 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Whiskey Paris
Date: 2000-10-20 02:18
I just switched from soprano Bb Clarinet to the contrabass.. a VERY cool instrument..
And I'm sure it's been asked before but...
Can someone give me some help in where I might find some Contrabass Clarinet music? Amazon.com doesn't seem to have any...
I'm sure someone somewhere someplace once wrote something for it... if not I will have to grow up to be a composer and write some. It's too great of an instrument to be wasted.
Thanks -Whiskey
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Author: Nate Zeien
Date: 2000-10-20 02:52
Whiskey, assuming that you mean solo music, and music to practice and play outside of a band, bass clarinet music will do just fine. Soprano clarinet has different charactaristics, but bass and contra react quite similar to each other. Most of the time, in a band, it is perfectly acceptable to play the contra while reading the bass clarinet part, providing the contra is in Bb. From what experience I have had, I would recommend using bass clarinet music. I hope this helps you. -- Nate Zeien
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Author: Willie
Date: 2000-10-20 04:00
If its a full sized BBb contra you find lots of good stuff written for tuba and euphonium also. The tuba stuff will be all in bass clef but euphonium can be had in both treble and bass. Why let the brass have all the fun!Nate Zeien wrote:
>
> Whiskey, assuming that you mean solo music, and music to
> practice and play outside of a band, bass clarinet music will
> do just fine. Soprano clarinet has different charactaristics,
> but bass and contra react quite similar to each other. Most of
> the time, in a band, it is perfectly acceptable to play the
> contra while reading the bass clarinet part, providing the
> contra is in Bb. From what experience I have had, I would
> recommend using bass clarinet music. I hope this helps you.
> -- Nate Zeien
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Author: Nate Zeien
Date: 2000-10-20 05:23
Willie brings up a good point, although you have to be a little more careful of what music you select. Bass clarinet music is written within the good range of the low clarinets. With brass instrument music, it might not. Also, when playing music in bass clef - be careful of key signatures. By no means am I saying that you should stick with bass clarinet music alone. Clarinet music works well also. There's lots of fun stuff out there, and it's not all written for clarinet. -- Nate Zeien
PS -- As Willie stated - "Why let the brass have all the fun?" Right on, Willie! :-)
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Author: Katherine Pincock
Date: 2000-10-20 11:59
Woohoo! Another contra fan! ;-) I just started playing it for our university clarinet choir this year, and I'm having a blast. Anyway, there are a few pieces written for contrabass clarinet specifically, but they're (understandably) few and far between. Check the listings at Luyben Music (www.luybenmusic.com ); they have a section of music for contrabass clarinet and piano. Hope that helps!
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Author: Kenny
Date: 2000-10-20 15:11
Hmm.... Out of curiosity how much does a new or a used Contra Bass BBb cost??
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Author: Don Poulsen
Date: 2000-10-20 15:25
Regarding Willie's suggestion to look at euphonium music, in band literature most euphonium parts are marked as being for "baritone." (Boy, do our band's euphonium players get irate if you call their instruments baritones.) I don't know this for a fact, but solo parts may be marked similarly. The good thing about treble clef baritone - excuse me - euphonium parts is that they are written for B-flat instruments.
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Author: Ken Shaw
Date: 2000-10-20 15:35
You can play tuba solos on an Eb contra simply by reading bass clef as if it were treble clef.
There's a great site devoted to low instruments of all kinds at http://www.contrabass.com/.
Prices for new contras are astronomical - $20,000 and more for a Leblanc BBb descending to low C. Bundy and Vito Eb contras appear on eBay fairly often, going for $2500 or so. I got an old but excellent Leblanc BBb a few years ago, and by the time I got it put in good condition it cost me about $5,000.
Best regards.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Willie
Date: 2000-10-21 04:38
While we're on contras here, I've been told there is (or was) an after market conversion to extend the straight LeBlanc EEb contra to low C. Anyone heard of this?
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