 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Robert Small
Date: 2000-03-12 21:01
I'm considering getting a basset clarinet. I just read in a book about the clarinet family that with bassets with certain key configurations certain passages or sequences of notes are unplayable. The book is fairly old so could it be outdated in that modern bassets have key configurations that allow all possible sequences of notes to be played? I would very much like to hear from anyone with experience with this instrument especially with respect to fingering problems, the effect of the extra weight on the right hand, and the tonal characteristics compared to a regular soprano.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2000-03-13 15:48
Since no one has responded, I'll try! As far as I know, the music for Basset clar. [key of A] is even more limited to Mozart than for Basset Horn [key of F], so do you really need one, or could you rent or borrow as needed? If you havent read Brymer or the more-recent Lawson book, also Grove's Dict. [library], I'd suggest finding them. My only real experience is with Selmer B H's, and the low C basses by Sel and Buffet, the latter having somewhat different extended-range keying. You might look in our archives here, and in "Early Clarinet", where greater knowledge in this narrow field may be found. Others, please help!! Don
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2000-03-13 16:17
Don,
There's about 5 or so pieces for Basset Clarinet listed here on Sneezy, some contemporary ... but very few nonetheless.
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Author: Robert Small
Date: 2000-03-13 19:31
My interest in getting a basset clarinet is (1)to function as a regular A soprano, and (2) to be able to play the Bach cello suites from the cello music and not the violin transcription like I'm doing now. I looked through the archives and found a number of interesting comments and a good bit of interesting information related to the basset cl. but nothing on fingering problems. I would hate to get a basset cl. and then find that certain passages are unplayable. I would like to hear from anyone who has played the cello suites on a low C bass cl. since if it possible to play them on a bass it would be possible to play them on a basset as well.
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Author: Eoin
Date: 2000-03-14 07:27
Robert Small wrote:
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if it possible to play them on a bass it would be possible to play them on a basset as well.
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Not necessarily. The notes are all available, but the arrangement of keys for the notes C, C# and D is not standard. I've heard that the E flat key is always in the same place, but that the others very from manufacturer to manufacturer. A Bass clarinet will not necessarily be the same as a Basset Clarinet.
Fingering problems are at most going to make things difficult rather than unplayable. You might find that going from a C to a C# for example rqeuired you to play both notes with your right little finger. This is not impossible, but it is very tricky. How good are you at the moment at sliding your little finger? Albert system players need to do this all the time as they have no alternative keys, but they have those dinky rollers to help them.
Eoin
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Author: Dee
Date: 2000-03-14 12:25
Eoin wrote:
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...Albert system players need to do this all the time as they have no alternative keys, but they have those dinky rollers to help them.
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Not all Albert system clarinets had the rollers. Those that did not, had a more rounded shape on the touchpieces for the little fingers, which facilitated the slides.
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Author: Robert Small
Date: 2000-03-15 20:01
I dislike sliding which is why I have my Bb soprano (Leblanc LL) equipped with an auxilary Eb/Ab key. It solves many fingering problems but not all. For example: low E, up a major third to G#, up a fourth to C#, and then repeat. The only way I can figure how to play this is to switch from RH low E to LH low E at the repeat. For horns equipped with the auxilary Eb/Ab key a possibility would be to slide from LH G# (Eb/Ab) to C#. Either way this is an example of a very awkward sequence of notes. If there are many examples like this one on the basset cl. I think I would avoid it (and low C bass as well). I guess I'll just have to get one on a trial basis from WW/BW to see what the story is. I appreciate the responses.
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