 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: super20bu6
Date: 2011-04-13 22:44
I've read the article about altissimo fingerings...but have one question. Are those fingerings written around a contra with the "half hole" like a Bass Clarinet? My contra doesn't have the "half hole" fingering for 1st finger left hand.
New to Contra...obviously...and soon to purchase a Bass...mainly a sax guy here that has reasons to be an effective doubler. Mainly.....my community concert band has no openings for saxophone or bassoon....so I volunteered to swap to Eb Contra and it just arrived today.
Thanks for anyone with the time to answer my basic (and probably dumb) question.
Mark
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Author: LCL
Date: 2011-04-13 22:51
It is not dumb to ask, but having played my Selmer Rosewood in our community band for about 8 years and having played the contra part, the part for tuba, basson and bari-sax, I've never needed to know those fingerings.
Best regards,
LCL
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2011-04-13 23:16
With the clarinet family comprising at least 12 members and of these 10 pitched higher than the contra why on earth would anyone want to use the altissimo register??
(OK so just because it's there?)
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2011-04-13 23:48
Which article is this?
As for the two wet blankets above, why would you NOT want to use that altissimo? It's frickin gorgeous, and also gives you a lot more both microtonal and timbral options than the equivalent pitches on the higher horns.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: rsholmes
Date: 2011-04-13 23:49
Norman, you've answered your own question, though you could also add to yourself that a contra in the altissimo register does not sound the same as a bass or soprano clarinet playing at the same pitch, and I can imagine a composer wanting to exploit that difference. Kind of like why Stravinski didn't write the opening solo of "Rite of Spring" for oboe, though maybe less blatant than that.
And if I wanted to carve out a niche as a contra clarinet jazz soloist, I'd definitely want to learn to play any note possible on it.
But like LCL, I strongly suspect that the community band will rarely if ever require the contra to play altissimo.
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Author: Leanne E.
Date: 2011-04-14 00:31
What article is this? I'm sorry to be out of the loop, I haven't religiously visited this website since I played the contralto, many years ago.
I love the contralto. My tutor was good to teach me some alternate altissimo fingerings. The trick was blowing overtones (or as I deemed it, controlled squeaking). It's which fun, but not useful outside of angering cats and bragging rights.
Good luck with the contra, treat her well!
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2011-04-14 07:46
One main reason among several to use altisimo on a contra clarinet (alto or bass) is that you might want to play the low notes (lower than bass clarinet) and the high notes relatively without breaks between them, for one "piece".
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Author: super20bu6
Date: 2011-04-14 10:05
Ken Shaw referred to the article of which I was speaking...I just didn't want to butcher Terje's name with my bad memory of the author of the article.
I've not played contra in a band setting since my college days...YEARS ago. We had a Leblanc paperclip to Low C at my university...I was the only person there that could play the thing without it squeaking. My reasoning was that I was not mainly a clarinetist....I was mainly saxophone...therefore I didn't have a true clarinet embouchure. I loved playing that "monster"....and I could make a building vibrate with that Low C.
Thanks for the altissimo input!
Mark
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2011-04-14 20:29
Interesting thought lugging a contra round jazz venues. Think it would hold up in that environment?
Of course if you played a paperclip you could have the bell bent up 45 deg and hit the high notes like Dizzie G.
Post Edited (2011-04-14 20:38)
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