 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2009-09-10 23:20
I recently acquired a fine wooden Leblanc bass. Before, I played a humble plastic Artley (Bundy stencil) bass. The Artley came with the old-style "Tenor Sax" neck while the Leblanc had a re-angled Bay-style crook. Being tired of tilting my neck back I was delighted to test the new neck - a much more natural position.
Now, today I played that beast in rehearsal, two hours in a row. Much to my dismay I found out that the nice new neck had indeed the better angle, but that meant that the right hand was about three inches further down, at least for that specific setup. Which is at least one inch beyond my comfort zone.
Now my wrist hurts from the unfamiliar position, and I'm really unsure whether the pros of the new neck outweigh its drawbacks.
This just as a reminder to play-test a new instrument for longer than just that half an hour in the shop. Certain peculiarities only materialize themselves after extended periods of playing.
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Ben
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-09-11 11:07
Personally I've never liked the Bay style neck because I've always felt that the bass clarinet should not be approached like a clarinet. Of course the other extreme, like a Sax, is not acceptable either in my opinion. I play an older Selmer so the neck is only slightly angled so I do play with my head bent back some to get under the mouthpiece, sort of in between a clarinet and sax angle. The newer model Selmers and Buffets have a more acute angle so one does not have to bend their heads back as much to achieve the same thing but they won't work on my model. At least after all these years I have very strong neck muscles. Yes I agree, there is always a trade off when you get something different, be careful. ESP
http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-09-11 13:25
With the steeply angled Buffet crooks I tend to play bass and basset horn with it angled outwards to get a better (shallower) angle with the mouthpiece - but the right arm is stretched (though not uncomfortably for me) with it held at this angle.
The problem with low C basses is having a decent height chair to sit on - most chairs are fine, but some are way too low, though a low chair is fine for basset horn to get a comfortable playing angle.
I wouldn't mind a much shallower angled crook for both, but I don't think Buffet make them for basses and basset horns and not sure if a Selmer crook will fit on a Buffet bass.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2009-09-11 13:37
Attachment: FlexNeck.jpg (10k)
> I wouldn't mind a much shallower angled crook for both, but I don't think
> Buffet make them for basses and basset horns and not sure if a Selmer
> crook will fit on a Buffet bass.
Wouldn't this be a neat weekend project...? (see att.)
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Ben
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-09-11 13:43
I was talking to a sousaphone player about something like this not so long ago - a (sousaphone) crook like a bendy straw so you can bend it to any angle you like.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2009-09-11 14:37
>> I wouldn't mind a much shallower angled crook for both, but I
>> don't think Buffet make them for basses and basset horns and
>> not sure if a Selmer crook will fit on a Buffet bass.
I don't remember who, I think someone from Buffet, told me I should be able to special order a less angled neck. I tried to get a less angled bass neck from Buffet directly, didn't work. Tried several dealers. Two were told it is possible to special order it. One actually ordered it from Buffet, and the neck that arrived was a regular neck. Another dealer was told it is possible to special order the less angled neck, but for months he couldn't get an answer to how/when and other details. Eventually I gave up. Since then I just got used to this angle and forgot about it.
The Selmer neck won't fit into the Buffet, the tenon is too wide. The difference is small enough so the Buffet neck fits into a Selmer and is not even always loose.
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Author: GeorgeL ★2017
Date: 2009-09-11 14:56
Can you move the thumb rest - and therefore your right hand - up the body a little so your fingers are at less of an angle to the clarinet? I put my thumb on top of the thumb rest of my 30 year old wooden Selmer bass clarinet, and I did the same with a plastic Selmer contra-alto I played for a year.
You may lose form points, but if your finger reaches the key, it will operate.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2009-09-11 15:50
> Can you move the thumb rest
Tried that. But if I don't hold the hand perpendicular to the body, my pinky won't reach the spatulas any longer.
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Ben
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2009-09-11 15:53
Josef Horak played an older low-C Selmer with a non-angled neck. He set the floor peg to hold the instrument a bit higher, sat forward in the chair, braced his right foot against the right front leg of the chair, and tucked the end of the peg against the heel of his right shoe.
The down side is that it takes continuous effort to hold the instrument and as a practical matter requires a neck strap to hold the instrument up for notes where you have only a few fingers down.
Ken Shaw
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