 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Simon Aldrich
Date: 2010-05-27 17:25
My contemporary ensemble is going to New York City for two concerts in October.
For those concerts we need to rent a contrabass clarinet and a bass clarinet (as touring with bass clarinets has become a nightmare).
Does anyone know of a place that has a contrabass clarinet for rental?
If they rented a bass clarinet as well (preferably a new Buffet) that would be a plus.
Thanks in advance,
----------------------------------------------------
Simon Aldrich
Clarinet Faculty - McGill University
Principal Clarinet - Orchestre Metropolitain de Montreal
Principal Clarinet - Orchestre de l'Opera de Montreal
Artistic Director - Jeffery Summer Concerts
Clarinet - Nouvel Ensemble Moderne
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Author: weberfan
Date: 2010-05-27 21:32
Simon,
I can suggest a good place to start. Call Roberto's Winds, on West 46th Street. (212)-391-1313. His clientele is heavily professional...jazz, Broadway... so he's plugged into the music scene in New York. Another thought is a member of this board, John Moses, a pit and studio musician of considerable renown hereabouts. After that, I'd call the press office at the Philharmonic. Ask for Eric Latzky.
Good luck.
Post Edited (2010-05-28 02:46)
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2010-05-28 16:17
Maybe so Ed, try Wright Music also.
Just a thought:
When I toured years ago with the Berio Ensemble, a contemporary music group. I insisted they have built instrument "trunks" that would insulate & protect out larger horns from any damage on the planes & trains on which we traveled. They may have been costly to build, but worked great!
You might consider having something like that made in Canada for your tour & any future travel plans for your group.
Many NYC touring groups use similar trunks for plane travel to protect their larger instruments, You probably won't be able to rent anything nearly as good as your players own instruments.
There are at least 10 EEb ConraALTO clarinet players with instruments here in town, and about 4 BBb ContraBASS clarinets that some of the guys have. Will they rent them...?
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
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Author: Simon Aldrich
Date: 2010-05-29 02:31
"When I toured years ago with the Berio Ensemble, a contemporary music group. I insisted they have built instrument "trunks" that would insulate & protect out larger horns from any damage on the planes & trains on which we traveled. They may have been costly to build, but worked great!
You might consider having something like that made in Canada for your tour & any future travel plans for your group."
Hi John - We had special cases made, just like you describe. A few years ago some airlines (like Air France) lowered the allowable weight that can be sent in cargo.
In some instances, we were forced to unload the trunks at the check-in counter and put the bass clarinets on our backs, distribute music and various percussion instruments, etc.
Another things that happens with those trunks, when they are accepted, is that they don't arrive on time. Airlines sell their cargo space to brokers who resell it. The cargo which occupies space sold to brokers has priority over the cargo belonging to the passengers on the plane! If there is too much cargo, the passengers' cargo gets left behind. We learned this on a tour to Australia. The instruments in their trunks arrived four days late.
Now we rent all the instruments we used to send in cargo. It's more expensive (except in Europe where the festivals rent the instruments for us) but much less of a headache.
Thanks very much John and Weberfan for your thoughts.,
Simon
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Author: normancult
Date: 2010-05-29 13:11
Give a call to Kristin Bertrand.
She is the Buffet representative in NYC and know a lot of woodwind players.
646-670-6565
kristin@woodwindworkshop.com
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2010-05-29 14:29
>>Another things that happens with those trunks, when they are accepted, is that they don't arrive on time. Airlines sell their cargo space to brokers who resell it. The cargo which occupies space sold to brokers has priority over the cargo belonging to the passengers on the plane!>>
That's outrageous -- another reason for a stronger passengers' bill of rights.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2010-05-29 15:22
One final thought:
Buy an extra plane seat or two for the horns. Our cellists do, & it keeps their instruments safe right next to them!
Cheaper than renting these days, and better horns to use when you get there.
Just another idea.
The guys here probably won't rent you their great horns, but would love to play with your group.
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
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Author: Simon Aldrich
Date: 2010-05-29 17:38
Tom and Normancult - Thanks for your thoughts as well.
John wrote: "The guys here probably won't rent you their great horns, but would love to play with your group."
That is what some of them indicated to me privately. If I owned a contrabass I wouldn't rent it out either.
The piece in question (by Jonathan Harvey) requires only that the contrabass player play multiphonics and whale sounds based on a low C. The composer requests in the part that the instrument be a Selmer low C rosewood instrument (because someone told him that the Selmer instrument produces richer multiphonics). We played the Harvey on tour in Europe and they have a lot more money for music over there. The festivals would rent a low C Selmer rosewood contrabass for us since that what Harvey specifies.
