Klarinet Archive - Posting 000487.txt from 2000/02

From: "Dodgshun family" <dodgshun@-----.nz>
Subj: Re: [kl] That thing is *huge*!
Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2000 06:00:47 -0500

> I'm doing a musical this month or next, and i'm playing the "principle
> clarinet", i'm kinda nerves because i feel like i might have to 'hold' the
> band up so to speak. But that is beyond the point, i'm also dubing as the
> bass clarinet player, and well truthfully i haven't played it in 5 years,
and
> I wan't some advice from profesionals on how to go about from switching
from
> the regular clarinet, and also how to eliminate the "fuzzy" sound that i
> usualy get, which i clearly remember from playing it so long ago, and is
> there anything special i should be aware? Wouldn't the fuzziness be due to
> the school mouthpiece? I can't afford to go out and spend 70 or 80 dollars
on
> a b. clarinet mouthpiece. I really don't even know what type of reed to
use
> or what strenght to use. Gosh, just thinking about it makes me tense. Is
> there any advice that could help me achieve a good sound. i'm not
expecting
> the best sound out of it, i just want to sound reasonable. I know that
there
> was a discussion on bass clarinet before, but i didn't pay much mind to it
> because i didn't think i would be playing it anytimes soon, man was i
wrong.
> I thank you so much in advance!!

I've found a good guide on reeds to be play either the strength you play on
Bb or a half-strength higher (I'm talking about standard blue-box Vandorens
here). The fuzziness may be partially due to the mouthpiece; a slightly
harder reed may alleviate this. Experiment with different reeds until you
find what works. Tenor sax reeds work sometimes as well. Vandorens I find
to be fine for me. Don't stress about it - bass is fun so have fun with it!
A few months ago, I posted some tips my teacher had given me, but to save
you sorting through the archives, I found them. Here they are:
- Support, support, support. Because the instrument's bigger, you need to
blow faster (not harder!) and get more air through it, and your
diaphragmattic support needs to be good all the time!
- Don't think of it as being a different instrument. Bb and bass are both
clarinets, which is important. Don't treat it as a totally different beast.
- You may be surprised by the amount of mouthpiece you have to have in your
mouth - it's more than you may think.
- Don't bite up on the high notes, much as it feels like you may need to.
You'll squeak.
- If you do squeak, don't back off - get more air through the instrument.
This feels really strange at first, but it works.
- If you're playing up in the altissimo range (I really don't like doing
this on bass, but some composers insist on writing up there) you'll have to
sit down with a tuner and work out some fingerings which are in tune.
- I play with both a neckstrap and a peg - helps me on high notes because
the bass pretty much balances itself. Also means less strain on hands and
wrists.

What's the musical? I hope this is of some help to you. Tensing up and
getting nervous about it really won't help; my suggestion is to incorporate
bass playing into your normal practice routine. The more you play it, the
easier it will get. My bass playing has improved beyond belief in the three
years I've been playing it.

HTH
Anna

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