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 Glissandos on bass
Author: Danova 
Date:   2011-04-17 05:55

I was told that it's actually easier to glissando on a bass than it is on a soprano. How do I go about doing it? I know it involves moving my jaw.
Just to note, my regular instruments are bass and Eb contra. The last time I really played a soprano was 5th grade.

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 Re: Glissandos on bass
Author: EEBaum 
Date:   2011-04-17 15:45

I would disagree with that. It's easy in the altissimo, but MUCH harder in the lower registers, due to the closed holes.

-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com

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 Re: Glissandos on bass
Author: Danny Boy 
Date:   2011-04-17 20:35

I would agree with the premise that it's easier to gliss on the bass - the manipulation of pitch with the throat/embouchure is much simpler.

Some time ago now I came across a piece for solo basset horn that called for 'harmonic glissing'. I couldn't quite get my head around the concept until I spoke to the clarinettist that the piece was composed for. It's easiest to practise the technique with the lowest notes of the bass (or basset horn). Play, say, low C - and as you do if you 'move' the sound to the very back of the throat. It is possible to produce the low C and an additional overtone much higher up in the range. This overtone can be manipulated over a huge range using the normal throat/embouchure note bending techniques you would use on Bb.

Now, as Alex has said, the normal type of gliss we're used to is much harder to achieve on bass because of the closed holes, but if you master this 'harmonic' gliss, then just about any gliss on the bass becomes possible with practice.

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 Re: Glissandos on bass
Author: EEBaum 
Date:   2011-04-17 22:20

Harmonic glissing is a hell of a lot easier on bass, and orders of magnitude easier yet on contrabass. This all takes place in the instrument's stratosphere, however. Which is an awesome place, and is where I'm spending most of my time lately. When someone talks about glissing, though, I generally think of the lower few registers (i.e. up to altissimo G or so). I can gliss pretty seamlessly from second-line D to altissimo B on Bb (and, hell, low G to altissimo G on Eb), but that range is not nearly as clean on bass.

You can do TONS of glissing with overtones on the low horns, but comparatively little with the fundamental. And even in the stratosphere, it's a fine line between pitch bending and jumping harmonics, and it can be tricky to iron out the kinks. The 3rd-7th partials are even kinda sketchy to make speak, depending on the instrument.

Do mess around with that. The 9th-15th partials are particularly juicy in my experience.


(for reference, on a low G, G is the fundamental, mid-staff D the 3rd partial, top staff B the 5th, F 7th, A 9th, etc. up the harmonic series)

-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com

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 Re: Glissandos on bass
Author: William 
Date:   2011-04-18 15:13

Try the Rhapsody in Blue opening on your bass starting on the basses G4 and glissing up to the C7. Once you hit B4, it's smooth glissing all the way up--and kind of fun. (hint--you are transposing all the original soprano notes up an octave)

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 Re: Glissandos on bass
Author: Ed Palanker 
Date:   2011-04-20 01:33

i can gliss pretty well on Bb clarinet but can't on bass. On clarinet I use a combination of sliding my fingers and voicing, I can't slide my fingers on the covered keys on the bass. I can do a slight lip gliss but not much more. For me, your statement is not true so it depends on the player. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com

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