In Nice, France the festival spent over 1000 euros to rent the Selmer contrabass and have it driven up from Paris!!
In Europe the instrument would be waiting next to my chair before the dress rehearsal (and not before). I would see if the low C came out (which it never did easily) and figure out what to do to hold a low C. The solution was always to hold the low C key closed with my foot.
Someone wrote a while ago that one has to be a repairman if you intend on playing a rosewood contrabass, since the soft rosewood is more susceptible to humidity changes and that in turn affects the mechanism. In essence the instrument needs adjustment every time you open the case.
The mechanisms on the Selmer rosewood instruments never worked. I couldn't actually "play" anything on the instrument - the keys on the low notes often did not open and close easily.
I simply fingered a low C and then kept the low keys closed, sometimes with a foot, sometimes with a foot and a leg, sometimes with two feet and a leg, sometimes with two feet and two legs. At one point the low C came out best when I held keys down with two feet and two legs, the other clarinetist held down two keys with his hand and the trombonist behind me kept a key closed with his trombone slide (we didn't perform it like that however). I wondered if the leaky low C actually helped me get better whale sounds!
Harvey indicates in the part that if the contrabass does not descend to a low C, one has to play the multiphonics an octave higher, based on the middle C. That middle C on contrabass is of course a low C on a low C bass clarinet so I will play it on regular low C bass clarinet.
I have since heard that a Selmer rep indicated that as far as he knew, no rosewood low C contrabass clarinets had been imported into the U.S. so in a way that gets me off the hook.
Thanks everyone for your input.
----------------------------------------------------
Simon Aldrich
Clarinet Faculty - McGill University
Principal Clarinet - Orchestre Metropolitain de Montreal
Principal Clarinet - Orchestre de l'Opera de Montreal
Artistic Director - Jeffery Summer Concerts
Clarinet - Nouvel Ensemble Moderne
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Author: Merlin_Williams
Date: 2010-05-31 12:01
You're in Montreal, and you're just going to NYC?
If it's just an out and back, why not drive?
I used to be approached to rent out my contras and bass sax, and indeed did loan them out on occasion for recording projects. There's maybe a small handful of players who I'd extend that courtesy to.
Nowadays, I tend to hold fast to the "you want my horn; I come with it" line.
Jupiter Canada Artist/Clinician
Stratford Shakespeare Festival musician
Woodwind Doubling Channel Creator on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/WoodwindDoubling
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Author: Simon Aldrich
Date: 2010-05-31 13:38
Hello Merlin
>You're in Montreal, and you're just going to NYC?
>If it's just an out and back, why not drive?
We don't have the time to drive. It is about 7 hours into NYC from Montreal, not including border crossing delays. We travel on the day of the first concert, which means arriving at the hall around 5 pm. That's not enough time to do a contemporary music setup and dress rehearsal.
Also, the day after the second concert I have a dress reh and chamber music concert back in Montreal. Again, driving back is not an option with those time constraints. Not to mention the fatigue factor.
>Nowadays, I tend to hold fast to the "you want my horn; I come with it" line.
Wise, in light of the fact that few people treat a horn as well as its owner.
Simon
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Author: John J. Moses
Date: 2010-05-31 16:23
"I have since heard that a Selmer rep indicated that as far as he knew, no rosewood low C contrabass clarinets had been imported into the U.S. so in a way that gets me off the hook."
Maybe your Selmer rep. doesn't consider NYC in the US, but I work with two great low C ContraBass players who both own fantastic Rosewood Selmer Contras. They can be heard on numerous films we've recorded in NY over many years.
Most of the Broadway guys use the plastic BUNDY ContraAltos or the famous metal LeBlanc "paperclip" ContraBass Clarinets.
JJM
Légère Artist
Clark W. Fobes Artist
Post Edited (2010-05-31 16:33)
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Author: Christopher Bush
Date: 2010-05-31 20:40
I seem to remember that the Manhattan School of Music had a rather extensive instrument library and has been in the past willing to rent the instruments out.
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Author: Merlin_Williams
Date: 2010-06-01 00:51
Simon,
You did mention that the only note you need on the contra is the low C, which you then play multiphonics off of.
Do you need to vent any keys to get these notes, or are they all overblown from that fundamental?
If so, my inclination would be to get a length of ABS pipe of the same inside diameter, fit the contra m/p to it, and then cut to length to achieved the desired pitch.
Jupiter Canada Artist/Clinician
Stratford Shakespeare Festival musician
Woodwind Doubling Channel Creator on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/WoodwindDoubling
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