 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Caroline Smale
Date: 2012-04-05 19:31
My bass clarinet is a B&H Imperial with low C extension.
This instrument has a crook angle that places the mouthpiece in lowish angle in the mouth which I have never been entirely comfortable with.
Tilting the instrument back under the body somewhat raises the angle but of mouthpiece but brings the right hand too close to body for comfort.
I note that some modern basses have angles much closer to that of a Bb clarinet and one at least offers two alternative crook angles.
I am thinking of modifying the crook on mine to raise the angle somewhat but am interested to hear from players of any pros/cons to the various angles on the bass.
Is there indeed an optimum angle?
I saw on TV a few years back a concert in London by the CSO which used 2 basses in one piece and I recall that one player had a fairly high angle and the other a lower one so I guess that 2 schools of angle exist even among the pros.
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Author: tictactux ★2017
Date: 2012-04-05 20:46
If you make the angle of the mouthpiece steeper without redesigning the neck, you may end up with too short arms to reach the lower keys, as your head will move away from the instrument.
So, to remain compatible, you need to tighten both curves - the one near the instrument and the one near the mouthpiece in order to remain "compatible" with your current setup.
The only way to find out is - sit down with your instrument and try (if you can) what would be *your* optimum angle. Everyone's different...
(I have a provisional patent application for a bass clarinet neck with an adjustable angle...but that is of little concern here.)
--
Ben
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2012-04-05 21:52
Charles Bay makes BC necks with a more severe curve than standard ones to let you use a Bb-type embouchure. I'm not sure whether he makes them for the B&H, though.
Josef Horak, the BC virtuoso, sat forward in his chair, put his right heel against the right front chair leg and tucked the BC floor peg in the angle between the chair and his shoe. The BC went across his body, and he rotated the mouthpiece to bring it to the "Bb" position. When I do that, my left hand bears a lot of the instrument's weight, so I add a neck strap.
The subject has been discussed several times. It's about 50/50 between the "straight in" (saxophone) and the Bb positions. You do what works with your anatomy.
Ken Shaw
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2012-04-07 00:50
I don't like the Bay neck because it's to much like playing a clarinet, it's a bass clarinet not a clarinet. i have an older Selmer so the neck is only slightly curved, not as much as the newer ones. I've always played with my head bent up so I can get "under" the mouthpiece a bit. I do that because that's what gives me the result I want in tone and control. It looks like a bit strange with my neck bent and my head up a bit but that's what gives me what I want. Find the angle that fits you the best. ESP eddiesclarinet.
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2012-04-07 01:29
Ed -
Ronnie Reuben said at a master class that the Philadelphia Orchestra owned a contrabass clarinet cobbled together by Lucien Caillet. The mouthpiece receiver was vertical, so he had to play with his head thrown back 90 degrees, looking at the ceiling. Talk about a crick in the neck!
Ken Shaw
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