Klarinet Archive - Posting 000863.txt from 1999/10

From: "Daniel Stover" <kasparguy@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] Bb Soprano to Bass Clarinet
Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 00:48:57 -0400

From: "Dodgshun family" <dodgshun@-----.nz>
Subject: Re: [kl] Bb Soprano to Bass Clarinet
Date: Thu, 28 Oct 1999 15:14:17 +1300

I play a LeBlanc bass (don't know the model, but it's a low C instrument :)
) with a Pomarico 2 crystal mouthpiece. As far as I know, very few people
use crystals on bass. I like it because it allows me to project without
losing my tone or having to blow 'til I see stars! But that's only my
opinion - you may want to try some mouthpieces out.

I started out last year on a Pomarico Crystal bass mouthpiece and while i
liked it for chamber music settings, it didn't have the *umph*
for band or orchestra or solo playing. Selmer C*'s are the best commercial
off-the-shelf-mouthpieces I have played. Personally, I use Rick Sayre's K13
custom model. His personal bass mouthpieces are the closest things to
Kaspar bass mouthpieces on the market. His C* refaces are okey, but not as
good as his K13. (I'm used to Kaspars, except on Eb where i haven't been
able to find one)

I'm using standard Vandoren reeds, #3. My advice on reeds is to use a reed
at least as hard as your Bb reeds, if not 1/2 a strength harder. Tenor sax
reeds are also OK.

How are you playing 3's on the Pomarico 2? I couldn't get anything harder
than 2.5 to play on that open of a mouthpiece. As for bass reeds relative
to Bb reeds, i think one should play 1 to .5 strength softer than what you
play on Bb, otherwise a 3.5 or 4 on bass is going to feel like playing on a
tree. Usully, if someone's comfortable on 4's on Bb, 3 is adequate on bass.
Of course, it also depends on the mouthpiece. C*'s usually take 3's or
_possibly_ 3.5's if you have chops of steel. On my Rick Sayre K13, i use
3's, 2.5's don't play anything above thumb C and 3.5's don't work well in
the first register.

Not much to really say about the rest of the stuff. Though, you DO have to
think of the bass as being different from the soprano because it IS
different. If you try and play it like soprano, you'll be squawking and
squealing all over the place.

One thing to remember is that the bass is more of a "warm air" instrument
like a saxophone. You also just have to experiment with horn angle and find
what works best for you. On the Selmer low C i play, i use the peg and tilt
the horn slightly to where the peg is right under the rim of the chair. No
where near the soprano angle, and not straight in like the sax angle. Or
else i rest the bell between my feet and shins and sit on the very off the
of chair (i usually lean back on soprano)

On tonguing:
While anchor tonguing is O.K. on soprano, it's almost neccessary on bass.
Never start low notes (around B down) with a tongue start. Start with air
and then start the vibration of the reed by articulating (my teacher uses
the sylable "shh-ta").
If you try and tongue start like on soprano, there's a 95% chance you'll
squawk. (another trick on low notes is to raise your first finger of your
left hand just before you start the note)

Daniel

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