 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: SusanE
Date: 2009-10-01 23:44
Am doubling on bass clarinet on a new composers piece. I can play and practice up to Eb (that would be three octaves since I have low Eb). BUT -- She has me playing that high Eb since her "program" says it is with in the range. Also a few passages up to C above the staff.
I am not an experienced bass clarinet player -- so my questions to an experienced bass clarinet player ---
For the richness of the sound of the instrument, what is a "good" range? Not what it can do.
What is your view on when it should switch to the soprano clarinet and play an octave down?
The upper register does not seem to have the overtones -- is this what a composer wants in writing high notes?
I did look at old threads -- couldn't find my answers
Thanks
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2009-10-01 23:53
Tough call. A bass clarinet certainly "can do" this range. But it's like a man singing a countertenor voice vs a lady singing in the alto range. Similar pitch but different timbres or "colours".
A composer may want it exactly that way, or he/she might not have that clear of a concept of how it should sound.
A bass "going up" has that gradual change in timbre while switching instruments will be rather disruptive, tonally. I think your best bet would be to try both versions and find out which one sounds best, in the context of exactly that one piece.
--
Ben
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Author: USFBassClarinet
Date: 2009-10-01 23:58
I do not know which part of the sound to call "rich" because honestly, almost all I play is bass clarinet and I love the entire range. Including the super high C two octaves above the one above the staff. What do normal people want to hear on it....I would maybe say...from the low Eb (or better...low C) to...Clarion G? or C.
Switching to a soprano clarinet? I think never. If it is written for bass clarinet and bass clarinet sound, play it on bass?
I do not know about the overtones question. Perhaps someone here has more info for that. Perhaps ask the composer if you think that may be what they want?
You said you are doubling on bass clarinet for the piece. But it seems you are asking about switching some parts to soprano? I would say play what you can play well on bass and play the rest on soprano if the instrument isn't specified. Otherwise, ask the composer how much they care about it.
Good Luck and Happy Bass Clarineting.
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2009-10-02 00:41
The juiciest stuff is all below the staff.
It goes way high, though. I just started working on a piece that goes to F# two octaves above the staff. A composer may choose to take stuff down onto another instrument, but as a performer I never would.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2009-10-02 05:36
Many players can play much higher than that Eb.
Re the program, if they meant something like when Sibelius changes the colour for notes "out of the range", that is a little silly since the program doesn't really know a lot of times.
When writing for a player, you should write based on what that player can do. Otherwise why write for that person? The player can also make an effort and try more to see if they can play something harder than they thought they could e.g. practice higher range than what they played before.
There's no such a thing as a general "rule" when it's ok to change to sorpano clarinet and when it's not. It's a matter of deciding what is a better option in a sepcific situation.
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Author: LarryBocaner ★2017
Date: 2009-10-02 13:53
I remember playing a Delius piece with Antal Dorati many years ago (I think it was "Apalachicola") in which there was a bass clarinet solo way above the staff. After the first read-through Dorati stopped the orchestra, pointed to me and said to the orchestra (in a thick Hungarian accent) "Such an interesting sound!" I think he meant it as a compliment.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2009-10-02 15:48
Knowing little of clarinet acoustics, other than the domination of the cl's sound spectrum by the odd numbered multiples of the fundemental frequency, it seems reasonable to me that the very high notes will have a much lesser timbre, being very "bright" with less "body". I too have tried running up to so-called super C, and dont care for that tone quality. Playing the B C on Der Rosencavlier Waltzes, [band] it's intro goes up to high Eb and I usually played the Eb in the staff to not clnflict with the sop Bb cls. Comments please and help, Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: Ebclarinet1
Date: 2009-10-02 16:43
The slow repeated slurred C(6), C#, D (as written, sounds an octave lower)repeated phrase in the Grand Canyon Suite is another one of those bass solos that's relatively high but I can't imagine any other instrument doing it with the same effect. It's hauntingly beautiful.
I think composers are becoming more aware that the bass does have a range and an effective one in at east he low altissimo notes. Like others have stated it's relatively easier to play high on the bass than it is on the Bb or Eb. C(7) seems much easier on bass!
Eefer guy
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2009-10-02 18:06
>>Otherwise, ask the composer how much they care about it.>>
This is the best advice of all, IMHO -- except I'd delete the "otherwise." Since you mention that this is new music, the composer is probably alive and probably has a web page. That means asking the composer is the first resort, not the last. I'm an amateur composer, but I think most pros also would rather you ask than guess.
It's possible that, as someone suggested, the composer wanted a strained or unusual sound there. I did that to some singers in one of my own scores: I wanted a shrieking tone (I was orchestrating Wilfred Owens's superb poem, "Anthem for Doomed Youth") and a shriek is exactly the best most singers could do with those notes! Knowing the range would raise questions, I footnoted the score to explain. Maybe your composer needs to footnote that bass clarinet part to make clear what's going on there. But it's also possible that your composer didn't realize that some theoretical range s/he read about somewhere-or-other is uncomfortable.
I know for sure that, if/when I mess up, I'd much rather hear about it than let the music sit there looking unplayable and making me look ignorant. Just a couple of weeks ago, I was grateful to someone on this site for pointing out a bad typo (now corrected) in one of my own scores. I'd certainly want to know about it if I wrote something unnecessarily difficult for the specified instrument when I could have specified a different instrument. You'll be doing both yourself and the composer a favor if you track him/her down and ask.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
Post Edited (2009-10-02 18:07)
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-10-02 18:59
Take a look at my bass clarinet page on my website, http://eddiesclarinet.com, you will see a fingering chart going up to high C, an octave higher than the one you're talking about. Personally I don't like the tone above the highest G and would prefer if composers never wrote above the high Eb but they do. I had to play high As more than one time in my life, even a high C once, that's very high C. I had to begin on a high A last year at pp dynamic in octaves with the trumpet. I can't remember the composer, trying to forget, and ten bars later had to switch to the Bb clarinet. He wanted to tone color. Anyway, check out some of the articles and fingering chart. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: Grabnerwg
Date: 2009-10-02 22:00
A few pointers on bass clarinet range:
If you want to do orchestral playing, the G above your high Eb is used liberally. Look at any score by Richard Strauss.
All due respect to Eddie (who is far more experienced than I), but I love the upper range of the bass clarinet and look for pieces that exploit that range.
Every mouthpiece I handcraft is tested to a high F (more than an octave above your Eb), since so much new literature requires an extended range.
Walter Grabner
www.clarinetxpress.com
New Buffet 1193 bass clarinets
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2009-10-02 22:15
Walter, each to their own. I just love those first 3 1/2 octaves, but then again I don't even like the sound of the regular clarinet about a high A. It's good for effects but it's not my thing. ESP
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