 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: wjk
Date: 2002-06-13 20:07
Why is the basset horn considered to be so tempermental an instrument to play? Do the physical-acoustic properties of the instrument make it more difficult to play than other members of the clarinet family?
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Author: Gnomon
Date: 2002-06-14 07:53
Yes, the Basset Horn is a normal clarinet which has been made longer but not wider. This makes it more difficult to get the low notes. It also means, though that the top notes are as easy to play as a normal clarinet, so it has a bigger range than the Alto clarinet. The Alto clarinet has the bore widened to match the extra length, so the bottom notes come out easier, but you lose out at the top of the range. The tone of the two instruments is also quite different from each other.
To confuse things, some manufacturers offer Basset Horns which have a wide bore, so they are really more like alto clarinets in a different key.
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Author: beejay
Date: 2002-06-14 08:39
I find my basset horn easier to play than my b-flat clarinet. But it took me a year to find a mouthpiece I liked (courtesy of Ed Pillinger in London) and to develop a more relaxed embouchure. Thanks to this, I no longer squeak. My instrument has a relatively wide bore but the sound is ravishing -- not at all like an alto clarinet.
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Author: Ed
Date: 2002-06-14 13:52
If you have one of the larger bore bassets, Hite mouthpieces work well.
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