 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: moolatte
Date: 2009-12-04 18:54
I got a crazy idea that I may want to play either one of those next year. In your opinion, which one is funner?
Reasoning for an alto:
For me, I don't think I'll ever be able to afford a bassett horn just for the ability to play low B/C. I don't want to go straight bass clarinet just because I'd like to keep some high notes.
Reasoning for contrabass clarinet:
They look so awesome. I like the low range of the instrument also. But would I be playing even 1/10 of the time?
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Author: USFBassClarinet
Date: 2009-12-04 19:06
Well, Personally, I love the sound of Alto Clarinet, there is just little to do for it it seems.
Just because you play a bass clarinet, doesn't mean you can't play high. Most people once they are at a high level play 5 to 6 octaves on bass.
And Contra is one of my favorites as well. I do find that unless it's a contemporary piece, the band parts are rather...unsatisfying. But there are some cool solos out there for contrabass.(as well, contrabass can be played rather high too)
I guess it depends on what you want out of it and what level you are playing at. I know some of the harder high school band works have very enjoyable alto clarinet parts. The modern pieces that we mostly play usually don't have alto clarinet, but the bass and contra parts are very enjoyable.
If your doing solo stuff, pick whichever you like the sound of most.
Also, what quality of instrument will you be able to get? It is usually hard to find a good working condition alto clarinet, or contrabass clarinet. And in some places, even a bass clarinet.
Good Luck, and welcome to the lower world of Clarineting
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Author: LonDear
Date: 2009-12-04 23:37
It really depends on what type of music you like to play. If you are a jazz player who enjoys improvisation, the alto gives you a great timbre and a range that can't be beat. If you play mostly classical, a contra-alto or contra-bass can be a very versatile, covering bassoon and tuba parts, but you need a lot of patience.
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Author: Bobby McClellan
Date: 2009-12-05 00:17
I have and play Alto, contra alto and contra bass. but if you are wanting something that you will get the most playing time out of it is really up in the air. the community band that I play with have alto clarinet parts but many times they end up with Alto sax parts because the composer did not include an alto clarinet part. I see more times that there are EEb contra parts that BBb.
honestly if you are set on alto or contra pick the one you like the sound of best. (i like them all) I typically play bass clarinet.
On a little side note and others may have seen this: Alot of the time the alto clarinet music either doubles the 3rd clarinet or the Bass clarinet.
Bobby
Bobby M. McClellan
Flowood, MS
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2009-12-05 05:07
It depends what you play. I rarely play alto clarinet, but mainly because I just haven't found an alto I really liked enough to buy. I have a relatively inexpensive one that I like considerably less than my soprano or bass because of response and less comfortable keys. If I found an alto I liked and decided to buy it I would use it whenever I wanted to.
I'm considering buying a contrabass clarinet. The main problem would be taking it to concerts beause of its size. If not for that problem I would probably use it for in concerts.
If you are limited by not having the choice of what instrument to play then it is a different situation and you need to decide what you prefer based on your situation.
>> Just because you play a bass clarinet, doesn't mean you can't play high.
>> Most people once they are at a high level play 5 to 6 octaves on bass.
Hmm... for a low C bass clarinet, altisimo C would be 4 octaves. C above that would be 5 octaves. 6 octaves...? Are you sure?
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Author: USFBassClarinet
Date: 2009-12-05 15:30
Yep. it's considerably easier to play high on bass than on soprano. In fact, I've considered playing some clarinet concertos in the clarinet range on bass clarinet, but haven't yet. One of my fellow bass clarinetists here did a flute concerto on bass clarinet in the flute range a few years back. we are talking people who have only been playing 4 or 5 years. Personally, this is my 4.5 year right now. I can from violin before hand. But in high school after almost two years of playing I could play all my scales 3 octaves, so the others weren't that far out of reach. Considering my 3erd year was my first year in college, I could play a 5 octave C scale. At this point I had just had my first clarinet lesson as well since I had none before being here at USF.
The Henri Bok book even goes up to two octaves above the C above the staff. So you are talking a concert Bb an octave above the one just above the staff(yes, sounding treble clef) I would hope that would be higher than even a Bb clarinetist really wants to go. In fact, I don't think I know one who regularly goes that high.
Refer here as well : http://kunst.no/lerstad/bass.html
There is also a separate Contrabass Clarinet fingering chart going higher than that one (but still lower due to transposition, but not by much!) I do find I cannot get that high on contra though. I play on a ratty old paperclip that USF owns.
As well, (it IS a professional group, but hey) look on the Edmund Welles Bass Clarinet Quartet Myspace page. They list as what they sound like as "5 1/2 octaves on a big reed" (unless they have changed it.)
Post Edited (2009-12-05 15:35)
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2009-12-05 16:02
>> The Henri Bok book even goes up to two octaves above the C above the staff. <<
OK, so the Henri Bok book shows fingerings for total of 5 octaves (for a low C bass clarinet). Where have you heard someone plays up to an octave above what this book shows?
