 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: contragirl
Date: 2005-03-31 15:48
Alright, I play bass clarinet for the orchestra. Right now we are doing a couple operas, but I wasn't assigned to the bass part. For some reason they assigned this girl that plays regular clarinet... but I don't really mind because I don't really want to play.
Well, she is using my bass clarinet, a Selmer 37. It's technically the school's, but I have played it ever since it came to be. I love my bass clarinet. I don't mind her using it, because all of the basses are in use and I am not playing it, so I'm cool.
I guess yesterday she tried to play it, and decided that there is something wrong with it. Along with Loren Kitt, they "suction" tested it!! And she marched in the band office and was raising hell about how there was no suction, blah blah blah and wanted the instrument manager to fix it.
Bass clarinet = not good suction ever
It just came back from the shop about a month ago. I took it yesterday when I saw it sitting in the office and played it, and it works fine. I think someone just doesn't know how to play the instrument. She's using my C* mpc (refaced to an open D) and expects to sound as good as she does on Bb.
*grumble*
Are all clarinetist this dramatic??
--CG
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-03-31 17:20
If a player doesn't know how to play the Bass Clarinet, it may seem down right impossible to get notes such as top space G, etc - completely different animal than the soprano clarinet.
Also, a bad bass clarinet will scare even Ricardo Morales.
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Author: msloss
Date: 2005-03-31 17:50
CG -- good for you. A poor craftsman blames his tools. This is what many of us have been saying again and again here. Most of these instruments are just fine and the fault lies with the player. Sounds like you proved that here.
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-03-31 18:08
My quote on Ricardo/Bass Clarinet was made by Ricardo himself to me at lunch a couple of hours before he played the Mozart Concerto w/Phila. back in Jan.
A poor craftsman may blame his tools, but in the case of the bass clarinet, ya got to make exceptions.......
Bass Clarinet's almost always leak and when they do, they are very difficult to play well. (Ed Palanker said that one)
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Author: msloss
Date: 2005-03-31 18:23
If bass clarinets almost always leak, and they are difficult to play when they do, why are there so many outstanding bass clarinetists that can play the horn at a virtuoso level? That means either they are still eminently playable when they aren't air tight, or fewer instruments are leaky than one might think. CG apparently wasn't having any difficulties with this allegedly poor-sealing instrument.
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Author: contragirl
Date: 2005-03-31 18:53
haha thanks.
Well, this is a fairly new bass clarinet, maybe 3 or 4 yrs old. Even my tech friend (who is the instrument manager) says that the leak test most commonly used to check B-flat clarinets, being the "suction" test, is not an effective way to tell if there are leaks on a bass clarinet.
Everything is in good shape on the thing, pads are in perfect condition, I just had a tenon cork replaced so the joints wouldn't wiggle. And I give it to the instrument manager every once in a while to check over. It's in perfect order right now.
I would be more than happy to give her some pointers, but I rememer a time when my friend offered to help her on a part for B-flat and she snapped at him. I've given mini-lessons to a few of my friends that wanted to learn to switch to low clarinets, and they did very well. But I don't think this girl wants anyone's help. My friend's also couldn't play my mpc, so I realized that most people that switch over from B-flat tend to play better on more closed bs mpcs, like an HS*.
My sister in SAI has the HS* that our friends borrowed from her, but this other girl in question has basically pissed off my sister, her bf, and almost everyone in the school of music with her snooty attitude..... so I doubt my sister will let her borrow the HS*.
(The way she pissed off my sister's bf? He is the instrument manager and my tech friend... and he let her borrow his personal Effer and when he asked for it back, she REFUSED because she didn't want to use the school's because she would have to learn a new instrument. Even tho it was his Effer.)
The way she got on my bad side? We had a gig together for Ragtime, and when I didn't realize that there were more than one copy of each song, she said "How did you get into this?" I was like... sorry I'm not as good as you.
Don't get me wrong, she is a very good clarinet player. But her attitude sucks sometimes. She is always nice, but it seems almost fake. And she just says things that are rude or tend to bother people. I'm nice to her, because I don't like conflict all the time. So I think I will offer to help her if she continues to have problems, but I guess I can't help her with her character. *shrug*
--CG
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Author: Clarinetgirl06
Date: 2005-03-31 18:58
I am normally a clarinet player and I sometimes play the bass or the Eb for an ensemble, band, orchestra, etc. IF I AM NEEDED. I love playing the bass but I love my Bb even more.
Learning the bass from a Bb is pretty tricky (embouchure wise) and you just have to work through it. I had to practice alot to get the high notes out. I practiced it for about an hour to two hours straight and now I can play up to 4th octave C on the bass. (That is the same exact 4th octave C on the Bb clarinet). I can play the whole range now and have become the best bass player at our school, which I don't know if that exactly says much.
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Author: VermontJM
Date: 2005-03-31 19:02
I have recently started playing bass- I bought a couple of softer reeds because my clarinet teacher said that jumping right in on a 4 (which I play on Bb) would be too hard...
Well.
Nothing would come out of the instrument- I thought that something was wrong with the instrument- had my teacher check it out. He deemed it fine and told me to get stronger reeds. I went up to a 3.5 and all is well- everything speaks now and I don't sound like... well... you know...
That's a tough situation. I would have your music director tell her that the instrument is fine and that she needs to work on it more. Other than that, step away and let her dig herself in- it's not worth being dragged into the drama.
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2005-03-31 19:44
I also disagree with Mr. Blumberg about bass clarinets 'almost always leaking' --- I play mine at least a couple of times a week, year-round, and it seems to go about a year or so before starting to develop even a MINOR leak or two, which I fix. In between the minor annual-ish maintenance, the horn plays great.
Also, since I've specialized in bass clarinet since the 8th grade and went for years hardly playing any soprano clarinet, I actually found the Bb soprano clarinet more difficult to play for a while, until assiduous practice got my 'soprano chops' up to par with my 'bass chops'. Technically, I can play anything on the bass clarinet that I can on soprano, not matter how fast or high --- because I've been playing the bass for so long and am completely comfortable on it. It's not inherently harder than soprano clarinet --- but it is very different in feel and response, so it's tough for doublers.
It all depends on what you're used to.
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2005-03-31 19:52
What I wrote was from Ed P. And it doesn't of course apply to a Bass Clarinet which is already in good shape (so David S's clarinet would and should be in good shape) - it applies to most school bass clarinets.
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Author: contragirl
Date: 2005-03-31 20:09
This is a school horn, but it is a college horn that is always kept in top shape. I make sure of it. lol Most of the instruments are usually kept in top playing condition, and since the instrument manager is also a tech apprentice and a clarinetist, he makes sure all of the clarinets work. From our rosewood Selmer contralto to our 2 basset horns (Selmer and Buffet). As for the paperclips, they can rust for all he cares... noone plays them anyway.
We have a super nice collection of clarinets going on.
I know a lot of other schools don't keep their instruments in good shape like we do. We are just lucky to have my friend in charge of the instruments. :D
--CG
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Author: Contra
Date: 2005-03-31 22:35
I feel sorry for those paperclips. All that metal and no paper to clip. I'd play them.
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Author: jbutler ★2017
Date: 2005-03-31 22:39
Contra,
But don't it make you feel good when your teeth rattle on the low notes!!!
jbutler
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Author: Contra
Date: 2005-03-31 23:25
Not just my teeth, but the windows and the television screens!
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