 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: GAnders
Date: 2011-04-13 04:56
I am in the market for a contra alto clarinet and hoping that you guys can shed some light on a few questions
I will be playing it in shows and also concert band, interested in the wooden pro models
My question as regards the used Selmer (paris) contra alto's is is there great variation between models/years or with an overhaul can they all be expected to perform similarly? Are any year/serial numbers highly recommended?
Also I see that new they come with silver plated keys, but the used ones seem to be mostly nickel. Was there a time that this changed as standard or has it always been a finish option?
I was also wondering about Buffet contra altos, has anyone ever seen/played one? Do they ever come up for sale second hand?
and if anyone is selling a contra alto I would be happy to hear from you!
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2011-04-13 06:59
Contra-altos are far more useful being in EEb as it's a doddle to sight transpose concert pitch bass clef parts.
With BBb contras there's a bit more grey matter to use when transposing.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: LCL
Date: 2011-04-13 13:57
I own and play a pre-owned Selmer Rosewood Model 40 Contra-alto that I purchased from Mr. Toby Castle, theonemanband.us, in about 2001. The SN dates it to about 1968 and it is in very, very good condition. I had resonators added in about 2005 or 2006 and use a Grabner mpc. with Legere #2 bari-sax reeds. It is one powerful horn and I frequently play the tuba, basoon or bari-sax parts in our community band. I agree with Chris that it is far more versatile that the Bb Contra-bass, which by the way, I also own- a Leblanc Model 340 paperclip dated as about 1963!
Good luck,
LCL
P.S. My contra-alto has nickel plated keys and the rosewood is a darker color and not so orangy as some can be!
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2011-04-13 14:31
GAnders -
Contact me privately. krsmav [at] gmail [dot] com.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2011-04-13 17:06
>>Contra-altos are far more useful being in EEb as it's a doddle to sight transpose concert pitch bass clef parts.
>>
Yes -- and the range is almost identical to bassoon range. Many amateur orchestras and bands don't have enough bassoons. Some don't have *any* bassoons. Naturally the conductor would rather have a real bassoon sound if possible, but a contra-alto clarinet is the next best thing and will make a good doubler popular in a hurry. Just read the bass clef as if it were treble clef and add three sharps (or subtract three flats).
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2011-04-13 17:21
Contra-altos built to low C will descend to concert Eb a semitone below that of a double bass and the ones built to low Eb will descend to F#/Gb just above that - so a very useful contrabass register instrument to have if you're lacking tubas, string basses or bassoons.
If you play bari sax, then using bari sax fingerings for the low register on a bass or BBb contra will equate to concert pitch bass clef when reading from concert pitch bass clef parts. But it can start to get tricky when you get to the middle of the bass clef and higher which is where some fast thinking has to take place.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2011-04-13 17:32
Got ya. I'm partial to the ~27Hz the contrabass achieves, wondered why you'd get so close and yet so far with a contra alto... never really considered doubling facility a priority.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2011-04-13 17:41
What Lelia said (re: subbing for a bassoon on contra-alto clarinet) with one caveat: tenor clef! Bassoons often go into the tenor clef in their upper-register playing, and I haven't figured out an easy transposition for that situation yet. Found this out the hard way at a summer reading orchestra rehearsal.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2011-04-13 17:44
Quickly change to bass clarinet for the tenor clef bits!
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: GAnders
Date: 2011-04-14 05:03
Thanks all for the comments
quite right re: the usefulness of the contra alto in easier transposition for reading concert parts.
Also I would like to have it available for use in pit orchestras and in my limited experience in those rare shows with clarinet part lower than bass it seems to be contra alto rather than contra bass
thanks Ken, I've contacted you off list
LCL thanks for the insight into your instrument, does onemanband sell to individuals? I couldnt see any kind of stock list on their site
many thanks
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Author: LCL
Date: 2011-04-14 15:19
GAnders,
Toby did then, but I'm not sure about that now. I have not talked to him in years. I would call him and ask! He also had Leblanc papeclip conta-altos but I chose the Selmer I have.
Good luck,
LCL
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