>> Considering my 3erd year was my first year in college, I could play a 5 octave C scale. <<
5 octave C scale is up to the same note as what you said the Henri Bok book shows. This is what you meant yes? Because you wrote "The... book EVEN goes..." suggesting it shows notes higher than what you could play.
Sorry if this is naive, but you remember to count octaves only from the second C right? There is a big difference between the 6th C and the 6th octave, you didn't confuse this maybe? Because I know players use notes in the 5th octave. I use notes in the 5th octave too. But 6th octave is extremely rare which strange if "Most people once they are at a high level play 5 to 6 octaves on bass" (quote from your previous post).
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Author: USFBassClarinet
Date: 2009-12-05 16:10
I did say 5 TO 6. and it is easily possible to play high than the books writes. It's just a matter of finding the right fingering and voice. Sorry if my writing was quick and confusing. But the original point is that, just because you play bass doesn't mean you lose all the high stuff.
The point of referring to the Bok book is that even the written books go up that high for bass(I do wonder about the Volta Book though since I have never seen it), and it's not just a fabled scale that I feel like doing because I can.
Post Edited (2009-12-05 16:14)
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2009-12-06 06:42
>> But the original point is that, just because you play
>> bass doesn't mean you lose all the high stuff.
I agree.
>> The point of referring to the Bok book is that
>> even the written books go up that high for bass
The question is about "that high". What was unclear was that you described it as very common for "Most people once they are at a high level" to play a full octave above the chart in the Henri Bok book.
>> I did say 5 TO 6
Which means some play up to 6 octaves. Maybe you have some links to examples of playing 6 octaves? Out of maybe approx 30 CDs I have of bass clarinet soloists I don't remember anyone playing in the 6th octave. Maybe occasionally notes higher than 5 octaves, but only very rarely, and it is used for the idea of the screechy high note, it is not playing up to 6 octaves.
>> I do wonder about the Volta Book
>> though since I have never seen it
I lent my copy to someone but can check when I have it back.
Edit: Just to completely clarify, to play 6 octaves on a low C bass clarinet means to play up to the C 2 octaves above this C:
Post Edited (2009-12-06 09:56)
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Author: Ebclarinet1
Date: 2009-12-08 13:14
Getting back to the original question of alto vs. contrabass, there really is a world of difference in the SOUND of the two instruments. The alto feels like a deeper Bb or a small bass, whereas the contra is really deep and dark. The contra GROWLS while the alto is like a Bb clarinet dark or a bass clarinet light. So, it sort of relates to what sort of sound you most prefer as to why you might play one over the other.
I have a really nice alto, a Buffet Prestige, and it has a gorgeous sound, but I've played many altos that are of much less quality and frankly are not as much fun to play. Resistant and sort of wheezy in sound. A good mouthpiece on these definitely helps and can make a wheezy horn sound quite good. The Hites are a wonderful cheap alternative here. The second movement of the Mozart concerto I like playing on the alto. If you've never done it, try it.
On the other hand, I have heard people make better, quite respectable, sound on lower quality contra instruments, including the attractively priced Vito and Selmer USA horns. So, if you're looking at student quality instruments, you might consider the contras more strongly. If the new Ridenour horns are as good as first reported that's another great option.
What you get to play depends a lot upon the group and the sorts of pieces they play. The older concert band music that are transcriptions of the classical symphonic literature often have very musically-challenging pieces. This past year I played Copland's Emblems and Ives' Country Band that had nice alto solos in them that are more modern works too. However, many less complex works won't have alto parts or they'll be "2nd alto sax/ alto clarinet".
The contra parts are more in modern works but if you play Eb contra you can read bassoon and contrabassoon parts fairly easily. If your group has no bassoon players (or technically-challenged ones), then this is a fun option too. Bari sax parts are another option for Eb contra but have the problem of only going down to Bb.
Hope that's some help!
Eefer guy
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Author: xeys_00
Date: 2009-12-14 21:23
How do you handle accidentals when you hit them playing the bass clef like it's treble and adding 3 sharps/subtracting 3 flats? I had to play a 2nd trombone part on bari sax for an encore at a concert last week in one of the community bands i play in(last minute thing, and didn't have my folder, but did have the trombone parts handy). I screwed up about 5/6 of the accidentals in the piece, and since they were nice juicy fat chords(i was playing whole notes in slow tempo at the end), I i was well aware that something was wrong, but not sure what. Since the notes were pretty high, only the old trombone guy who has been playing forever noticed. He got frustrated and started saying, "Key!!!". How do I treat accidentals? Other than that, he loves it when I do it, because the other 2 trombone players may or may not show based on how they feel at concert time.
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Author: LCL
Date: 2009-12-16 15:08
I play the tuba part or basson part on contra-alto all of the time in our community band. Of course I hand mark the part in pencil adding the 3#s or subtracting 3bs and changing the clef from bass to treble.
Then notes F, C and G with accidentals are treated this way:
Naturals move to #s
Flats move to Naturals
Notes D, A, E, and B with accidentals are played as is!
I don't have my cheat-sheet handy, but I think that this is correct! I have difficulty doing the above by site, so marking the part works for me.
Regards,
LCL
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