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Bass Clarinet Technique; Is 'Slightly Lifting Off' A Thing? ...

Author: Chris P
Date: 2022-03-05 15:21

Is it a thing for players to be 'slightly lifting off' their fingers and left thumb whilst playing bass clarinet?

I had a complaint that as I used cork pads on the LH thumbplate and LH1 on a bass clarinet, the owner who is primarily a sax player (and doesn't play soprano clarinet) said they couldn't 'slightly lift off' without getting squeaks when they could do with the soft, spongy leather pads it had previously.

Surely the fingers and left thumb ought to remain held down on the plates instead of 'slightly lifting off'. I've always maintained finger (and thumb) pressure on the fingerplates whilst playing any instrument with covered action as 'slightly lifting off' will only cause unwanted leaks.

They got around it by sticking silicone rubber discs to the LH1 fingerplate and LH thumbplate to make them feel more spongy. The owner was used to the feel of the soft spongy leather pads that were installed which were both too thick and compromised the venting making the F# (LH1 only) really stuffy.

Personally I don't care for soft, spongy pads with tons of give in them as that only causes regulation problems and firmer pads offer more stability and reliability provided they're seated correctly. And once a fingerplate (or thumbplate) is held closed, it should remain held closed (but not forced closed) instead of 'slightly lifting off', just as any open tonehole on soprano clarinets that are held closed should remain held closed and likewise with any open-standing key that's held closed.

Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.

Post Edited (2022-03-07 23:02)

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