 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Kerri
Date: 1999-12-26 00:35
Hi everyone and merry christmas!
I play the regular b flat clarinet but I'm going to audition for the school musical pit orchestra on the bass clarinet as well. I just have to learn to play it well. Does anyone have any helpful hints on playing the bass? My band director let me take one of the school's home for the xmas vacation to toot around on. I can play the middle notes pretty well (low c to middle e) but if I go above middle e or below low c, I have to be careful with my embrochure because the instrument will squeak. High c is impossible to get out, is this a note that is just not played on the bass? Are there limits to how high the bass can go?
I'll greatly appreciate any help.
Thanx!
Kerri
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Author: Daniel
Date: 1999-12-26 06:06
The bass can play higher than soprano easier; particularly a low C bass. I have little problem hitting "double-super C" (an octave above super C... sounds the same as Bb Soprano's super C) except that i haven't recorded the fingerings i use to play that high... though it's essentially overblowing lower partials.
Basses are much more finicky than sopranos. If you don't have a good horn (in good working order... doesn't have to be Selmer Model 37 low C or Buffet Prestige), or a super mouthpiece, you won't have much luck making a beautiful robust bass cl. sound in any register.. much less the clarion or higher. make sure you're reed isn't too soft or too hard. Most likely, if you play, say, Vandoren traditional 4's on soprano, you will probably need to go to about a 3 in the same brand for bass. But it also depends on your mouthpiece. From my experience, most bass mouthpieces need a 3 or 3.5 Vandoren. Of course, most of my bass mouthpiece experience has been with custom makers like Clark Fobes, Rick Sayre (his refaced Selmer model and his personal model) and Pomarico...but i've also played some stock Selmer C*'s... The Pomarico 2 used 2.5's, but everything else needed 3's.
Also, bass clarinet uses more "warm" air than soprano which uses "cool" air. To get used to tbe blowing pattern, try playing the clarion register slurred chromatically at a moderate tempo. Note how much air, how fast, and where your tongue needs to be to keep the pitch on center and how everything needs to reach the thumb C. Fiddle around with that until you get it 10 times in a row.. then start using articulation and keep the blowing the same.
I have other methods on bass which people tend to butcher me on here for bringing up. So feel free to e-mail me if you have any more questions.
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Author: SusieQ
Date: 1999-12-26 20:41
Daniel is right about finding a mouthpiece and reed combination that works. I use a Rico #3 Plasicover reed with my mouthpiece I am currently using, however they don't work at all with the mouthpiece that came with my bass. Another thing you might want to try to reach your high notes is, taking in a little more mouth piece. Loosen up your embocure (spelling ?) a bit, the bass clarinet takes a lot of air to get a full sound. I rarely see any music written above high C (thumb and register key) for the bass clarinet when playing in a group. My guess is that, it is getting into the soprano's range. Have fun learning the bass clarinet.
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Author: Kurt
Date: 1999-12-26 23:01
I've been playing for about 4 months and the first 3 I spent looking for reed/mouthpiece combo I was happy with. Finally settled on a Vandoren V45 and Vandoran #2.5 or 3 reeds(a box of Vandorens can be a bit of a crap shoot some times but I like to adjust them to suite anyway).
I've found the lower register is pretty easy and the very high end also. Problems have occurred for me around the break, strangley enough. And yes, a horn in great working order (no leaks or such) is even more important than a soprano. I found that springs with not enough tension would allow one of the keys to move if I hit certain notes hard resulting in an awful honk. Definately be sure you have no leaks.
Good luck. I love playing the bass and in some respects I find it easier for me (I have very large hands). Also, I find going back to the soprano is getting more and more difficult as I adapt to the bass; embochure, breathing etc. are different enough between the two.
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