 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Jason
Date: 2001-06-19 06:31
My band director is having me switch to the bass clarinet for next year, and while I've been playing it for little while, I have quite a few questions. For instance:
How exactly do you clean the bass clarinet? Do you just use a swab with a weight at the end like the regular B flat clarinet, or do I need something special? When I bought reeds for the bass, I thought #3 would suffice, since I have played the B flat for 4 years, but I am having a difficult time getting past a high G (i.e. right above the staff) and I usually squeak badly. Is there something I'm doing wrong, or should I try stepping down a reed number until I get the hang of it? Also, I was curious as to whether or not the bass clarinet music parts in high school bands get the "fun" melody parts that the B flat clarinets usually get, or would I get some kind of background rhythm thingy?
Answers to any or all of these questions will be much appreciated. Thanks a lot!
~Jason
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Author: Don Poulsen
Date: 2001-06-19 13:55
You are not going to get nearly as many melodies as you would with a soprano clarinet - or as many runs. In marches, you will frequently be doubling the tubas or trombones or playing on-beats against the french horns' off-beats. But you will get some cool stuff to play. In concert literature you will usually have a part that is uniquely yours, so you'll feel like you are contributing something.
I'll let someone more expert tackle your problem with reaching higher than a G, because it's not something I have run into in a long time. Could be a combination of having the right reed, a good mouthpiece and a well-adjusted instrument. Or an adjustment to your embouchure. (That covers about everything, doesn't it?)
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2001-06-19 14:49
Don P says it very well, thats my community band experience also. In concert music [high school and above] you will have frequent "solos" on low-note chord fundementals "setting the stage" for the melody parts in the clars and tpts, I like them!! I've played some orchestral "pops" bass cl parts, more interesting yet. I haven't played much highly classical music, the B C appears to have come into use in the late 1800s, but became an important wind. Others, please help. BC parts are seldom above top of staff [treble clef], and I've seen very few low D's C#'s or C's. The part in "Grand Canyon Suite, On the Trail" , Grofe, is well known, practice it, you may need it. Thereby hangs the tale re: Toscanini, auditioning BC players, didnt like several, the next one figured out the T was hard of hearing of bass notes, really blew it out and got the job!! A great story, TRUE?? Have fun, Don B
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Author: Brent
Date: 2001-06-19 15:32
Squeaking in the high register may or may not be a problem with the reed/mouthpiece combination (and don't forget the embouchure which will need to adjust some for the bass, but not tremendously). First question is this: does the instrument have a double register key--one which opens one hole for the lower clarion and another, higher up the tube, for the higher notes? If not, the entire 2nd register, especially the upper part, will be harder to play (in my experience anyway). It could be a leak, but i'd think that'd show up in the lower register as well.
If it is a mouthpiece issue, it just may be that the facing of that particular mouthpiece is different from the facing you are used to on the soprano instrument. If it's the mouthpiece that was with the school instrument, it may or may not be much good. Do you have the chance to try another MP?
Also, make sure you have enough mouthpiece in your mouth. Too little will make you sound thin and squawk a lot, as well as closing up the reed under too much pressure. You'll need significantly more than you are used to with the soprano clarinet.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2001-06-19 18:13
Brent's advice is also right on, I got off into parts and forgot the other ?s. My squeeks [I have a DRK -double reg. key Selmer, good horn!] come from my not seating the thumb pad and/or slightly touching the G# [knuckle key] particularly on the faster passages [with my small hands], so, concentrate on the fingerings! Any small pad leak [or imperfection] will also give you fits! I like the Selmer C* and Bundy 3 mps [the more-expensives didn't give me any help!] and use 2-2 1/2 tenor sax reeds, sanded on bottom, I only go high infrequently. Be sure to start the swab in the top of the UJ, can be pulled back out if sticking. Luck and fun, Don
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2001-06-19 18:19
Jason -
Easy things first. Most music stores will have or can order a large bass clarinet silk swab, with a large, rubber-covered weight and a long cord. You need one.
