The Clarinet BBoard

The Clarinet BBoard The C4 standard

New Topic | Go to Top | Go to Topic | Search | Help/Rules | Smileys/Notes | Log In

Previous Message | Next Message

Re: Bass Clarinet: Help on playing high notes...

Author: Chris P
Date: 2006-12-23 20:23

My clarinet teacher told me to relax my chops for the top notes when playing bass, and use a much firmer embouchure for the bottom register which does indeed work and certainy gives that classic full and reedy (but definitely not a thin and windy) bass clarinet tone.

I've had a link fitted to the LH main action so that LH 2 holds down the top fingerplate, so the altissimo register can be played by lifting LH 1 off (as in soprano clarinet playing) rather than rolling down to uncover the perforation.

And this linkage also gives throat F# as ooo|xoo which is pretty handy as it frees up the left hand in some arpeggios (some of which involved D# below that and A# above) - I found it very useful recently when doing 'Bridge on the River Kwai' suite which had loads of these awkward fast arpeggios which otherwise would have been hard work without this 'special' F# fingering - I could keep the lower A#, the D#, the F# with RH 1 held down throughout, as well as having some RH fingers already down when it went above the break.

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.

Reply To Message | Avail. Forums | Flat View

Newer Topic | Older Topic

Topics