 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: illibero
Date: 2004-05-14 08:35
Hi everybody. I have a very serious problem with getting notes below G, specifically any of the notes that need pinky keys such as F, E and E flat. Whenever i venture into the depths of the bass clarinet range, i keep squawking or overblowing. I can slur from C down to F, but i can`t start on the lower notes. i`ve tried a lot of things, such as practising heaps with the bass, using more mouthpiece, using less, adjusting the ligature, adjusting my body position but nothing happens. No one else seems to have this problem, BUT I DO!!!!!!!!!!!
I normally play soprano but for our band i play bass
Your ideas are extremely welcome
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Author: lepetitsuisse
Date: 2004-05-14 10:26
make sure that
- your bass does not have any crack
- your register vent (evtl. double register vent) is closing correctly
I once had this problem while playing on a low e-flat bass that I was given to play in a marching band. The insrument has been used for years on otudoor gigs. It had a double register vent, but neither of the two was closing correctly. Slurring down to low Eflat was possible but not directly start anything below low G
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Author: illibero
Date: 2004-05-14 11:35
The bass clarinet is a new one. There are no cracks, it's plastic and there are no leaks. Other people in the band who also play the same bass clarinet i play don't have any problems with it.
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Author: lepetitsuisse
Date: 2004-05-14 13:31
You might want to check following options:
Play a harder reed. Usually people tend to overblow when changing from B-clarinet and using too soft reeds. As you say that you are not only overblowing but also squawking, it seems to me that your reed is really too soft!
I assume that you do not have a Bay neck and therefore the angle between mouth and mouthpiece might to flat for you. Try to put the peg of your bass way below the chair in order to obtain a more B-clarinet-like playing position. Use a neckstrap to hold the bass in place, otherwise it tends to fall over.
'hope this helps...
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2004-05-14 14:10
It takes ONLY a very small leak, usually in the upper [joint] keying, to act as a "register key" being open and then causing the jumping of 12 ths or more [squeeks]. What make is it?, most plastics do not have double register keying [therefore do not have a key on the neck], just a small key up high and a larger pad to give the "pinch" Bb. Any leak in these mechanism's pads, or in the upper trill key's pads, or A and G# pads could cause your problems. You prob. need to find a competent bass cl repairer. Dave S et al, have you other thots to help?? Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2004-05-14 14:37
I should have included the thumb pad in the "leak-potential group", I fought one there, for some time. I believe I found it by putting a piece of masking tape over the tone hole and playing , its a simple method of analysis. Luck, Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2004-05-14 21:25
illibero -
You say there are other people in the band who play the same bass clarinet as you do. Do you mean the same model, or the identical instrument? If it's the same model -- well, any instrument, even a new one, can have leaks, and bass clarinets are notorious for leaking.
On the other hand, if other people can play your instrument, then the question is whether they're using your mouthpiece and your reed. Mouthpieces are inconsistent, and easy to ding, particularly on the corners. Try someone else's mouthpiece, and a new reed.
Bass clarinet reeds tend to warp down the middle on the bottom, producing leaks. Put the bottom of the reed on sandpaper. Press hard on just the bark area and sand the bottom down until it’s shiny all over. Also, tighten the ligature up completely snug, and then back off each screw 1/4 turn.
If other people can play your setup without squeaking, then it's something you're doing. One of the most common problems is putting downward pressure on the mouthpiece with your upper teeth. Look at where the neck fits into the body. If it's tilted back even a little, it may be leaking there. Similarly, putting downward pressure on the mouthpiece may open up a poorly welded seam in the neck, or a leak around the mouthpiece tenon, or the tuning slide in the neck (if your instrument has one).
Another possibility is that when you reach for the keys with your left little finger, you're changing your hand position so that you're no longer covering the small hole in the left index finger key.
Try turning the neck halfway around, and have someone else blow on the mouthpiece while you finger. Then, you blow and have the other person finger.
Try playing double lip -- that is, with your upper lip over your teeth. That will prevent putting any downward pressure on the mouthpiece, and will also help prevent having your brains scrambled by the vibration. (I play double lip full time on all instruments.)
Good luck. Give us a report on how you're doing.
Ken Shaw
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Author: illibero
Date: 2004-05-15 01:33
Thanks for all the comments, they are all very appreciated.
To answer the question about other people playing the bass clarinet in my band, yes, they play the identical one i play. We sort of rotate the two that we have... There is a policy that we must all use our own mouthpiece. My teacher and band director say that because i'm a loud player on soprano i don't require an excellent mouthpiece, so i use a standard yamaha 4c. The bass clarinet itself is a Yamaha 221, brand new.
Ken, the thing you said about shifting the left index finger and therefore uncovering the little hole is quite intriguing, because i never thought it was necessary to cover it. The left index finger key on the bass clarinet i play is shaped like a figure 8, the bottom half of the 8 does not have a hole in it and is there for those of us with smaller hands and fingers to use so i don't have to stretch so much. I will try to cover the hole all the time now.
The subject about reed strength: I play on Vandoren 3's on my soprano and it was suggested that i use something a tad softer on the bass clarinet. I use Rico Royal 2 1/2 reeds on the bass clarinet.
Is it possible that my mouth is too small for the bass clarinet mouthpiece? I was going to play tenor saxophone but the music directors at my school suggested clarinet because of my embouchure size, or lack of it.
Thanks for all the help!
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Author: illibero
Date: 2004-05-15 03:18
Good news!!!
I've been playing low eflats at fff dynamics to my hearts content for the past hour!!
The problem was that i wasn't covering the little hole on the left index finger, as Ken had pointed out as a possiblility. As i said earlier, that particular key is shaped in an 8, the top part of the 8 having the hole and bottom one being there for no particular reason except to confuse and frustrate beginning bass clarinetists such as me! I'm not sure whether other models of bass clarinets have this weird feature. If it is unique to yamaha, someone ought to complain.
I don't know how to thank you guys, because our band director just gave us a piece that requires a bass clarinet solo which does not venture past low G.
You guys are life savers!!!
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