 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Jaysne
Date: 2015-04-27 04:56
I'm trying out a low C bass, and the first thing I noticed is that it has a few more left-hand pinky keys than a low Eb (as well as the added rh thumb keys for the new notes).
I've figured out all the lh pinky keys except one--it sits directly on top of the lh F#/C# and the B/E. It seems to be connected to the rh Eb, but I cannot figure out exactly what it does and how to make it work. As I said, it is sitting directly on top of those other two keys--meaning it's touching them--and the only way to employ it is if both those other keys are already down, and as of now I have not figured out how that would be possible.
Can anyone shed some light on this mysterious key? Thanks.
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2015-04-27 05:09
It's an alternate Ab/Eb key. A lot of soprano clarinets have them, including my A clarinet. On bass clarinets it's primarily there in order to easily go between low Eb and low Ab.
Edit: You say you can't press it unless the E and F# keys are depressed? That sounds wrong- it should sit high enough above those keys so that you can press it on its own. Add pics?
Post Edited (2015-04-27 05:11)
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Author: Jaysne
Date: 2015-04-27 05:13
So you are holding down the low rh Eb fingering and then going to this key for Ab?
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2015-04-27 06:56
That's right - it will allow you to slur from low Eb (taken with the RH) to the Ab above it (taken with the LH) instead of having to jump across from the LH low Eb key to the LH Ab/Eb key as you would have to do on a bass clarinet without the LH Ab/Eb lever fitted.
The Buffet Tosca bass clarinet has an extra low Eb key for the right thumb (the Prestige bass has a third low D key in this same location) so you can take low Eb with the right thumb and the Ab above it with the RH pinky.
A feature on some older Leblanc basses was a RH forked Ab/Eb mechanism so you can play Ab/Eb by lifting off your right hand middle finger (xxx|xox - as you can do on some vintage saxes), so you can slur from low Eb to Ab and then to the Db above it without having to slide any fingers. You can't do that so easily on a regular bass with or without the LH Ab/Eb lever fitted.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: clarnibass
Date: 2015-04-27 07:46
If the left hand Ab/Eb lever is touching the F#/C# lever and/or E/B lever when pressing it, then something is out of adjustment. The most likely reasons are that the Ab/Eb lever is bent down, or that the Ab/Eb key is raising too much (making the lever go too far down with it). It's possible but a lot less likely that the F#/C# and/or E/B lever(s) are bent too high.
BTW the current Selmer low C bass also has a Eb for the right thumb.
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Author: maxopf
Date: 2015-04-27 08:22
Attachment: Eb Examples.jpg (190k)
I haven't played a low C bass clarinet in a while, but I think you let go of the Eb key while pressing the Ab key. It might work with Eb down too. It sounds like maybe the particular bass you were trying was out of adjustment, as the key shouldn't be touching the E/B and F#/C# levers.
The key is also helpful in other situations too - I've attached some pictures of passages where it's been useful to have the key on my A clarinet (or annoying not to have the key on my Bb clarinet.) L = left pinky, R = right pinky, and the dash indicates a slide or finger swap.
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Author: BflatNH
Date: 2015-04-27 21:00
It comes in handy for playing C# scale in the lowest octave.
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