 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: wyatt
Date: 2003-11-12 15:07
i have a low Eb key on my Buffet and have never used it. As a matter of fact I havn't seen any pieces that have that note.
If this is the case why pay extra for the key?
If I'm wrong and low Eb is common how do you play the note if you havn't got the key?
2 questions for the price of one.
bob
bob gardner}ÜJ
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Author: BobD
Date: 2003-11-12 15:23
only speaking from heresay, not experience: I think you have a "full Boehm"horn....good for you. You haven't played the right classical music yet. Some horns come with the key....you don't pay extra for it. If you ain't got it ,don't play the Eb note......or stay tuned.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2003-11-12 16:12
It's so you can play all the notes in a part written for "A" clarinet on your Bb clarinet (transposed a half-step down, of course). It's my understanding that traditionally theater musicians in southern Europe (especially Italy) did not own "A" clarinets, instead used full-Boehm Bb instruments and transposed all the "A" parts.
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Author: hans
Date: 2003-11-12 19:06
"how do you play the note if you havn't got the key?"
This was discussed a few months ago. Here is the thread:
http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/read.html?f=1&i=116340&t=116291#reply_116340
Regards,
Hans
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Author: William
Date: 2003-11-12 19:29
Aside from needing it to transpose a written low E for A clarinet on Bb, I have actually seen it written in some orchestral literature and ensemble parts for Bb clarinet. I think my remedy--as I do not have a full Boehm instrument--was to play the entire phrase up an octave and avoid a very awkward sounding octave leap in the middle of a low note motif. My motto, where there's a will(iam), there is a way (My way). Sorry that this probably does not help too much.
BTW, do you notice an increased sonority having the extra extension for low Eb on your full Boehm?? (I'm still thinking about low C bass clarinets having an inheriant better sound overall than low Eb models)
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Author: contragirl
Date: 2003-11-12 19:32
I too have heard of the full boehm system's purpose as being for transposing A clarinet music. Now, tell me why there is a low Eb model A clarinet on ebay... acoording the guy selling it. I emailed him and told him it is probably a Bb clarinet because the full boehm was used for transposing A clarinet music, but he says "it's absolutely an A!"
Alright.
Heh,
Contragirl the Contranator
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Author: sfalexi
Date: 2003-11-12 20:53
PLus, I would assume (and maybe incorrectly) that if you need to do a quick maneuver across the break from the clarion to the throat Bb and back to clarion, that perhaps this key can make life a little easier.
You also now have another option for a resonating fingering for your throat A and Bb (or just use it for the Bb).
Also, if you are playing in the altissimo register, you may be able to use this key should you need to bring down the tuning a bit (I know the C key is sometimes used for certain fingerings of certain notes up there).
Alexi
US Army Japan Band
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-11-12 21:20
contragirl... Full Boehm clarinets (which would include the low Eb key) are made in both Bb and A ...GBK (who owns an Amati full Boehm A)
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Author: Gary Van Cott
Date: 2003-11-12 22:45
It is my understanding that the clarinet part for Peter and the Wolf was written for a B-flat clarinet with a low E-flat.
Gary
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Author: diz
Date: 2003-11-12 23:45
GBK owns more clarinets than most music retailers ...
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2003-11-13 01:09
Diz,
It's a sickness! I think I may be catching it as well but I have been coveting Leblancs.
HRL
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Author: msroboto
Date: 2003-11-13 01:37
You do see low Eb from time to time even in the band lit.
Festive Overture comes to mind - the band arrangement.
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Author: Maarten
Date: 2003-11-14 09:22
Hello
I have a Slemer CT Bb full boehm with low Eb. The low Eb is also useful when playing transcriptions from string orchestra for a wind orchestra. I had once the oportunity to use it in a transcription from Orffs Carmina Burana. That was the only time in the 5 years I have the instrument.
I also use it to play Bb, but you should be careful with the intonation. It is easy in quick passages though!
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2003-11-14 13:48
On French-bore instruments, the lower joint bore starts expanding a little over halfway down, and the top of the bell is significantly smaller. This is deliberate and reflects the vibrations back up the bore, reinforcing the tone. Extending the bore thus requires a redesign of both the lower joint bore and the bell.
Most instruments with the low Eb don't do this. As a result, the clarion low Bb is unusable, and, more often than not, the low notes of the chalumeau and clarion lose resonance. Kalmen Opperman says he's never seen a really great instrument with the Eb extension. Also, the extra weight, leveraged at the end of the instrument, has been a problem on the ones I've tried, though I suppose I could get used to it.
On the other hand, you get a low E and middle B that are not "bell" tones, and, in theory, the scale is more even, and, of course, you can transpose A clarinet parts without compromising.
For whatever reason, I've never played an instrument with the low Eb that I've liked much. The problem is particularly severe with the A clarinet, which, at least in the Buffet R-13 design, is a compromise of the Bb bore to begin with.
Personally, I prefer to play a low Eb bass clarinet to a low C one. For me, the extended instrument is more clumsy than vibrant (though the current Buffet model has largely solved that problem). Certainly all basset A clarinets I've tried have been hard to play, even disregarding the extra weight.
There's a similar disagreement among flutists. Some believe a B foot increases resonance, but others play a C foot for everything that doesn't require a low B, or maybe low C. Some makers (e.g., Brannen) offer a D foot, which has only the Eb key on it, and a friend who has one has a much clearer and more flexible sound using it.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Wes
Date: 2003-11-16 08:36
It is suspected that some players think the low E and middle B tuning is better on a full Boehm clarinet. My ancient full Boehm Buffet clarinet is not as good in tune as my 1971 R13 clarinet on these notes, however. It is lighter in weight than the R13 because the R13 has thicker wood walls. It has a companion in A with a low Eb.
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Author: Snowy
Date: 2003-11-17 05:33
-maiden post- from player of Selmer 10s, 10 and Amati A (all f/b's)
How is it that everyone complains bitterly about the weight of a full boehm instrument yet will happily don a basset for the K622 ?
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