 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Kurt
Date: 2000-01-24 22:42
My new Vito bass clarinet while very good in the mid and low ranges seems to have a hard time above high Bb. If I attack the notes they come out as if the register key was not pushed in at all. THe notes have to be approched very carfully. My other instrument does not have this problem at all. Any suggestions?
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2000-01-25 14:58
Kurt wrote:
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My new Vito bass clarinet while very good in the mid and low ranges seems to have a hard time above high Bb. If I attack the notes they come out as if the register key was not pushed in at all. THe notes have to be approched very carfully. My other instrument does not have this problem at all. Any suggestions?
Kurt -
Unlike most bass clarinet upper register problems, yours is definitely *not* caused by misadjustment of the double register key mechanism, because the Vito bass has only a single register key. However, the top model basses don't add a double key mechanism just on whim or to push the price up. The lower pitch clarinets really need it to speak well in the upper register.
The Leblanc compromise is a single register vent, placed at the very top of the upper joint. It works, but not really well. Still, you need to check the operation.
Since the instrument is new and therefore still under warranty, you should take it to the repair shop at the store where it was bought. Ask them to make sure the inside of the register vent is clean and doesn't have any burrs or other fit-and-finish problems. Then, you should sit with the repair person and experiment with how far the key opens. If it opens too far, this can interfere with the top of the high register. Usually the key should rise only about 3/32 of an inch.
If the key does not have a cork pad, a cork should be installed, since the soft surface of a leather or felt pad can interfere with the air flow. Also, it's often useful to bevel the cork outside the area where it contacts the vent rim, once again to avoid interfering with the air flow.
The bass clarinet is designed to play best in the low register. For the high register, the part is written instead for the alto or soprano clarinet. Likewise, most bass mouthpieces (particularly the student level ones) are designed to have a very strong, resonant tone in the low register, at the expense of easy playing in the high register.
A different mouthpiece may help.
What will certainly help is increasing breath support. Sit up straight and breath all the way to the bottom of your abdomen. Let the air fill you up, rather than sucking it in. Keep filling up until your chest rises, riding on top of the bubble of air. Then let the air move out by its own weight, rather than be blowing.
Lawrie Bloom, the Chicago bass clarinetist, has an excellent exercise for this, which is to do the breathing exercise with a clarinet barrel held in your mouth like a cigar. This gets you used to moving lots of air with little resistance, which is how playing the bass should feel.
Good luck.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Kurt
Date: 2000-01-28 01:28
I'll keep these things in mind. Especially the amount of reg. key opening. I had assumed the oposite; the more the merrier. Thanks
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