Klarinet Archive - Posting 000581.txt from 2002/12

From: Larry Whitney <phoenix_811@-----.com>
Subj: Re: [kl] LeBlanc "Paper-Clip" Contra Bass question
Date: Mon, 23 Dec 2002 21:36:02 -0500

I just spent the better part of the last school
year(2001-2002) playing ContraBass in the Ithaca
College Wind Ensemble. While most of the literature
does focus on the low notes, most of them do go into
the clarion at points. Case in point, the Concerto
for Wind Ensemble by Karel Husa. The really big solo
at the end of the second movement plays a B in the
staff which is in the clarion register and goes down
to a low F in the chalumeau register. As far as
problems go, they always have them. I probably spent
about 30 hours with our repair guy at the beginning of
the first semester just getting the instrument in
semi-playing condition. And even after that, the darn
thing stopped making sound, of any kind, in the middle
of the first movement of the above listed concerto the
first time I was to perform it. I had to signal to
the conductor that it was broken and he had the Bass
Sax player play the solo up an octave. It went much
better for our Eastman and Lincoln Center performances
later that year. One other thing to check besides the
alignment of the register mechinism is to be sure that
the throat tone G# and A are properly seated and
adjusted. All in all, I really enjoyed playing it.
I've been playing contra clarinets since 7th grade and
have always had a lot of fun with it. I don't know
why really, probably just that I can play low and
loud. Good luck with yours.

Larry Whitney

GrabnerWG@-----.com wrote:Question -I am working on a
LeBlanc paper-clip contra bass. I have the low
register working well. The clarion register is a
different matter, it wants to over blow an additional
12th.I'm still looking for leaks, which could cause
this, but it makes me wonder.Does anyone out there
play one of these where the clarion register comes out
really well? Am I beating my head against the
wall?What does the repertoire require?Walter
Grabner---------------------------------------------------------------------To
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