has recorded some pieces on it ("Old Man
> River" is something else!), and it was one of Eric Dolphy's primary
> instruments. Who else has used it that way?
>
> Ken
> --
> Ken Wolman dbtrader Deutsche Bank, N.A.
> 1251 Sixth Avenue New York, NY 10019 212-469-6494
>
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