 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: William
Date: 2009-04-06 14:49
Great pics. I'm curious, however, about the stands holding the bass clarinets in the second pic. Were the basses securly anchored into those heavy looking "pods" or could they be freely removed--as in an orchestral doubling situation? Stability?? Always looking for a more portable bass clarinet stand and just wondering if...........
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Author: sweettea
Date: 2009-04-06 18:36
Interesting post, thanks for taking the time. All the different shapes and configurations makes one curious about how they really play....
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2009-04-07 03:57
William, those stands are just blocks connected to the floor, and they have pegs connected to the blocks. Instead of the usual peg of the instrument, the sleeve slides over those pegs and the bell rests on the block. Not practical at all for a player, since you'd need this block to be heavy enough to be stable, and not mind removing the peg every time (if you use a peg when playing bass).
Chris, the most interesting mechanism was definitely the Eppelsheim contrabass clarinet and contra saxophones, which use bent rods with ball bearings on each end.
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Author: tacet
Date: 2009-04-07 06:45
>> The Hufnagel bass appears to be French bore with German mechanism, but that's only speculation
It is indeed. It's the Belcanta Bass, beautifully brought into shape by Mr. Hufnagel who is a top-notch craftsman.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-04-08 04:06
Thanks, great pics. I'm glad I wasn't there, I wouldn't know where to start, and worse, where to end. I'd probably have to re mortgage my house. ESP
http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: aero145
Date: 2009-04-10 08:30
I was at the Musikmesse too and had a great time! I was focussing on bass clarinet tryouts and I found the Privilège from Selmer to be the best of them. Of contrabasses, I found the one from. B. Eppelsheim to be splendid. I didn’t try the Selmer as I didn’t have my own mouthpiece, so I couldn’t have compared the Eppelsheim to it.
On another note: I tried out the Böhm-Amati bass clarinet, and I was very disappointed! It is the EXACT same instrument as the E. M. Winston bass clarinet I used for a year two years ago! A real ripoff in my opinion.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2009-04-10 08:51
I was trying just about anything, but I was focusing on bass clarintes also. I completely understand why someone would like the Selmer best, it does have a great tone. However overall, I preferred Buffet and (believe it or not) Yamaha. Of course that doesn't mean that I am saying they are better, since objectively speaking they are not really better, it is only personal.
I still preferred Buffet the best although they still have what IMO is a problem with the register vent (you can see my solution on the Keepers forum).
I also didn't have a contrabass clarinet mouthpiece, but I think I will get one so I can compare contrabass clarinets more objectively. I didn't try the Selmer, but I tried Ripamonti and Eppelsheim. The Eppelsheim was obviously built better, but it was harder for me to play, especially the low clarion (B, C, D). But consider I've practically never even played contrabass clarinet (only a few minutes once, years ago).
The Ripamonti played better for me, and also the mouthpiece angle of the Eppelsheim (coming from the side sort of) felt a little strange (at first). But I really need to compare with the same mouthpiece. The Eppelsheim was with their own mouthpiece (I think Zinner) and what felt like especially soft Legre reed. Altisimo wasn't easy (I could only get to altisimo Eb, with E and F being very hard) on either contrabass but I'm sure that is just more practice.
I'm actually considering getting a contrabass clarinet, though the cost and carrying that huge case around is a serious consieration.....
OTOH the Eppelsheim lowest Bb tubax played so easily and it was my favorite of the Eppelsheim instruments! It played effortlessly all the way down.
I agree about the Amati bass clarinets. I didn't spend that much time with them. They were the same as I rememberred, kind of a dull tone with less than great keys. I mean, it is completely possible to play everything with them, but they are not cheap at all. What was interesting is they have four right thumb keys for notes Eb to C (though I didn't think the layout was epspecially good).
It was interesting to try tons of Chinese bass clarinets too. some played fine (I think some had serious adjustment problems), but I thought the keys were very un-ergonomic (enough that I wouldn't want to play one).
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2009-04-10 10:48
I reckon the EEb Tubax is a pretty useful instrument (easy to read from concert pitch bass clef parts on) and wouldn't mind one of these myself.
Listening to the sound clips and comparing the Tubax with the Contraforte, there's not much difference in sound between them, and the Tubax with its sax fingering is probably the most agile of the two and I can't see any problem in using it as a substitute for a contrabassoon.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: oliver sudden
Date: 2009-04-10 11:09
I've played Benedikt's contra (only a prototype though - he's fixed up a couple of things since then) in a couple of concerts and it's certainly a fearsome machine. The mouthpiece angle is certainly troublesome at first but not a serious problem. What does take more getting used to is the left little finger keys, which are at what for me is an odd angle.
Low in the second register is a little stuffy on all big clarinets I've played. You get used to it after a while but crisp staccato in that register on a contra I think will remain an elusive dream... ;-)
If I were looking for a contra for ensemble work I think the Eppelsheim would be top of the list at the moment. The Selmer makes a lovely sound but Benedikt's instrument is nearly as purry and much better thought-out. I don't know why the Selmer has the hands in the position it does - I have to reach up for the keys even though none of them are anywhere near their tone-holes. No great problem but a little tiring and doesn't have to be that way. But for solo things I'm going to stick with my Leblanc anyway. The sound isn't as centred on the fundamental (so at the bottom of an ensemble texture it doesn't really come through so well) but for that very reason the altissimo is incomparably better. And as it has the join in the middle it packs down into something very much more portable!
(Altissimo doesn't really work on any contra I've played - up to F is sort of OK, then there's a region where everything is really unstable, then from C or so there's a kind of falsetto register which can stretch for about another octave. The Leblanc is the best I know above f''' but most people aren't going to bother taking a contra up there.)
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Author: aero145
Date: 2009-04-25 14:11
Clarnibass wrote:
I completely understand why someone would like the Selmer best, it does have a great tone.
That’s exactly why I liked it the best, it ”sung” so well. :-) But the ergonomics is a personal matter of course, I still think anyone could get used to the Yamaha, the Buffet, the Selmer, and even the Ripamonti, with time.
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