As to problems with the high notes, you should be able to get above clarion G on any bass clarinet. If you have trouble, even going up scalewise, then there are two possible sources of trouble.
If your instrument has a double register key mechanism (changing back and forth when you raise or lower your right ring finger), the problem is 99% sure to be that the lower register vent isn't closing completely when you raise your right ring finger. This is a constant problem with basses. Hold the lower vent closed with your right hand and play the clarion G. If it pops out, this is definitely the problem. The adjustment is tricky, so you should have it done at a repair shop.
The second possibility is that the reed has warped, with a ridge down the center-line of the underside, causing small leaks. This happens a lot on large reeds. Get a flat file or put a piece of 400 grit wet-or-dry (black coat) sandpaper over a sheet of plate glass, put your fingers on just the bark of the reed, press firmly and rub the reed several strokes back and forth long-ways. If you see a shiny streak down the middle of the bottom of the reed, but the rest is dull, warping is the problem. Work the bottom down until it's shiny all over. Make a few light strokes with your fingers on top of the vamp, too, on the part of the sandpaper that's worn or the part of the file that's filled with dust. This will make everything seal properly against the mouthpiece.
When you put the reed on the mouthpiece, set the tip of the reed slightly above tip of the mouthpiece (about the width of a thin pencil line). The reed has to bend along the curve of the mouthpiece, and on a large curve like the bass mouthpiece has, if you set the tip even with the mouthpiece, it will come up short and won't seal.
When you get the reeds right, you'll probably find you prefer a softer reed than on soprano. Try for richness and resonance as much as volume. Breathe starting all the way down at your belt-line, and continue inhaling until your chest rises on top of the air. Then let the air go, without pushing, or pushing only down. Coax it rather than blast it.
This now gets into the matter of enjoying what you play. You have to bring a different attitude to playing bass. You don't get much melody. Instead, you're the foundation for the rest of the clarinet section, and for the rest of the band. You carry them on your shoulders. You're the roots of the tree. Without you, the tree dies. If there's a thoughtful bassoon, trombone, baritone or tuba player in your band, get together and talk about it. Horn players can also be good to talk to, about how they kick the band along when the play "back beats" in waltz time.
There's a lot more to music than playing the melody. Mozart write that he preferred to play viola in a string quartet, so he could hear everything and support everything. When you play, bass, it's about helping everyone else play better.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: jenna
Date: 2001-06-19 22:11
My experiences have just been that maybe there isn't a huge problem, you just need time and practice. I usually play alto clar, and i can play just about as high as i can play soprano, but i rarely am in that situation. On the rare occasions i find myself on bass, I know a lot of my trouble is just that I don't get the play time, and my embouchure and everything just aren't accustomed to it. You have to modify your mouth, your air flow - a few different factors, to be successful. Just take in more mouthpiece (seems to help me) and keep at it. You'll eventually work it out on your own, assuming it isn't a problem with the instrument itself.
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Author: David Kinder
Date: 2001-06-20 03:01
Do you have a wood two-piece bass clarinet, or a one piece plastic? Either way, you'll want to find a way to clean it with a swab. I've never found a swab for a one-piece plastic bass. If anyone finds one, please let me know!
Also, double check the positioning of your bass clarinet. If your neck goes straight into your mouth, you'll want to move the bell closer to under your chair to get a better clarinet tone. Otherwise, you'll sound like a plastic saxophone.
For your higher notes, you'll need a constant air stream. For notes above high C, there's usually another place for your left index finger that allows a 'vent' above your first finger. Just take a look, and you'll understand what I'm talking about. Try using that as an alternate fingering, and you should be able to hit those notes better.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2001-06-20 17:06
David -
I have a large, silk bass clarinet swab with a cord long enough to go through a 1-piece instrument. I got it at Weiner Music, so I'm sure it's in their catalog.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Mike Harrelson
Date: 2001-06-21 03:45
Many companies make swabs for bass clarinets. And, the body swabs (not pad savers) for my Alto and Tenor Sax's work fine on my one piece BC.
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