Klarinet Archive - Posting 000384.txt from 2004/02

From: Shouryu Nohe <jnohe@-----.Edu>
Subj: Re: [kl] Bass Clarinets
Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2004 16:13:51 -0500

My two cents, FWIW...

On Mon, 23 Feb 2004, Kevin Fay wrote:

> 1) Cheap Out?
>
> If I buy a servicable student-level horn - say, a Bundy or Vito - I fear
> that I will end up buying two bass clarinets, this first one and the low-C
> professional model that I'll ultimately end up with. (I am doomed this way,
> since I think I'll need the range to low C for intended use, and this is the

Sounds like you answered your own question here. *smirk*

> 2) Low C?
> seems like very good advice for that intended audience. While my intended
> use is (or at least includes) orchestral literature, though, I'm not in the
> professional audition-taking mode; my expected use is primarily in the pit

You may yet find use for a low C in a pit. If you're a good transposer
(which sadly, I cannot say I am...a deficiency that will likely not be
rectified until after I graduate again), you may get called in to fill in
an actual Tuba/String Bass part. The best option of course is a
contra-alto, but rather than buying that, you can still do pretty good
range wise with a Low C.

> 3) Mouthpiece?
> start, however, is the bass clarinet equivalent of Clark Fobes' Debut -
> serviceable and cheap, one that may not be optimal long-term but will work.

Roger Garrett's mouthpieces are relatively cheap (comparable in price to a
Hite, perhaps even a little less), and I like the results I get with it.
Walt G's stuff is pretty tasty, too, I hear, and I look forward to adding
one of his pieces to my mouthpiece set. (Then finish off the set with a
Fobes. With a Garrett, a Grabner, and a Fobes, I could probably play with
a broken jaw and still have a setup that sounds great!)

> 4) Brand?
> a) I get the impression that Leblancs aren't as good in this space of
> the market. Differ? Worth trying as well, or not bother?

Don't bother. From what I'm aware (which could very well be wrong),
LeBlanc hasn't bothered to update or improve their harmony clarinet line
since the '70s. If Ford was still selling Pintos and Mavericks today,
instead of Mazda6s and Volvo S40s, would you be buying from them? *grin*

> b) Anyone ever try the Yamaha professional model? I heard John Yeh play
> one, sounded terrific - but he likely would sound as good on a garden hose

The Yamahas seem to be an interesting anomoly...while there are minute
(yet distinct) differences between the Selmer and Buffet (details of which
can be found at
http://test.woodwind.org/Databases/Logs/2002/03/000746.txt ), it seems to
me that the general consensus is that they're both fantastic horns. If
you can't have one, you can still be VERY happy with the other. This does
not seem to be the case with the Yamaha...while some players are VERY
satisfied with it (players who would be almost as happy playing a Selmer
or a Buffet), there are players who find it just quirky enough that they
CAN'T live with it. I, for one, have not played one, but my continued
activity on the Yahoo Bass Clarinet listserv has seen many reports in this
manner. The long and short of it, I suppose, is just...try it, compare
it...you may like it, you may not.

But you can't go wrong with a Buffet. ^_^ (Or a Selmer.)

HTH

J. Shouryu Nohe
Grad Assistant, New Mexico State University
"I think we have a ghost in our house." - Kaycee Nicole
"I should probably be playing Buffet." - Steve Moore

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