Klarinet Archive - Posting 000167.txt from 2002/01

From: "Steve White" <shwhite2@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Low B on Bass Clarinet
Date: Mon, 7 Jan 2002 20:35:06 -0500

A friend and I once built a 'mute' insert for our baritone saxophones to
garner a low 'G'. I believe the same could be done for the bass, but the
bell is very short by comparison. Ours was a cardboard box with large holes
in it connected to a cone (also cardboard) I looked but cannot find a
picture of it. It died and we never got around to making another. I'm not
completely sure that the bell on a bass is long enough to build an apparatus
that is larg enough to lower the pitch accordingly.

We were young and unaware that it wass impossible :) It did work, but the
sound was less than beautiful - however it was fine for the pep-band use
that we had in mind.

Hope that helps

Steve

-----Original Message-----
From: SDSCHWAEG@-----.com]
Subject: Re: [kl] Low B on Bass Clarinet

In a message dated Mon, 7 Jan 2002 5:45:12 PM Eastern Standard Time,
notestaff@-----.de (David Glenn) writes:

> Sue,
> on my bass clarinet I get a pretty good B natural by taking my shoe off
and closing the resonace hole with my foot. (Pfewww!) I play a Fritz
Wurlitzer reform Boehm. Might that work for you??
> David

I've tried that, actually, and, while the pitch is lowered, it doesn't go
down far enough. Maybe I didn't get a good enough seal? I have a new model
Buffet low C bass clarinet. The older model my student is playing doesn't
have the resonance hole. She is actually getting the low B by sticking her
foot (minus shoe, of course) into the bell. It works, but looks pretty
silly and requires rotating the instrument awkwardly so she can reach. I
can produce the same effect for her by sticking my fist into the bell - I
suppose the kid next to her, who doesn't have a low C bass anyway, could do
that on the performance. Or we could experiment with brass mutes or
something. I was hoping somebody had a more elegant solution, and one that
might work on my instrument as well.
Sue Schwaegler

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