 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2003-04-12 03:37
I am now playing a bass clarinet in my community band. They just bought their own (thanks to being "taken over" by the local town government and, for the first year since they've began, being granted a $10,000 a year budget for music, and any equipment they might need such as a bass clarinet . . .). They bought a refurbished Bundy Resonite bass clarinet with stock everything. The mouthpiece says Bundy 3 on it and it's a standard metal lig. The ligature CONSTANTLY slips up the mouthpiece and won't stay tight on the reed, but I remember other posts about a way to fix this problem and that's not the main problem. (I mention the other posts so a certain poster doesn't have to eloquently point it out to me once again. I didn't appreciate the way it was done the first time)
The main problem is that I find that for some reason, there seems to be a lot more saliva involved. After playing for about 20 minutes, each tongue of the reed and force of air seems to spray the chair in front of me (which thank God was empty) and at that point, if I turn the clarinet upsidedown, I can create a mini-flood at my feet by pointing the mouthpiece there.
Also, when I take my reed off, it looks as though it's been soaking in a puddle of water for about four hours.
Is it the reed, embouchre, is it just an "unconscious" effort to keep the larger reed wet, or any combination of the above? And of course, if possible, can you please list possible solutions.
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: Bass Clarinet
Date: 2003-04-12 05:43
It's just kind of something that happens at first. When I switched to contralto, I had that exact problem, but it cleared up pretty quickly. I think it must be some sort of effort to keep the reed nice and moist.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2003-04-13 18:58
I've been playing bass cl for some time now, and haven't had any appreciable problems. I do need to "swallow" at times, partic. [I think] when I'm tired and "weak-lipped". I generally play SR or LaVoz tenor sax reeds on a Pomarico 3 glass [sapphire, now, I believe {open}] mp. I have a good Vandoren 2 TS which I like for higher volume [band] playing, and I do notice wet-reed differences. Keep working at it. Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2003-04-14 14:07
Alexi,
Get used to the "saliva ocean" --- it's pretty much part of playing bass clarinet (although I'm still not as wet as my good friend and next-seat neighbor the bassoonist!). Comes with the job. Keep a bottle of drinking water by your side to stay hydrated while you play.
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Author: Molliweide
Date: 2003-04-15 16:31
Actually if you are using the standard George Bundy 3 mouthpiece, that is the culprit. That thing is a regular drool fest. There seems to be alot of space in the railings. I switched to a Yamaha MP and the problem dried up, but the Yamaha MP is a hard blow.
Actually the best MP it have ever had on a Bundy was a Maesteller MP made in good ole Battle Creek MI.
Post Edited (2003-04-15 17:34)
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2003-04-15 20:12
Molliweide may be right --- many stock mouthpieces (not just Bundy 3s, which actually are among the better stock low clarinet mouthpieces) have side rails which are too long or uneven, which result in air loss/difficulty in sealing, just as a warped reed will do --- this can cause the player to produce an excess of saliva. But no matter how good the mouthpiece, I think you'll produce a fair bit of the stuff when playing bass clarinet. Just find an unobtrusive spot on the floor and tilt that thing back frequently (with mouthpiece on, no need to remove it each time) and shake the horn a bit to get the stuff out. I find myself "dumping" probably every half-page of music or even more often.
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Author: Bob A
Date: 2003-04-15 22:32
Dave, I collect in "your" modified neck". To vent it I would have to shove the whole instrument skyward?? So, yank the neck and shake??Bob A
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2003-04-16 14:03
Bob,
Even with the re-angled neck, procedure is the same: Just leave the neck and mouthpiece on, and tilt the bass clarinet back (nearly upside down) while shaking it --- make sure your bell doesn't hit the music stand or the flute player in front of you!
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Author: graham
Date: 2003-04-17 09:20
Not saliva (for the most part) but just condensation from damp air from the lungs. The more air used, the greater the flood. But I suppose that distinction does not help solve the problem as such.
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