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 RE: bass/contra clarinet parts
Author: Fred McKenzie 
Date:   1999-03-10 22:27

Contragirl wrote:
-------------------------------
Who said anything about playing loud to be heard? I play loud because it's the only way to play!

C.G.-

Your experience seems different from mine. I find that most Bass Clarinet players may blow hard, but the volume of sound they produce is not that great.

How loud should we play? Let's play louder and find out. If the director doesn't tell us to quiet down, then we must not be loud enough yet. Seldom will the director say anything about playing too loud unless we cover-up the Oboe!

Now, about that Oboe. One of the problems I've been working on for years, is how to play softer. The Bass Clarinet doesn't seem to have a very wide dynamic range. If I get any sound to come out, it isn't a true pianissimo.

On the other hand, if I blow as hard as I can, it isn't nearly as loud as many other instruments. You may not hear us at all during loud passages with everyone else blowing their brains out.

Fred



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 RE: bass/contra clarinet parts
Author: Daniel 
Date:   1999-03-11 03:40



Fred McKenzie wrote:
-------------------------------

Now, about that Oboe. One of the problems I've been working on for years, is how to play softer. The Bass Clarinet doesn't seem to have a very wide dynamic range. If I get any sound to come out, it isn't a true pianissimo.

On the other hand, if I blow as hard as I can, it isn't nearly as loud as many other instruments. You may not hear us at all during loud passages with everyone else blowing their brains out.

Fred



I've never had a problem playing so soft i can barely be heard on bass. yet i've also never had much problem playing so loud that people run covering their ears.... of course, no one with any taste would play that loud unless the music requested it so so i don't do it but when i'm extremely bored.

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 RE: bass/contra clarinet parts
Author: Don Poulsen 
Date:   1999-03-11 14:11

I agree with Daniel that playing softly on a bass clarinet has never been a problem. It's not hard to play so softly that I can diddle unnoticed on my instrument while the director is working with another section (not always a recommended practice). With my new instrument, I can get fairly loud, but I don't think that I could compete with, say, a blaring trumpet.

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 RE: bass/contra clarinet parts
Author: Angel 
Date:   1999-03-14 03:08

I can play so softly that I can just barley be heard yet I can play so loud that I stick out over a band. I know most often that I need to be in between those two extreams. Basically the more support you can put behind your air the louder you will play. The deeper breath and the air support from your stomach will work. It also helps play softly but rememeber to stay IN TUNE!!!!!!!!!

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