 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Kelly
Date: 2001-12-03 03:15
I was just called to play bass clarinet with a community orchestra, and having never played bass before I'm kind of lost on what strength of reeds to try. On Bb soprano I play a Mitchell Lurie 3.5, and I play a Vandoren Java 2.5 on tenor. I tried my tenor reeds, but they didn't work, I don't know if they were hard or not. Does anyone have any idea about what strength reed I should try? Also do you like tenor sax or bass clarinet reeds best, or does it really make a difference? Thanks so much!
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Author: Robert Small
Date: 2001-12-03 04:11
Tenor reeds work okay. Try using softer reeds. Maybe a 2 1/2.
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Author: mike
Date: 2001-12-03 05:49
While softer reeds do seem to work well on the B.C., this is also a function of the tip opening and lay of the mouthpiece. TS reeds are the right size, and should work. I'm surprised that the Vandoren 2.5's didn't work. In what sense? Too hard or too soft? Can you tell us anything about the mouthiece that you're using?
And have you had the B.C. checked for leaks? If some of the pads aren't seating, you'll have a hell of a time getting it to play.
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Author: Kelly
Date: 2001-12-03 12:28
Thanks for the replies! I'm not sure, but I think the 2.5's were too hard. I can't really tell whether it's too hard on bass clarinet, or if something's just not right about it. I tried 5 though, and some were better than others, not necessarily the ones I found to be softer or harder on tenor. Now I'm using a really old tenor reed that has been worked on so much I don't have an idea what strength it is on the mouthpiece that came with the insturment. I borrowed a friend's Hite, but I found it caused more squeaks and the tone wasn't so good, maybe because of the reed I was using. There is no where near where I live to get the insturment checked, but I can play it now pretty well, so I'm guessing it's ok. Thanks for the help!
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Author: Don Poulsen
Date: 2001-12-03 15:41
If you have a friend who plays bass clarinet, have him/her put his/her mouthpiece and reed on your instrument and try playing it. If they have trouble, there may be pad leaks or other poor regulation that is causing the problem. If they can successfully get good tones from the instrument, you need to look instead at your reed/mouthpiece combination.
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Author: Robert Small
Date: 2001-12-03 20:16
Basses are notoriously fussy about leaks. One small leak can shut down the whole horn.
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Author: Wes
Date: 2001-12-04 08:13
Try Rico Royal #2 tenor reeds if you get a chance. They seem to be suited to the B.C.
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Author: Mark Pinner
Date: 2001-12-04 12:29
Proper bass clarinet reeds are longer than tenor reeds just like clarinet reeds are longer than soprano sax reeds. The proper size reed may be the answer as may be choosing a file cut reed rather than traditional. VanDoren Java reeds do not function on all sax mputhpieces either. They can be a little short in the vamp for some metal mouthpieces such as Berg larsen or Wolf Tayne but work very well on Lawton or Otto Link and are definitely good on rubber Meyer's, Links and Bergs. I doubt however whether Vandoren recommend them for Bass Clari. I have seen Vandoren V12's for bass clari they might be worth a try but Java?????
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